Bear Grips Pro ShopsChurch Camp Merch Revenue Math: Apparel Line Earnings
- A camp of 100 campers per session at 90% purchase rate and $10 margin clears $900 per session.
- Multi-week summer programs scale this to $5,000+ per summer.
- Year-round youth ministry merch adds another $1,500-3,000 on top.
- No inventory, no upfront cost, parent and family orders ship direct.
Church camp merch is one of the most predictable revenue streams in youth ministry. The purchase rate is near 100 percent because parents want the camp memento for their kid, and the margins are clean because there is no inventory or upfront cost. A 100-camper week at $10 margin per shirt clears $900 per session. Run six sessions over the summer and the line clears $5,000+ for the youth ministry budget. Here is the math.
The Four Levers That Determine Camp Merch Revenue
- Campers per session: how many kids attend each week
- Purchase rate: percent who buy the camp shirt (typically 85-100% for camp tees)
- Items per camper: 1.0 to 1.5 depending on whether the family adds a hoodie
- Margin per item: retail minus VIP base
Formula: campers x purchase rate x items x margin = session revenue.
Single Session Camp Revenue Table
| Campers | Purchase rate | Items per camper | Margin | Session revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 95% | 1.0 | $10 | $285 |
| 60 | 95% | 1.1 | $10 | $627 |
| 100 | 95% | 1.2 | $11 | $1,254 |
| 150 | 95% | 1.2 | $11 | $1,881 |
| 250 | 95% | 1.3 | $12 | $3,705 |
Multi-Session Summer Math
Camps running multiple sessions per summer multiply the single-session number:
| Sessions per summer | Avg session revenue | Summer total |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | $1,254 | $3,762 |
| 6 | $1,254 | $7,524 |
| 8 | $1,500 | $12,000 |
| 12 | $1,500 | $18,000 |
Many summer camps clear $5,000 to $15,000 in merch revenue from camp tees alone, before adding the year-round youth ministry shop.
Adding Year-Round Youth Ministry Merch
Camps that also run a year-round youth ministry shop add $1,500 to $3,000 in additional annual revenue on top of summer camp merch. The year-round shop pulls steady purchases from families who attended camp and continue to engage with the ministry through the year.
Combined revenue from summer + year-round can reach $8,000 to $20,000 per year for medium to large youth ministry programs. For year-round shop details see youth ministry hoodies and tees.
Pricing the Camp Tee for the Family Budget
Camp tees typically retail at $25 to $30 when included in the camp registration fee, or $28 to $35 when sold separately. Most families do not blink at $30 for a camp shirt their kid will wear for a year.
| Tee | VIP base | Retail | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airlume Cotton | $19.88 | $28 | $8.12 |
| Premium CVC | $24.88 | $32 | $7.12 |
| Comfort Colors Crop | $24.88 | $34 | $9.12 |
Run the Numbers for Your Camp
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Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
How much can a church camp make from custom merch?
A 100-camper session at 95% purchase rate and $11 margin clears $1,254. A summer running six sessions clears $7,500 from camp tees alone. Multi-week or multi-session camps clear $5,000 to $18,000 per summer.
Is church camp merch profitable?
Yes. With no upfront cost, no inventory, and purchase rates near 95 percent, camp tees are one of the highest-margin product categories in church youth ministry.
Should camps include the tee in registration fees or sell separately?
Including the tee in registration ensures 100 percent purchase rate but caps margin at what you bake into the fee. Selling separately typically clears slightly higher per-tee margin but with 85-95 percent purchase rate.
