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Church Retreat Merch Revenue Math

February 17, 2026 6 min read By Riley Donovan
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Table of Contents
  1. Revenue Math at Different Retreat Sizes
  2. Margin per Piece by Product
  3. Funding the Next Retreat From Apparel Margin
  4. Year-Round Margin From the Storefront
  5. The Affiliate Layer for Retreat Coordinators
  6. Plan Comparison for the Retreat Storefront
  7. Frequently Asked Questions

Church retreat apparel margin scales linearly with attendees and pieces ordered. A 50-attendee retreat with $10 average margin per piece and 1.2 pieces per attendee generates $600 of ministry margin. A 200-attendee retreat generates $2,400. Add hoodies and hats to the storefront and the per-attendee margin climbs to $20 or more. Below is the full revenue math with the exact numbers from the Pro Shops catalog.

Revenue Math at Different Retreat Sizes

Retreat AttendeesPieces Ordered (1.2 per)Avg Margin per PieceMinistry Margin
3036$10$360
5060$10$600
7590$11$990
100120$11$1,320
150180$12$2,160
200240$12$2,880
300360$13$4,680

Pieces-per-attendee assumes most attendees order one tee and roughly twenty percent also order a hoodie or hat. Higher attach rates push the margin higher.

Margin per Piece by Product

The margin per piece depends on the retail price the church sets:

PieceVIP BaseCommon RetailMargin per Piece
Cotton tee$19.88$28 to $32$8 to $12
Performance tee$23.86$30 to $36$6 to $12
Long sleeve tee$29.88$38 to $44$8 to $14
Hoodie$36.88$48 to $58$11 to $21
Crewneck$41.88$52 to $62$10 to $20
Adjustable hat$25.88$32 to $36$6 to $10
Womens cropped hoodie$47.88$58 to $68$10 to $20

The church sets the retail. The default recommended margin per item is $10. Some ministries set higher ($15 to $20) and treat the apparel as a soft retreat fundraiser.

Funding the Next Retreat From Apparel Margin

For a 150-attendee retreat at $12 average margin per piece and 1.4 pieces per attendee, the ministry margin lands near $2,500. That margin covers:

The retreat apparel becomes a self-funding loop. Each year retreat funds part of the next year retreat.

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Year-Round Margin From the Storefront

The Pro Shops storefront stays open after the retreat. New orders come from:

A storefront that ran $2,500 of margin at the retreat itself often runs another $500 to $1,500 across the next twelve months as these one-off orders trickle in. The total annual margin from a single retreat storefront commonly lands at $3,000 to $4,500 with no additional setup work.

The Affiliate Layer for Retreat Coordinators

Every Pro Shops account also includes an affiliate link. The retreat coordinator who refers another ministry (a sister church, a partner ministry, a friend who pastors elsewhere) earns ten percent of the referred ministry subscription forever plus one dollar per unit sold by the referred ministry. Paid by Bear Grips, not by the church.

For a retreat coordinator who refers three or four ministries across a year, the affiliate income can offset the cost of the VIP plan and then some.

Plan Comparison for the Retreat Storefront

PlanMonthlyLive ProductsBest For
Free$03Small retreats with tee plus hoodie plus hat
Self-Service VIP$59200Full apparel set, lowest base prices
Done-For-You VIP$109250Full white-glove setup, advisor managed

For retreats running 75 or more attendees, the Self-Service VIP plan pays for itself in the margin difference on a single hoodie order.

Open the Retreat Storefront and Start Earning Margin

Free signup, $10+ margin per piece, attendees pay directly. Margin lands in the ministry account, not in shipping freight.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a church retreat earn on apparel?

A 100-attendee retreat with $11 average margin per piece and 1.2 pieces per attendee earns about $1,320 of ministry margin. A 200-attendee retreat earns about $2,880. A 300-attendee retreat earns about $4,680. The margin scales linearly with attendees.

What is the average margin per retreat shirt?

$8 to $12 per cotton tee on the VIP plan. $11 to $21 per hoodie. $6 to $10 per hat. The church sets the retail price and the difference between retail and the VIP base is the margin. Most ministries default to $10 of margin per piece.

Can the apparel margin actually fund the next year retreat?

Partially or fully depending on retreat size. A 150-attendee retreat margin of $2,500 typically covers the next year deposit, scholarships, and speaker honorarium. A 300-attendee retreat margin can fund a meaningful share of the next year operational budget.

Is there a subscription cost to run the retreat storefront?

The free plan supports three live products at zero monthly cost. The Self-Service VIP plan at $59 per month unlocks the lowest base prices and 200 live products. The Done-For-You VIP plan at $109 per month covers the full setup.

Riley Donovan
Riley DonovanFaith and Community Programs Director

Riley directs youth and community programs at a multi-campus church and previously coordinated nonprofit fundraisers across three states. She writes about congregation events, mission trip apparel, and the apparel side of faith-based community building.

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