Bear Grips Pro ShopsChurch Retreat Merch Revenue Math
- A 50-attendee retreat with $10 margin per piece generates $500 to $700 of ministry margin.
- A 200-attendee retreat with the same margin generates $2,000 to $2,800.
- Add hoodie and hat pieces and the margin per attendee climbs from $10 to $20 or more.
- Storefront stays open after the retreat for ongoing year-round margin.
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 Attendees | Pieces Ordered (1.2 per) | Avg Margin per Piece | Ministry Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 36 | $10 | $360 |
| 50 | 60 | $10 | $600 |
| 75 | 90 | $11 | $990 |
| 100 | 120 | $11 | $1,320 |
| 150 | 180 | $12 | $2,160 |
| 200 | 240 | $12 | $2,880 |
| 300 | 360 | $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:
| Piece | VIP Base | Common Retail | Margin 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:
- Half the rental deposit for the next year retreat center
- Scholarship fund for ten attendees who could not otherwise afford registration
- Honorarium for the next year guest speaker
- Curriculum materials for the next year theme
The retreat apparel becomes a self-funding loop. Each year retreat funds part of the next year retreat.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Year-Round Margin From the Storefront
The Pro Shops storefront stays open after the retreat. New orders come from:
- Attendees who want a second piece in a different color
- Parents and family members who want matching pieces
- Small group leaders who want crewnecks for their group
- Attendees who want to gift the retreat tee to a friend who could not attend
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
| Plan | Monthly | Live Products | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 3 | Small retreats with tee plus hoodie plus hat |
| Self-Service VIP | $59 | 200 | Full apparel set, lowest base prices |
| Done-For-You VIP | $109 | 250 | Full 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.
Start FreeFrequently 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.
