A police department fundraiser shirt campaign earns money without any upfront cost or inventory risk. Set up the department shop, choose a retail price, and every shirt sold sends the margin difference directly to the benevolent fund, memorial campaign, or family relief account. Community members, retirees, and supporters order online and shirts ship to their home. No precinct collection runs, no order spreadsheets, no leftover boxes of mediums.
The traditional police benevolent fund t-shirt sale runs like this: a sergeant collects sizes on a clipboard at briefing, a parent volunteer fronts a $1,200 bulk order at the local print shop, shirts arrive in random size mixes, and four months later there are still a stack of XL shirts in the captain's office that nobody wanted. The fund nets $400 if it is lucky.
Print-on-demand reverses the friction. The department shop opens at zero cost. Officers, families, retirees, and supporters click the shop link, pick their size and style, pay at checkout, and shirts ship to their home in about a week. The department's fund earns the margin between retail and base cost on every order. No spreadsheet, no bulk order risk, no inventory storage.
The shop stays open permanently. That turns a two-week fundraiser drive into a year-round income channel. Officers refer family and friends, retirees buy commemorative shirts on their own schedule, and community members find the shop link through department social media long after the original campaign launched.
Realistic annual revenue numbers for different police agency fundraiser scenarios with VIP pricing:
| Scenario | Shirts Sold/Mo | Avg Retail | Avg Margin | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small department (40 sworn), officer-and-family only | 10 | $32 | $12 | $1,440 |
| Mid-size agency (150 sworn) + supporter community | 30 | $34 | $14 | $5,040 |
| Active campaign with social media push | 70 | $35 | $15 | $12,600 |
| Memorial campaign, concentrated 30-day push | 300 in one month | $34 | $14 | $4,200 (one-time) |
| Large metropolitan PD permanent shop | 150 | $36 | $15 | $27,000 |
The margin range on most cotton tees and performance tees runs $10-18 per shirt at VIP pricing. Hoodies and outerwear support higher per-item margins of $15-22. Most departments mix three to five products in the shop to give buyers options across price points.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Line of duty death memorial campaigns are the most emotionally charged and the most quickly funded police department shirt sales. When a department loses an officer, the response from the local community, mutual aid agencies, and the broader police service is immediate and generous.
The standard memorial shirt design includes:
Memorial shirt campaigns regularly raise $5,000-25,000 in a 30-60 day window when shared across the agency, mutual aid departments, regional law enforcement organizations, and local press. Because the shop opens with zero upfront cost, there is no risk if the campaign moves fewer shirts than expected, but the upside is uncapped because shirts ship on demand.
All proceeds math runs the same way as any other fundraiser: set retail price, the margin goes to the family relief account or memorial fund. The department or PBA controls where the funds route.
Community support fundraisers turn neighborhood residents and local businesses into shirt buyers. Back-the-blue rally shirts, neighborhood watch supporter shirts, and "We Support Our Officers" campaign shirts all run the same fundraiser model.
What works in community support designs:
These campaigns work especially well when launched alongside a community event, a city council resolution, or a press cycle covering officer safety legislation. The shop link gets shared in local Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and chamber of commerce newsletters, and orders flow in over the next several weeks.
The shop link is shareable everywhere. Highest-converting channels for police fundraisers:
Zero upfront cost, no minimum order, no inventory risk. Set a retail price, share the shop link, and route every dollar of margin to the fund you choose.
Start FreeIt depends on department size, community support, and campaign promotion. A small department with active officer-and-family-only promotion typically earns $1,500-3,000 per year from a permanent shop. A targeted memorial or back-the-blue campaign can generate $5,000-25,000 in a 30-60 day window. A large metropolitan agency permanent shop can clear $25,000+ per year.
The department or PBA controls the bank account that receives the margin from each shirt sale. Bear Grips collects payment, deducts the base cost and processing fees, and routes the difference to the account on file. Most departments direct proceeds to the benevolent fund, family relief account, scholarship program, or specific event-driven fund.
Yes. A memorial shop can be live within a few hours of the design being approved. The design needs to come from the family or the department, but no minimum order, inventory setup, or supplier negotiation slows down the launch. Shirts start shipping as soon as the first order is placed.
No. The shop operates as a normal retail channel and routes margin to whatever account the department designates. Most police benevolent associations are 501c3 organizations, but the shop does not require that status to operate. Tax treatment of the funds on the receiving end is a question for the department's accountant.
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