Keepsake tea towels with every child's drawing
Print all the children's self-portraits onto one tea towel design and pre-sell it to families.
Typically raises
$1,200
$400–3,000 per campaignest.
About $104 per organiser hour
Based on one school, 50-375 towels
Is it right for us?
- Money
- $500–2,000
- Work
- A few evenings
- Helpers
- 1–2 people
- Lead time
- 1–2 months
- Red tape
- None
Common: the class tea towel is a well-loved NZ standard
- People
- 1-3
- Organiser time
- 8-15 hours (estimate)
- Lead time
- 3-4 weeks plus artwork collection (Australian supplier guidance; estimate for NZ)
- Up-front cost
- $500. Minimum print run of 50+ towels must be paid for; pre-sell first
- Risk
- Medium if you print more than pre-sold.
How it works
The money, as an example sum
Sell at $15 a tea towel, keep about $8 of each, so 213 tea towels = $1,704, or about $1,204 after about $500 of costs. That’s about the typical result.
Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.
Where the money figure comes from
Estimate: teatowels.co.nz charges $6.00 + GST each at 100+ (1 colour), and a NZ school sold at $15 each or $20 for two; about $8 margin per towel incl. GST on 50-375 towels (estimate).
Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.
Step by step
- Get supplier quote and minimums.
- Collect drawings on template paper.
- Approve the proof.
- Pre-sell with payment.
- Order the pre-sold number plus a small buffer.
- Distribute and sell spares at a gala.
Getting the word out
Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.
- Ask for help
- Members to pass the order form to family, friends and workmates.
- Ask people to buy
- People to order before the cut-off.
- When to start
- Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 3–4 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.
Where to put it
- Asking people yourselfMost yeses come from someone asking directly. Give every member a short message they can send to family and workmates.
- Email lists and group chatsYour members’ email list and the class, team or church group chats. Short, with one date or one link.
- School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
- Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.
What you’ll need
- Place
- Not neededNone needed
- Landowner’s permission
- Not needed
- Council permit
- Not needed
- Food rules
- Not neededNo food sold
- Alcohol
- Not neededNo alcohol sold
- Gambling rules
- Not neededNot gambling
Get family consent for children's names on the design. Pre-sell before paying for the print run.
What you can get donated
None needed.
Tips
- Fundraisers get free freight to one NZ address from teatowels.co.nz.
- Cotton Supply says a $15 sale price can return over 100% on smaller orders.
Watch out for
- Ordering on hope rather than pre-sales.
Keepsake tea towels with every child's drawing: checklist
0 of 9 done
Before
While it runs
After
Get family consent for children's names on the design. Pre-sell before paying for the print run.
* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide