Premiums and Paid Products Spotlight: The Top 10 Premiums for 2013

The second most used premium in 2013 is the tote bag, a workhorse premium that never seems to fatigue for fundraisers. It ranked No. 1 in 2012.

In third, after climbing from fifth in 2012, is the water bottle. Nonprofits have found that metal water bottles also prove to be useful for donors, especially those with families. In addition, they offer a solid branding opportunity and again help bond the donor with the nonprofit.

Food & Water Watch gives its “sleek and stylish water bottle” made with “high-grade stainless steel” to those donors who give $35 or more. In the buckslip promoting the premium, it goes to great lengths to discuss its relevancy for both the donor and for the nonprofit’s anti-fracking campaign: “This bottle features the distinctive logo of our ‘Take Back the Tap’ water safety campaign,” and this bottle “is a healthier, money-saving alternative to petroleum-based plastic bottles.”

The rest of the list
Examine the remainder of the list, and you reach the same conclusions: These are practical gifts that people actually want, plus they can further cement that relationship between donor and organization. Travel bags, blankets, umbrellas and windbreakers are all valuable, useful gifts for nearly every person — and they give the nonprofit ample landscape to “brand” each one for a potentially wider audience.

Certificates, calendars and greeting cards are also useful gifts that donors not only can use or display in their homes, but also serve as a constant visual reminder of their connection to the nonprofit.

Notice the conspicuous absence of the plush toy or the T-shirt, both of which used to be fundraising premium staples. Instead, here are some other honorable mentions: tree seeds, CD, pedometer, exhibit passes, cooler, DVD, flash drive and tool kit.

Yes, these 2013 premiums are not the frivolous, package-stuffing premiums of yesteryear.