Ideas for large order

[Tim Baude]

Hi all,
I am hoping for some help. I have to give a quote for 1100+ "gifts" for a local college. These gifts are given to everyone who has donated $25,000 plus over the years. They have spent $3-4 each over the years. The donors don't want to see their $$ being spent on gifts for them.

My question, any ideas on what would be good gifts. They do not know what they want and I think if I come in with a great idea, it probably will get me the job. I had thought maybe luggage tags. I want to bring them several ideas. This will more than likely lead to more jobs within this college. I will also be doing 1100+ tags for this same organization.

Another question would be how to decide on pricing for this many pieces. I have never had to deal with this many and not sure what kind of multiple discount applies? Not sure what I should be looking at for my price on pieces.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.:)

[Craig Hogarth]

Pens and keychains are probably the best for the price. JDS has pens for $1.55 in bulk. Also, the gavel company has inexpensive pens at 50 cents each in quantity. They also have some pretty cool gavel keychains for $2.20 and gavel pens for $2.45.

Or the easy route would be to outsource and get die struck/casted/pewter pins or keychains. More profitable than lasering and a lot less work.

[Stephen Beckham]

Tim,

What timeframe will the gift be given? If it's late fall - I'd look at Christmas Ornaments. Go to a supplier like Plexifab - they've got several shapes to choose from for variety. Offer a different picture for the annual ornaments. Doing a picture of the library one year and the dean's hall the next, then the stadium the next offers them a "annual" gift that will be unique because photo quality - yearly series - low artwork for you (once a year) - can be done super cheap in comparison to other gifts.

I'd cut a couple out of some Cast Acrylic - take a couple pictures, convert them and put three different buildings with three different years on three different shapes (similar to one you can buy). Then sell them the series of annual gifts.

You won't have to worry about copywrited college logos because you're using photo you take.

Honestly - after awhile - you could go back and convince them that they would want to serial number them - first 1000 to donors - then they buy them in lots of 100 to sell as fund raisers each year. How many colleges have their own series of Christmas Ornaments that they can sell - oh and by the way, meet your original intent, give to the important donors each year - oh by the way who would purchase more for friends and family if they are really into that college ($25K donors probably bleed school colors)...

Oh and another 'by the way' offer them the option to 'limited print' or because you'll have the cdrs saved the capability to sell whole sets in the future. Five years from now, people could 'catch up' with the ones they missed by special ordering re-prints as a set of five years.

Not sure if that's the right direction, but if you got the foot in the door for something different you could write your own check if you have an impressive showing...

Good luck...

[Darren Null]

Drinks coasters, plywood or acrylic, with the college logo on. Burn logo, cut a circle, throw on pile. repeat. You have to varnish it afterwards if you're doing plywood.
My plywood unit cost is €0.052 euros a coaster, plus the varnish. Then it's just time. That's 3mm marine ply, cut to fit in my machine...you could almost certainly improve on that if you're buying enough for 1,100. And they look quite nice when they're done too.

[Barbara Buhse]

we do holiday ornaments for a college, and although they don't give them out as gifts (they sell them) it is a great idea and something they'd only be able to get from the college (more business!) The one we make is simple... the round insignia lasered on both sides.
I even package them by buying "lollipop bags" in the craft store (on sale of course) and sealing them with my seal-a-meal doohickey (ou know, that thing that seals your food bags).... then at the top I make a small hole for the string to stick out so they can hang it up on a display (the string is a very thin ribbon in the school color).

[Sandra Force]

You might look into thumb drives. You can get them cheap at wholesale and almost everyone uses them today.