Silicone bracelets, also called rubber band bracelets or awareness bracelets, are a unisex fashion craze and an excellent choice for raising money for school groups – or whatever the cause.
Lance Started it All
They sprang onto the scene when Lance Armstrong, world-renowned (and de-throned) cyclist and cancer survivor, designed and began selling them as part of a fundraising effort to assist other cancer survivors (LiveStrong).
Soon after, other charities embraced the personalized wristbands as the “perfect” wearable item to support their cause or organization.
People who shudder at the thought of wearing a ball cap or t-shirt, even for a good cause, are happy to wear their “heart on their sleeve”… or rather, “cause on their wrist”.
Your Own Message or a Generic One
With this money-making fashion accessory, you essentially have two choices: going with stock designs or with custom bracelets printed or debossed with your logo or message. Going with a stock design is less expensive, of course, and involves no mold or set up charges. But if you have a unique message to convey or you want support for a specific organization, you probably won’t find that in a stock design.
Suppliers usually have the items in stock and can ship them within a few days. Common themes such as “Support our Troops“, “Tree Hugger“, and “Class of 2023” are readily available from several suppliers and cost in the .85 to .99 cent range.
If you have more time to prepare and a little more money to spend, then the customized wristband may be a better bet.
Related: Katydids Candy Fundraiser
You have any number of bracelet colors to choose from, including new camouflage and glow in the dark versions.
If you plan to purchase 1000 pieces or more, you can usually get the mold charge waived and your cost will be anywhere from .75 to $1.15 each. Suppliers quote delivery times from 2 to 5 weeks.
Debossed, Embossed, Printed or Laser Engraved; It’s All So Confusing
Besides the choices you have for color and message, you must also choose the style of your wristbands. Here’s a brief description of each one:
- Debossed – With this kind, the wristband is made from a mold and your message is recessed so the letters are hollow, as if they were dug out of the bracelet.
- Embossed – This type is less common than debossed, though it’s also made from a mold. But rather than recessed down into the rubber, your message is raised up so the letters are solid.
- Printed – this is usually the least expensive choice. Your message is simply printed onto the surface of the bracelet. This doesn’t mean it will easily wear off though. Higher quality manufacturers these days produce ink that penetrates into the silicone rubber so it will last a long time.
- Laser Engraved – This is very similar to debossed because the end result is the same, with letters that are recessed. Although not always cheaper than debossed, some manufacturers charge less because a mold doesn’t have to be made first.
Where to Buy Rubber Bracelets
Silicone Bracelets at Reminderband – You Pick the Colors, Phrase / Logo, No Minimum Orders & No Mold Fees!, In Under 10 Days
What others say…
The Little Money Maker, Bracelets
So the schools sports team need money for a bus to go out of town on a game. This was a lot of money that needed to be collected for such a big trip. The arts and craft club at school gave us the idea of a bracelet fund raiser for the job. It was a great plan and then we set into action the fund raiser.
Students in the arts and crafts club on campus helped make the bracelets as well as the sports team. They made thousands of bracelets that were to be sold to other students, parents, friends, neighbors, and just about everyone else they came in contact with.
We first sent out fliers that detailed the fund raiser and encouraged parents to participate in the sales. Bracelets were sent home with the sports team, arts and crafts club members, and any other student willing to participate in the fund raiser.
Each morning for a month, students selling bracelets were sent in to every class room on campus and tried to sell as many bracelets to the teachers and students. This was only one phase of the plan.
After students went to their designated classrooms for that day, they would bring all money from their sales, both from home and school, and it would be tallied up and the student received six home work passes if they had brought in the most money on that day.
By the thirtieth day, all the money that had been brought in from sales of both at home and school, was counted. We needed a whole lot of money and this fund raiser was our last chance to make the money that was needed.
Thankfully, we did raise enough money for the trip with the combined efforts of selling hand made bracelets at school and selling them at school and out of school.
The fund raiser was great and huge success on all parts and all the students were glad. Fund raisers like this school based one, usually bring up the pep in a school, and that is exactly what happened here. The students had a renewed pride for their school which was a bonus.
Bracelets For The Win
As a teacher and parent every year I am always involved with the fundraisers at the school I teach.
Every year we raise money to place into a student fund that is used for the students for things such as field trips, end of the year parties, and for students who can’t afford to buy yearbooks and school supplies.
In order to aid the fundraising process we had a kick-off assembly that we normally have with all fundraisers. At the assembly we informed the students of creative selling techniques and gave away candy. The students were also informed of what the money would be used for, which really got them enthusiastic about raising money for their school.
Raising money definitely isn’t an easy thing to do, especially with the economy. People are trying to save constantly and put away their credit cards for emergency uses only. Informing potential buyers of how the money would be used definitely helps when trying to convince them to buy a bracelet. Normally parents want to help their child and the other children that attend the school in any way they can if possible.
In the end we raised a total of $2500 dollars for the student fund account. Although it wasn’t as much as when we raised money using chocolate, it still helped the students.
Bracelets Everywhere
I work with so many social and religious groups, that I believe, fundraising is my appointed second job.
Those silicone bracelets, that everyone was wearing are such a great fundraising idea.
We just needed to have some extra money in the club for incidentals that the corporate office usually would not provide. We made it a habit to keep around $300 for things like a spur of the moment ice cream day, or barbecue. Our funds were getting low and we had no idea how to replenish them. It was then that one of the parents suggested we have those silicone bracelets made with the Boys and Girls Club imprinted on it and sell them. Wasn’t a bad idea we thought. Some of the teens were wearing them like bangles as it was. So we ordered 500, in various colors, and put them on display.
Normally, we could barely get a kid to buy one cookie, here they were, buying a bracelet everyday. We were out of bracelets by weeks end. We got a call from corporate, asking what it was we were selling that the other two clubs had called to get purchase order numbers to purchase some to sell. We told them, just bracelets.and that we,the parents and staff had invested our own personal money to get and we made it back on the first order. The President was floored. He had known that Westside was the smallest club in building structure ,with the largest population, and the biggest heart. Now he has come to realize, after 4 years, we are the most motivated. We are devoted to the children, and will do what it takes to help them grow up happy.
So if you see an organization selling those little silicone bracelets, buy one. Then go to your own organization and say, lets make some money, this will work.
This is a great fundraiser! I’m thinking of purchasing customized silicone bracelets as giveaways for my baby girl’s baptismal event.