How to Use Merch in Your Organizing Work: A Tactical Guide

How to Use Merch in Your Organizing Work: A Tactical Guide

By Joe | About the Author | Published: October 26, 2025 | Last Updated: October 29, 2025

Merch Isn't Just for Looking Cool

Let's be honest: most people think activist merch is about making a personal statement. And yeah, that's part of it. But if you're actually organizing - coordinating protests, building mutual aid networks, running community defense efforts - merch is a tactical tool.

I've watched organizers use t-shirts, pins, and hats to identify allies in crowds of thousands, coordinate volunteers at chaotic events, and raise emergency funds for bail and legal fees. When used strategically, wearable messaging does more than broadcast your politics. It builds movements.

Here's how to actually deploy merch in your organizing work.

1. Identification: Finding Your People in the Chaos

Ever been at a protest with 5,000 people and needed to find your affinity group? Or tried to identify medics, legal observers, or marshals in a moving crowd? That's where coordinated merch becomes essential.

How It Works:

  • Pre-event distribution: Your organizing group all wears the same design to a protest or action
  • Role identification: Different designs for different roles (marshals, medics, legal observers can wear distinct shirts)
  • Coalition building: Multiple groups coordinate on a shared design to show unified front

Real Example:

During the Portland "No Kings" protests in October 2025, organizers distributed matching "Do Not Obey" shirts to marshals. In a crowd of thousands, protesters could quickly identify who to ask for directions, water, or help. No walkie-talkies needed - just visible leadership.

Pro Tip:

Choose distinctive but not aggressive designs for identification purposes. You want your people to find each other without painting targets on yourselves for counter-protesters or law enforcement.

2. Visibility: Showing Strength in Numbers

Media coverage loves a good visual. When fifty people show up wearing the same message, photographers notice. When a hundred people wear coordinated shirts, it makes the news. That's not vanity - it's strategic communication.

How It Works:

  • Photo-ready actions: Coordinated merch creates compelling images for social media and press
  • Amplifying small groups: 20 people in matching shirts looks more organized than 50 random individuals
  • Message discipline: Everyone wearing the same slogan keeps your message focused

Real Example:

A Chicago mutual aid network distributed "We Hear the Whistles" shirts to volunteers during a community defense training. When a local news crew showed up, the coordinated messaging told a clear story: this is organized, this is community-led, this is serious.

What NOT to Do:

Don't force everyone to wear the same thing. Some people can't afford merch, others have safety concerns about being photographed in political apparel. Offer it as an option, never a requirement.

3. Fundraising: Turning Solidarity Into Support

Movements need money. Bail funds, legal fees, medical bills, mutual aid distributions - organizing costs real dollars. Merch can help fill those gaps.

How It Works:

  • Direct fundraising: Sell shirts/pins/stickers at events, 100% proceeds to bail fund or mutual aid
  • Awareness + action: People wear the merch, get asked about it, direct others to donate
  • Tangible support: Buying merch feels more concrete than abstract donations for some supporters

Practical Approach:

Partner with a print-on-demand service (like we use) to avoid upfront inventory costs. Order in bulk (10+ items) to get discounts, then sell at events for slightly more than cost. The markup funds your organizing work without exploiting anyone.

Note: We offer 10-15% discounts for organizing groups ordering 10+ items - email info@rogueresistance.org to discuss.

Legal Consideration:

Check local laws about fundraising. Some jurisdictions require permits for selling merchandise at public events. Know the rules in your area.

4. Recruitment: Conversations Start Movements

The best organizing happens in one-on-one conversations. Merch is a conversation starter.

How It Works:

  • "What does your shirt mean?" - Perfect opening to explain your work and invite participation
  • Credibility signal: Wearing movement merch signals "I'm part of this, you can talk to me"
  • Low-barrier entry: Buying a shirt is easier than committing to organizing - it's a first step

Real Example:

Someone wearing an "End the Ice Age" shirt at a coffee shop gets asked about the mammoth design. That 30-second explanation of immigrant rights turns into a 10-minute conversation about local sanctuary organizing. That conversation turns into a new volunteer. That's how movements grow.

Design Matters:

Use clever or curious designs for recruitment. "Just Ice" makes people do a double-take and ask questions. "Abolish ICE" states your position but doesn't invite conversation as naturally. Both have their place - know which tool you're using when.

5. Morale: Small Signals of Solidarity

Organizing is exhausting. Burnout is real. Sometimes seeing someone else wearing your group's shirt at the grocery store is the reminder you need that you're not alone.

How It Works:

  • Random encounters: Spotting your message in the wild reinforces that the work matters
  • Group cohesion: Shared symbols build identity and commitment
  • Long-term persistence: People keep wearing shirts long after events end, keeping movements visible

Don't Underestimate This:

Movements aren't sustained by big dramatic moments. They're sustained by thousands of small reminders that others share your values. A pin on someone's backpack. A sticker on a laptop. A shirt at the farmer's market. These aren't trivial - they're the connective tissue of community.

6. Strategic Distribution: Who Gets Merch and When

You probably can't afford to buy shirts for everyone. That's okay - strategic distribution is more effective than blanket coverage anyway.

Priority Order:

  1. Core organizers: People coordinating events need to be identifiable
  2. Spokespeople: People doing media interviews should look cohesive
  3. High-visibility volunteers: Folks tabling, doing outreach, or working public-facing roles
  4. New members: Welcoming people with a shirt builds investment and belonging
  5. Fundraising/sales: General supporters who want to buy in

Budget-Conscious Tactics:

  • Order in bulk to reduce per-item cost (our 10+ item discount applies here)
  • Start with one flexible design that works for multiple purposes
  • Distribute pins/stickers (cheaper than shirts) for broad visibility
  • Offer shirt-printing parties where people bring their own shirts and you provide DIY screen-printing supplies

7. Safety Considerations: When NOT to Wear Merch

This is critical: merch can make you a target.

Know When to Be Visible vs. Anonymous:

  • Wear merch: Public rallies, permitted marches, tabling events, community gatherings
  • Maybe skip it: Actions where arrest is likely, confrontational counter-protests, if you're undocumented or vulnerable
  • Definitely skip it: When explicitly doing security culture work, if wearing it puts your job/housing at risk

Packaging Privacy:

If you're ordering merch for your group, make sure it arrives discreetly. Our packages have no political branding on the outside - just your address and a return address. What's inside is your business.

Digital Security Note:

If you're coordinating bulk merch orders for your organizing group, use encrypted communication (Signal, etc.) and be mindful of who has access to member lists with names/addresses.

8. Coordination: Making It Actually Happen

Great, you're convinced merch can support your organizing. Here's how to actually make it happen without adding to organizer burnout:

Simple Workflow:

  1. Designate one point person for merch coordination (doesn't have to be a core organizer)
  2. Survey your group - Who wants shirts? What sizes? Can people chip in or do you need to fundraise?
  3. Order in bulk - Get your 10-15% organizing discount by ordering 10+ items at once
  4. Plan pickup/distribution - Coordinate at a meeting or event where people can grab their items
  5. Track expenses - If you're selling for fundraising, keep clear records

Timeline:

Print-on-demand takes 7-10 days total (2-7 days production + 3-8 days shipping). Plan ahead - don't order shirts the week of your big event.

The Bottom Line

Merch isn't a replacement for organizing. It won't build your movement by itself. But when used strategically - for identification, visibility, fundraising, recruitment, and morale - it becomes another tool in your toolkit.

The best organizing uses every advantage available. Sometimes that's a well-timed press release. Sometimes it's a hundred people wearing the same message at the exact right moment.

Use your tools wisely. Build your community intentionally. And remember: the shirt is never the point. The movement is the point. The shirt just helps you find each other in the crowd.

Resources for Organizers:

  • Bulk ordering: Email info@rogueresistance.org for 10-15% discounts on 10+ items
  • Custom designs: Have an idea specific to your organizing work? Let's talk - community input makes our designs better
  • Size questions: Check our FAQ page for sizing charts and fit info

- Joe
Founder & Designer, Rogue Resistance
Supporting grassroots organizing from Oregon's Rogue Valley

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