HUSKYTHON 2023 MERCHANDISE STRATEGY
HUSKYTHON 2023 MERCHANDISE STRATEGY
HuskyTHON 2023 Merchandise Strategy
Scope: Event Merchandise | Role: Director of Merchandise | Timeline: 4/22 - 4/23
Overview
HuskyTHON is the University of Connecticut’s largest student-run philanthropy, supporting Connecticut Children’s and involving over 4,000 participants each year. As Director of Merchandise for HuskyTHON 2023, I led the full merchandise strategy with a focus on creating apparel that felt both on-brand and on-trend.
I collaborated with the Management Team to design all campaign apparel, revamp our approach with themed drops and promotional shoots, and manage vendor communication, production logistics, and budgeting. The featured designs below represent bestsellers from our campaign and highlight the strategy, creativity, and detail that went into every stage of the process.
Objective
My goal was to create high-quality, mission-aligned apparel that our community would always be proud to wear. I used platforms like Canva and Adobe Illustrator to bring each design to life, experimented with color and typography, and worked closely with our finance team to select cost-effective garments, set quantities, and negotiate pricing.
By introducing a more dynamic merchandise strategy, I helped drive an 11,452% increase in merchandise profits — setting a record for the organization.
A New Approach to Merchandise
I wanted to rethink how merchandise could be used. Instead of just designing apparel for participants to wear, my goal was to create pieces that connected with the larger community and made more people feel like they were part of something.
That meant moving beyond just putting the HuskyTHON logo on a shirt. I focused on messages that would resonate — phrases like “kids are the future,” “I believe in miracles,” “fighting for the next generation,” and “miracle maker.”
One quote in particular became the foundation of how I approached the role: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This mindset shaped every design and helped shift merchandise from something passive into something people could connect with.
I also made key changes to how we promoted merch. For the first time, we invited members of the HuskyTHON community to join photoshoots that helped bring each collection to life (as you’ll see below). The shoots weren’t just a way to show off the clothes — they created a fun, welcoming space that brought people together.
They also made the designs more relatable. People could see what the pieces looked like on different body types, which helped them feel more confident about buying at events. I think opening up this part of the process helped more people get excited, feel involved, and connect more deeply with the cause.
This shift in approach played a big role in the success we saw — not just in merchandise profits, but also in participant registration, donor engagement, and event turnout.
Collection Timeline
I designed each drop to align with major moments in the HuskyTHON 2023 campaign. The timeline reflects the order and evolution of my designs throughout the year, with each piece created to support specific goals and initiatives:
Registration Week 1
ZumbaTHON
Campaign Release
Unite As One
Holiday Market
Registration Week 2
Day of Strength
Night-Of
Registration Week 1
To kick off the year, I designed the Reg Week collection with a colorful minimalist style inspired by current fashion trends. This drop aimed to motivate early sign-ups while testing how participants responded to a more modern, design-forward approach. The messaging focused on taking the first step toward a future without childhood illness — a theme that resonated deeply.
ZumbaTHON
I designed a single t-shirt for our ZumbaTHON event — a high-energy fundraiser where ticket proceeds directly supported Connecticut Children’s. Inspired by vintage athletic-wear, the design aimed to match the spirit of movement, community, and fun that defined the event.
After sharing an initial concept (left), I refined the final design (right) based on feedback from the Management Team to make sure it felt on-brand and wearable beyond the event.
Click any image to view it full screen.
The Holiday Market drop was designed to offer participants classic HuskyTHON apparel and giftable items ahead of winter break. This collection wasn’t tied to a major campaign or push day — instead, it gave our community a chance to celebrate the season, show off their involvement, and pick up something fun for themselves or others.
Reg Week 2 was all about building on the momentum of our first registration push — this time with even more incentives. I introduced items like stickers and keychains to encourage sign-ups and thank participants for their commitment to the cause.
Hosted a month before Night-Of, Reg Week 2 gave us the chance to bring in a final wave of participants and set them up to begin fundraising.
Night-Of is the heart of HuskyTHON. It’s an 18-hour dance marathon that marks the end of our year-long fundraising efforts and gives us the chance to spend time with the miracle children we’ve been supporting all year. It’s a celebration of hope, a reminder of resilience, and proof that kids’ health can’t wait.
This merchandise drop was the biggest of the year — and the most meaningful. It was our final major fundraiser on the Communications calendar, and every item served a purpose. Miracle families were able to take part in the merch experience, and proceeds helped us match donations during Power Hours, motivate last-minute giving, and keep energy high as the night unfolded.
Main Collection
Campaign Release: Go Beyond
Campaign Release is one of the most significant events on the HuskyTHON calendar. It marks the announcement of our official theme — a message that guides every aspect of the fundraising year.
For 2023, we revealed Go Beyond, a call to surpass expectations, push past limits, and show up for those who need us most. Centered around themes of resilience and unity, the campaign set the tone for everything that followed.
The collection sold out within the first two hours of the all-day event, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback both in person and on Instagram.
Below are some of the fastest selling designs from the collection. Click any image to view it full-screen.
I created a collection that reflected this message through both tone and design, while also keeping in mind inclusivity. With our campaign branding centered around outer space, I chose a cool-toned color palette and incorporated cosmic elements that visually reinforced the idea of going further together.
I’ve included some of the best-selling designs from the collection below.
Unite As One
Unite As One is one of HuskyTHON’s two major push days — high-impact fundraising moments where participants are challenged to raise as much as possible toward a collective goal. For this campaign, I created a design that emphasized togetherness, strength in numbers, and the power of a unified community.
Inspired by the idea that “where there is unity, there is strength,” I focused on messaging and visuals that reflected solidarity and shared purpose. The collection served as both motivation and reminder: we fundraise not just as individuals, but as one team working toward something bigger.
We surpassed our fundraising goal by a landslide, setting a new Unite As One record for HuskyTHON.
Here’s a look at the most popular designs of the collection, starting with our fastest sellers.
One of my favorite shots from our UAO photo shoot - completely captures the vibe of the collection
Holiday Market
While simple in scope, the collection helped maintain momentum heading into break and served as a subtle push to keep fundraising efforts going through the winter months and into our mini push days.
Here’s the lineup:
Registration Week 2
The merch helped boost engagement while also showing appreciation for how much the HuskyTHON community does all year long.
The participant stickers below feature the same color palette as the Night-Of t-shirts (which you’ll see in the next section), creating a visual tie between the lead-up and the main event.
Day of Strength is HuskyTHON’s biggest push day of the year — a 24-hour fundraising challenge that rallies our entire community around one shared goal. For 2023, we set out to raise $275,000 in a single day and ended up hitting $368,000, breaking the all-time record.
Merchandise played a huge role in driving both turnout and energy at our in-person HQ. At the time, this collection was the largest order we’d ever placed — and it sold out within just six hours.
Day of Strength
I used a slightly brighter take on the Day of Strength color palette to reflect the momentum, excitement, and resilience that defines this campaign.
Designed to honor the real superheroes we fundraise for, this collection helped bring people together and gave participants a tangible way to show their support while activating their donor networks.
Night-Of
I used a bright color palette with distinguishable tones for the participant t-shirts so that different roles — dancers, morale, captains, and more — could be easily identified in the crowd if needed. The main collection pulled inspiration from every drop that came before it. I repurposed the strongest design elements from earlier in the year and paired them with new additions to bring the year full circle.
And in the end? Every single piece sold out — and together, HuskyTHON 2023 raised $1,480,255.77.
Click any image below to view the Night-Of collection and participant tee designs full screen.
Participant T-Shirts
What I Learned
This project taught me how much strategy and storytelling go into great merchandise. From designing individual pieces to planning full-scale drops, I learned how to use apparel as a tool for engagement — not just as something to wear, but as something that can energize a community, drive action, and make people feel part of something bigger.
Leading this effort also sharpened my skills in collaboration, budgeting, vendor coordination, and campaign timing. But more than anything, it showed me how creative thinking and purpose-driven design can spark real connection — and real results.
