In a fast-paced business environment filled with meetings, emails, and deadlines, finding new ways to engage your audience can be challenging. A custom keepsake program offers a meaningful opportunity to celebrate your story while creating a lasting connection with supporters, visitors, and customers.
Custom keepsakes are a powerful tool if you’re looking to support fundraising initiatives, gift your donors, or build awareness around your brand. While crafting an ornament can take time, effort, and vision, the most successful keepsakes are thoughtfully designed and supported with a detailed promotional strategy to maximize sales.
In this blog, we’ll go step-by-step on how to launch a keepsake program in just one quarter. No prior experience is needed, and it can be done with a small team. Remember: This is a 90-day sprint, not a long-term burden.
Phase 1: Define Your Vision (Days 1-21)
Focus: Understand the purpose of your keepsake before spending time or money
Having a clear vision can help the process move quicker and can result in a design that allows people to feel emotionally connected to it.
Start by deciding with your team on the primary goal of your program. Is it for fundraising, engagement, or retail purposes? Your answer will shape how you position and promote the piece.
Next, define the story or theme behind your piece. Keepsakes with strong emotional meaning are more likely to resonate and be cherished over time. Consider highlighting a recognizable landmark, a long-standing tradition, or an important anniversary.
Lastly, identify your target audience. Ask yourself: Who would want this keepsake? This could include visitors, donors, employees, alumni, parishioners, or any stakeholder in your organization. Then work with your team to estimate the number of keepsakes you may need for this project; this will help you figure out the right quantity when it’s time to order.
Most vendors will have a minimum order requirement, which can cause some organizations to hesitate because they aren’t confident in their ability alone to sell enough pieces. If you need extra financial support for your project, explore partnerships with local businesses who can help distribute and expand the reach of your keepsake.
The first few weeks set the foundation of your ornament program, so pay attention to the details. One thing to keep in mind: do not wait until the last few months before the holidays to begin planning. If your keepsake is tied to a specific event or anniversary, it’s best to start the process as early as possible. Planning ahead gives your team plenty of time for brainstorming, internal discussions, approvals, and marketing preparation.
Pro tip: Choose a theme or story that can evolve over time. Creating room for future editions can help turn a single keepsake into an annual tradition.
Checkpoint: By Day 21, you should have a clear idea of what your piece represents and who it’s for.
Phase 2: Bring the Idea to Life (Days 22-45)
Focus: Turn your keepsake concept into a real product
Once you’ve defined the meaning behind your keepsake, reach out to a credible partner like Beacon Design to bring your vision to life.
Provide your account executive with as much context as possible. This includes visual references such as photos, symbols, brand colors, and art files of your organization’s logo. The more details you share, the smoother the design process will be.
Stay actively involved throughout this phase. Consistent communication helps ensure alignment and prevents unnecessary delays. Our account executives will assist you with every single detail from price point to packaging.
Working with an experienced partner like Beacon Design can help streamline this process and ensure your vision translates into a high-quality finished piece.
Pro tip: Design approvals move quicker when all key stakeholders and decision makers review the ideas and designs together and provide feedback at once.
Checkpoint: By Day 45, your design should be finalized and approved for production (with minimal revisions).
Phase 3: Production & Preparation (Days 46-80*)
Focus: Create a launch strategy and get ready before the product arrives
With your keepsake in the initial stages of production, now is the time to build your marketing and sales strategy—not sit back and wait for delivery.
There are three things to consider for your launch strategy:
- Reveal: How you announce your brand-new keepsake to the public
- Availability: Where people can purchase or acquire your keepsake (in-person, online, or both)
- Promotion: How you market your keepsake to your audience
To generate excitement, plan a big announcement through social media, email or in-person signage. Capture high-quality photos and videos of your keepsake to use across your marketing materials. Be sure to take close-up shots with adequate lighting to showcase the craftsmanship and detail of your piece. If your keepsake is inspired by a specific building, landmark, or object, take a picture of it alongside the original subject to reinforce the story behind the design. When talking to stakeholders about your keepsake, connect the piece back to the mission or cause it supports. This helps create stronger buy-in and emotional engagement.
The marketing assets you create should align with your brand. Tools like Canva or Adobe Suite will help you design consistent visuals that resonate with your audience and highlight the goal of your keepsake, especially if it supports a cause.
Next, define your distribution strategy. If you’re selling it, consider taking pre-orders. That will start to generate interest and revenue before the product arrives. If you don’t have the ability to run preorders, focus on marketing it before it arrives to build anticipation among your audience.
Pro tip: Start early and build a plan with deadlines and multiple assets. The lead up to your launch date can decide the project’s success, so give yourself a few extra weeks to market the keepsake.
Checkpoint: By Day 80, your messaging and strategy should be ready to go.
*These dates may change depending on the seasonal demand, after July 1st
Phase 4: Launch (Days 81-90*)
Focus: Turn your keepsake into momentum for next year
Your keepsakes are finally here: time to show off their beauty.
Start by preparing your team. Make sure staff and volunteers understand how to talk about the product and can answer frequent questions, including:
- What cause does this keepsake support
- How and where it’s made
- Limited quantity of pieces
- The story behind the design
Now that you have the pieces, use the launch strategy you created in the previous phase to coordinate the release of your keepsake.
Create urgency by emphasizing limited quantities, if applicable, or a short availability window. This is also a good opportunity to introduce the idea of an annual series to encourage repeat engagement. By releasing a new design every year, you will build a following and turn your customers into collectors.
If you’re selling in-person, time your sales around key moments like community events or church services. This helps connect the experience with the keepsake and strengthens its emotional value. Track the performance of your custom piece and engage your audience by asking questions about the meaning and design. Their feedback may inspire ideas for future editions!
Checkpoint: By Day 90, your keepsake program should be live, generating engagement and revenue for your organization.
*This is an approximate timeline based on some best-case practices, if you have a project due in 90 days or less, please reach out to your account executive so we can plan around your date.
Are You Ready to Create Your Own Keepsake?
Launching a keepsake program doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right plan—and the right partner—you can create something meaningful in just one quarter. Depending on the scope of your project, the process may take slightly less or more than 90 days, so move at a pace that works best for your organization.
When you’re ready to explore what your first piece could look like, the team at Beacon Design is here to help guide you from concept to completion. Start planning your custom keepsake today.
