Tumbler Fundraisers in Canada: What Your Group Actually Clears

The parent council has a cash box, a folding table and six weeks until the winter concert. Somebody suggests chocolate again. Somebody else asks what happens to the forty boxes nobody buys. That second question decides which fundraiser you should run.

The short answer. Run a tumbler fundraiser as a pre-order: take orders and money first, then buy engraved tumblers at the 10-plus price. An engraved Peyto 16 oz with your logo costs $25 and sells for $40, so each sale clears $15. Buyers get no tax receipt for a purchase, and Alberta needs no licence for straight sales.

By Chen Deng, founder of LAMOSE, Calgary, Alberta

What a tumbler actually clears

These are our own checkout prices on October 26, 2026, in Canadian dollars. Ten or more pieces in any mix of tumblers, bottles and mugs are 45% off, and a logo is $3 a piece. Text engraving is free. GST goes on top, and shipping is free over $65.

Our pick is the Peyto 16 oz. Not because it clears the most, though it does, but because it comes in seven colours today. A school or team fundraiser sells on colours. A Grouse that only comes in Snow and Yellow is a hard sell to a team in navy.

The worked number: forty families each order one Peyto 16 oz at $40. You collect $1,600, pay $1,000 plus GST, and keep about $550. That is before the families who order two.

The fundraiser pick

Peyto 16 oz Tumbler

Seven colours in stock, so most team and school colours are covered. $22 at 10 or more, plus $3 for your logo, and it sells for $40.

See the colours →

Tumblers against the fundraisers you already know

Every rate below is the company's own published figure, checked October 26, 2026. The tumbler row is the math above.

Chocolate wins on percentage. That's the honest part. But a chocolate bar is a small sale, and to clear the $15 one tumbler clears, a 45% program has to sell about $33 of chocolate. One tumbler is one decision for a grandparent. Thirty-three dollars of chocolate is a lot of doorbells.

The other difference is what's left in February. The chocolate is gone. The tumbler with the team crest is still in the cup holder, which is the best ad your next fundraiser gets.

So the rule: if kids are doing the selling, sell chocolate. If adults are buying, run the tumbler pre-order.

How to run it as a pre-order, in five steps

1. Get approval first. If the fundraiser uses the school's name, the principal has to sign off. The Calgary Board of Education's rule reads: "The principal must approve fundraising activities that use the name of the school." Your board will have its own version.
2. Pick one tumbler and set the price. One model, a few colours, one price. Fewer choices make a shorter form.
3. Take orders for two weeks, with payment. A paper form or an online form, but money in before you order. Ask for a colour and, if you're adding names, the exact spelling.
4. Order with your logo. Send the crest as whatever file you have. We redraw it free and email a proof within 24 hours, and nothing is engraved until you approve it.
5. Hand them out together. A table at pickup or practice. Keep a short second-round form ready for the families who see them and want one.

For a December handout, put the order in by Friday, November 20, our cutoff for bulk Christmas orders.

Can buyers get a tax receipt?

No, not for the price of the tumbler. CRA lists "the purchase of goods or services from a qualified donee" among transactions that are not gifts. The same list includes "a payment for a lottery ticket or other chance to win a prize."

The exception is the supporter who overpays on purpose. Under CRA's split-receipting rules, "a charity has to subtract the fair market value (FMV) of the advantage from the FMV of the gift." So someone who pays $100 for a $35 tumbler can get a receipt for $65. If the tumbler is worth more than 80% of what they paid, no receipt at all.

This applies to registered charities and to registered Canadian amateur athletic associations. A team that is neither can't issue a donation receipt in the first place.

Do you have to charge GST?

Usually not, but read the one line that catches product fundraisers. CRA guide RC4082 says "Most property and services that charities supply are exempt from GST/HST." It then lists as taxable "new goods that you bought, manufactured, or produced to resell", for a price "more than their direct cost."

A tumbler sold at a markup is exactly that. What saves most groups is the small-supplier limit: an organization under "$30,000 ($50,000 for public service bodies)" of taxable sales doesn't have to register, and charities count as public service bodies. Two cautions. RC4082 doesn't apply to a public school authority itself, and a group that is already registered charges GST/HST on the sale price. If either is you, ask your board's finance office or an accountant before the forms go out.

Raffling one instead?

In Alberta, AGLC is plain: "Any time you pay a price for a chance to win a prize, a raffle licence is needed." Its own table puts fundraising sales and free giveaway contests on the no-licence side. A gift basket draw or a table draw needs one.

Only non-profit and charitable groups can apply. AGLC says "For-profit businesses, individuals and government" are not eligible, so a shop like ours can't run the draw for you. Outside Alberta, your province's gaming regulator sets its own rules.

Where a tumbler fundraiser doesn't fit

• You need a $5 price point. A $35 tumbler is a real purchase. For a class of seven-year-olds selling to neighbours, chocolate or a $10 item is kinder.
• You want stock on the table this Saturday. Engraved tumblers are a pre-order. If you want to sell from a table on the day, you're buying inventory, and the risk comes back.
• Your buyers want to run them through the dishwasher. Our product pages say hand-wash is recommended to keep the finish looking new. The engraving itself is permanent, but tell buyers at pickup.
• The crest is the problem. If the school or league controls its logo, get the artwork from them. University teams especially: campus logo rules come first.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make money selling tumblers for a fundraiser?

Yes, if you sell them before you buy them. At our 10-plus price with a logo, a Peyto 16 oz costs your group $25 and sells for $40, so each sale clears $15 before GST. Forty pre-orders clear about $600. Buying stock first and hoping to sell it is where groups lose money.

Can a charity give a tax receipt for a fundraiser tumbler?

Not for the price of the tumbler. CRA lists the purchase of goods from a qualified donee as a transaction that is not a gift. If a supporter pays more than the tumbler is worth, say $100 for a $35 tumbler, the charity can receipt the difference, $65, under CRA's split-receipting rules.

Do we charge GST on fundraiser tumblers?

For most small groups, no. The line is in CRA guide RC4082. Most supplies by a registered charity or amateur athletic association are exempt, but new goods bought to resell for more than their direct cost are taxable. A group under the small-supplier limit doesn't have to register. A school authority itself isn't covered by RC4082.

Do you need a licence to raffle a tumbler in Alberta?

Yes. AGLC says that any time you pay a price for a chance to win a prize, a raffle licence is needed. Straight fundraising sales and free giveaway contests need no licence. Other provinces run their own gaming rules, so check yours.

What is the 80/20 rule in fundraising?

It's a rule of thumb, not a law: most of the money tends to come from a small share of supporters. For a product fundraiser it means a few families will order three or four tumblers, so make multiple orders easy on the form.

Where can I order bulk tumblers for a fundraiser in Canada?

Any shop that engraves to order and prices by quantity. Ours start at no minimum, the checkout price drops 45% at 10 or more pieces in any mix of tumblers, bottles and mugs, and a team logo is $3 a piece. For 12 or more you can ask for a quote, answered within 24 hours.

How long does a fundraiser tumbler order take?

We email a proof within 24 hours, then engrave in 1 to 3 business days for a small order. In the Christmas season a bulk run takes 5 to 10 business days on the laser, which is why our bulk cutoff is Friday, November 20. Add shipping time on top.

Sources, checked October 26, 2026: CRA "What is a gift", CRA split-receipting, CRA guide RC4082 (GST/HST Information for Charities), CRA registered Canadian amateur athletic associations, AGLC "Raffle $20,000 and less", Calgary Board of Education AR 7008, and the fundraising pages of World's Finest Canada, Purdys, Mabel's Labels and FundScrip. LAMOSE prices are from our own product pages the same day.