--- title: "Membership Hack: A Shirt With a Message" id: "47374" type: "post" slug: "membership-hack-a-shirt-with-a-message" published_at: "2019-07-26T19:59:22+00:00" modified_at: "2019-07-26T19:59:22+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/07/26/membership-hack-a-shirt-with-a-message/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/07/26/membership-hack-a-shirt-with-a-message.md" excerpt: "To nurture a sense of belonging and commitment to mission, the Electronic Frontier Foundation designed a t-shirt that represents its values and enticed people to join or renew during a membership campaign." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "community data" - "event swag" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Membership Hack: A Shirt With a Message **How to hack it?**Swag can be [a fun way](https://associationsnow.com/2017/10/four-types-of-swag-that-your-members-will-actually-want/) to help members feel like they belong. Members of the Electronic Frontier Foundation literally wear the organization’s values on their backs when they don a shirt designed by EFF Art Director Hugh D’Andrade. D’Andrade sketched out vector art that relates to EFF’s values and policy issues, including internet privacy, security, creativity, and free speech. > What if we didn’t just focus on the threats to our liberty, but on the potential for a better digital world? > > EFF’s Art Director, [@hugh_dandrade (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hugh_dandrade?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > , used this idea to envision the latest EFF member shirt. [https://t.co/fJa7jcNv50 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/fJa7jcNv50) > > — EFF (@EFF) [July 18, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/EFF/status/1151885846875791360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) In [a recent blog post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/new-eff-membership-shirt) , D’Andrade explains the impetus for the design: “In one of our recent meetings to discuss our summer membership drive, our development team asked itself the following question: What if we didn’t just focus on the threats to our liberty, but on the potential for a better digital future? Put another way, what will it look like when we succeed? What if we got the internet right?” **Why does it work?** The t-shirt helps members stay connected and rallies them behind EFF’s advocacy message. The back of each shirt carries the slogan “a better digital world is possible.” **What’s the bonus?** In addition to building a sense of community and mission among current members, the shirt enticed new members to join. People [who joined during EFF’s member recruitment and renewal campaign (opens in a new tab)](https://supporters.eff.org/donate/S2019--wb1) received the t-shirt in addition to other free swag, [including lapel pins (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eff.org/files/2019/07/16/lapel-pins.jpg) that symbolize steps internet users can take to safeguard their privacy online. (EFF) [Tim Ebner](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/) Tim Ebner is communications director and press secretary at the American Forest & Paper Association in Washington, DC. He is a member of ASAE’s Communication Professionals Advisory Council and a former Associations Now senior editor. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/) Tags: [#community data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/community-data/) [#event swag](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-swag/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Pat BlakeSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-pat-blake/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Sharon NewportSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-sharon-newport/) - [VideoCommunity Voices: Silvia QuevedoSeptember 15, 2021](https://associationsnow.com/2021/09/15/community-voices-silvia-quevedo/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2019%2F07%2F26%2Fmembership-hack-a-shirt-with-a-message%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !