Clients were more attracted to switch to another brand that supports a charity; this is according to a survey a few years ago. Indeed, there's nothing compared with the feeling of shopping and knowing your purchase contributes to a fund that helps a cause or a special group in need.

Integrating advertising merchandise in your fund-raising won't make your project an instant hit, but taking these guidelines into consideration will help your campaign:

Offer unique advertising merchandise. Consumers are more likely to buy if they know your product cannot easily be purchased somewhere else. You might want to consider releasing special-edition or numbered advertising merchandise.

Lay out your goals. How much needs to be raised? How much time do you need to meet your goal? Aside from the sale of advertising merchandise, what else can you do to raise funds? Your objective must be reasonable and manageable.

Do the math. Calculate how much your group will profit from the sale of these advertising merchandise and see whether it meets your goal total.

Educate. Explain to your consumers in simple, concise terms how purchasing your advertising merchandise helps your campaign. This knowledge will be passed on to others, so you want to make sure those who hear about it will understand and support your cause.

Thank your customers. If you're organizing a donations-only promotion, take the time to send out little advertising merchandise to say thank-you and show gratitude to individuals and entities that supported your cause.