Focus On: Merchandising: Show 'Em Your Wares

How can a $20 lace nightgown help fight cancer? What good can a candle shaped like a moccasin be to a child whose family can’t afford to send him to school?

These products, and thousands like them, appear in catalogs produced by nonprofit organizations to increase contributions and educate donors. The American Cancer Society sells the nightgown, along with accessories made with cancer patients in mind, in its “TLC” catalog; the shoe-shaped candle appears in the Southwest Indian Foundation’s tome. No matter what the cause, nonprofits that sell products, either through a catalog or on the Internet, must run their call centers and fulfillment operations efficiently and competitively in order to keep costs low and customer satisfaction high.