Hello friends. Just like clockwork, retailers have their Christmas displays up before Halloween is over. The not-so subliminal message: Buy early and often. My Holiday For Charity program is an alternative to the retail rat race. We'll talk about that this time. I'm also serving up some cool links and a few thoughts on media selection.

Let's get started.

It appears that Americans gave $240 billion dollars to charity last year, topping $217 billion in 2003 holiday retail sales.

I hope you were one of those folks who gave it up to charity last year. If not, you can participate in Holiday For Charity this year. Here's how it started. Five years ago I asked everyone who usually buys a Christmas gift for me to send the money to my charities of choice instead, Charlotte Reads or Foundation For The Carolinas. In this way, the giver gets a tax deduction and I help my favorite charities.

Then, the program began to evolve. I told my kids, who weren't working at the time, that they could just agree to do some charitable work in my name.

Now, you also can take some of the gifts you receive and post them for sale on eBay, then donate your proceeds to the charity of your choice. This way the retailer doesn't lose a sale, you can donate to your favorite charity and you get the tax deduction.

As I did last year, I'm mounting a media relations and PR effort to get the word out about the program. This month's newsletter is step one. I have written a news release announcing the program, which I'll send out later this month. Lake Norman Magazine is writing a feature on the subject. I'll be writing guest articles for placement in other e-newsletters and I'm working to get booked as a speaker at civic and professional groups and guest on radio shows to spread the word.

The Hoover ink website has a special section where you can find information about the program like:

• FAQs about charitable giving
• links to organizations that facilitate charitable giving
• news releases
• sample letters to the editor you can use with your local newspaper

For this to work, I need you to participate in the program and spread the word through your contacts. Please [forwardlink] this to your friends and family with a note asking them to read this story and forward it to anyone else they think might be interested.

Do you produce a newsletter? Include information about the program in your next edition.

Please click on the profile link below, find the question about Holiday For Charity and select the appropriate answers to let me know how you plan to help. This has the potential to either succeed or fail in a spectacular fashion. I'll keep you posted on how our effort is going. Thanks, in advance, for your help.

1. Create a sense of urgency. Direct marketing offers that contain a deadline for consumer action can create that sense of urgency that motivates your customer to buy now.

2. Fill in the blanks. Brochures are a great vehicle for providing the detailed information about your product's many benefits.

3. Be impulsive. Signage speaks to people when they are in buying mode at the point of sale. Besides spurring impulse buying, signs also act as a reminder, connecting the dots to your other marketing efforts.

4. Get interactive. Your web-related marketing efforts can capture a consumer's attention, direct the prospect to additional information to help educate and answer questions, ask for the business and make the sale.