They've used up all of their feature story ideas. They've depleted their finances for direct mail packages. Now they're left with one final marketing tool to push their cause to the next level. When you reach that point, it's not the time to think fancy. It's time to think response.
Advertorials generally have a good track record.
Results like that would compel me to at least try the advertorial. In my own case, I see very few. When I thumb through most publications, most of the ads look the same. However, there was one I saw recently that caught my eye. While I don't know the results of its response, I'm willing to bet that it's a good one.