Merkles Response Management Group Selected by Alley Cat Allies
Columbia, Md., November 5, 2009 — Merkle (www.merkleinc.com), one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing customer relationship marketing agencies, today announced that its Response Management Group has been selected by Alley Cat Allies to provide contribution processing services in support of the organization’s direct mail fundraising program. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Alley Cat Allies is a national advocacy organization dedicated to protecting and improving the lives of cats through education, outreach and support for Trap-Neuter-Return programs. The work was successfully transitioned from the previous service company in August and the contract is ongoing.
Merkle’s Response Management Group’s comprehensive service solution for fundraising clients includes scanning and imaging both checks and reply documents. This approach makes it possible for Merkle to deposit funds electronically, and the captured donor data is then uploaded into the Alley Cat Allies donor management system. Processing is completed within 48 hours, and all images are then made available to Alley Cat Allies staff via Merkle’s Arch-e web-based image viewer application. Fast and efficient processing of responses and the ability to access all images allow Alley Cat Allies to acknowledge donors in a timely manner and respond more quickly to donor service requests.
Donor Communications Manager for Alley Cat Allies, Elise Fullerton, said, “After working with a caging service firm for some time, we decided it was time for a fresh start. To find the best services firm possible, we did a thorough search, and decided on Merkle. They were extremely responsive during every step of the bidding process, and stepped into the role quickly with a full understanding of our needs. The transition to Merkle was seamless and easy. We also firmly believe that Merkle has the ability to handle the work as Alley Cat Allies continues to grow and attract new donors from across the U.S.”
Bill Sayre, President, Merkle’s Response Management Group, said, “We are more than happy that we are off to a very strong start with our new client, Alley Cat Allies. Our goal is to provide them with the most professional, efficient, and responsive service possible, which will enable them to spend more time focusing on their programs and growing their national donor base while also helping to keep their fundraising costs as low as possible.”
About Merkle’s Response Management Group
Founded in 1983, Merkle’s Response Management Group is one of the largest donation processing organizations in the country. Last year, its 125,000 square foot facility in Hagerstown, Maryland, processed over $5.5 billion in transactions. The Response Management Group is dedicated to providing complete direct response processing and fulfillment solutions, including caging, data capture, imaging, call center, email management, acknowledgment printing and mailing, and premium fulfillment services. The organization currently supports more than 150 nonprofit clients and also provides integrated response processing services to dozens of government and commercial clients. Learn more at www.merkleresponseservices.com.
About Merkle
Merkle is one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing customer relationship marketing agencies. For more than 20 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. By combining a complete range of marketing, technical, analytical and creative disciplines, Merkle works with clients to design, execute and evaluate Integrated Customer Marketing™ programs. With more than 1,000 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered near Baltimore in Columbia, Maryland with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Little Rock, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Hagerstown, Md. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.
