Merkle (www.merkle.com), a leading customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm and the largest privately-held agency, announced that its Response Management Group (RMG) has been selected by Baltimore, Maryland-based Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to provide donation processing services in support of the nonprofit organization’s direct mail fundraising program. CRS is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States that provides relief and development assistance to those in need across nearly 100 countries around the world.

 Merkle Response Management Group is providing a customized donation processing solution that includes mail opening, electronic check deposits, PCI-compliant credit card processing, scan data capture, and document imaging. Timely deposits and efficient data capture are allowing the organization to send timely acknowledgements of gifts to their donors. Images of checks and documents are also searchable and available to CRS staff via RMG’s proprietary web-based image archive and retrieval tool Arch-e.

 The new three year contract represents an expansion of the relationship between the two organizations. Since 2009, RMG has been providing inbound call center and collateral fulfillment in support of CRS’s Operation Rice Bowl, Food Fast, Fair Trade and Global Fellows programs.  The donation processing services were initiated in early June 2011 and are already meeting with great success in improved efficiencies and enhanced accuracy.

 “The number one reason we chose RMG for our donation processing was, to put it simply, technology,” said Nancie Fletcher, director of donor services for Catholic Relief Services. “We now have the ability to quickly access and view a clear image of every piece of mail that comes from our donors – whether it’s a check, a special request or a personal note. This is imperative to the efficient management of our donor communications. We are thrilled with the quality of RMG’s work. The exceptional service and proficiency with which they manage our records have exceeded our expectations.”

 “Earning additional business from CRS has been an honor for RMG,” said Bill Sayre, president of Merkle’s Response Management Group. “We take pride in delivering an efficient solution for CRS, backed by 29 years of best practices experience that provides the organization with best-in-class donation processing services. It matters to RMG that we can assist a cause that does such important work for the international community. CRS can count on RMG to relieve the stress of donation processing so they can focus on their vital mission.”