ChildFund International Selects Merkle Response Management Group as Donation Processing Partner

Merkle Response Management Group (Merkle RMG), a subsidiary of Merkle, a leading technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company, has been chosen by ChildFund International to manage the nonprofit’s direct mail donation processing and exception services. ChildFund is a child-focused community development organization that works to diminish the impacts of poverty on children in 24 countries.

In early 2022, ChildFund sought a new strategic partner to oversee its donation processing operation. Processing its donations efficiently is a critical priority for the organization, which relies on donor gifts to fund its global programs. These programs are designed to connect children with the resources they need to grow up healthy, educated and safe—including nutritious food, clean water, health care, educational support and protection in their communities.

Sassan Parandeh, treasurer at ChildFund, cited Merkle RMG’s capacity, security, flexibility, service quality and industry reputation as key factors in the nonprofit’s decision to enter the engagement.

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“ChildFund needed a partner that could handle large volumes of remittances, manage complex responses and work seamlessly with our Salesforce and banking platforms — all while maintaining a high level of quality,” Parandeh said. “What set Merkle RMG apart was its ISO quality rating, immense capacity, strong security and PCI compliance, and ability to integrate. Additionally, we were encouraged by the stellar reviews we’d heard from our industry allies.”

Merkle RMG’s support includes handling non-standard responses, entering new donors from ChildFund’s mail acquisition campaign and creating scanlines that automate ChildFund’s donation processing. Parandeh noted that Merkle’s ability to automate and handle exceptions enables ChildFund to serve children and families more readily.

“The more we can automate and ensure that donations are processed efficiently and accurately, the more attention we can devote to meeting the critical needs of children worldwide,” Parandeh said.

Merkle RMG President Kent Grove said he welcomes this opportunity to enhance ChildFund’s operations so it can execute more quickly on its mission.

“Merkle RMG is proud to partner with an organization that has such a profound global impact,” Grove said. “We’re committed to providing exceptional donation processing support that allows ChildFund to quickly and securely receive donor gifts, so it can channel those funds more urgently to where they’re needed most.”

Prior to the engagement, ChildFund’s previous vendor had discontinued its services, requiring the nonprofit to find a new partner and implement quickly. Merkle RMG successfully transitioned ChildFund within 120 days—a process that typically takes a year at most organizations.

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Parandeh praised Merkle RMG’s implementation team for a fast and personalized onboarding experience.

“All transitions of this scale require lots of fine tuning,” Parandeh said. “But Merkle RMG’s implementation team was dedicated to our success at every step. They understood our nuanced needs and communicated frequently and proactively to ensure a smooth, efficient transition.”

The two organizations are approaching their engagement in strategic phases. Following a thoughtful and systematic onboarding, Merkle RMG is now working with ChildFund to optimize its core donation processing services before introducing additional services.

“Perfecting these core services now sets a solid foundation for future projects,” Grove said. “Most immediately, our goal is to help ChildFund reach key milestones for speed, accuracy and quality in its donation processing. Later, we hope to build on that progress with other strategic improvements. Given Merkle RMG’s range of service offerings, we see huge potential to support other areas of ChildFund’s program. We look forward to exploring those opportunities together as our engagement evolves.”

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