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Note that bulk mailings (4,000 or more) can get discounts under Royal Mail's Mailsort service if they are pre-sorted - mailing houses may keep quiet about this and keep the discount for themselves! Sometimes it can be worthwhile to set up your own Mailsort account - try 0345 950950 for your nearest Sales Centre.

Membership/Mailing list management

• RIMMS (web site gone summer 05 so following may be out of date) 'Complete solutions for membership database administration', use Fisk Brett software. Membership mailings, appeals response etc. PO Box 16, Denbigh, North Wales, LL16 5ZA.

• Phrasis KBDM provides membership management systems, campaign management, data cleaning, data audit and complete donations management.

• Membership Plus are 'membership marketing communications specialists'. Membership cards, renewals, fulfilment, mailing, consultancy, creative services. Phone 01227 741066, email: info@membership-plus.co.uk

• The Lavenham Group# Design and Print, Fulfilment, Communication Centre and Event Planning as well as Database management. TLG, Arbons House, Water St, Lavenham, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 9RN, phone 01787 249199.

• Kingston Smith Have an 'Association Management' outsourcing division which does database and membership management. While it appears to be focused on trade associations, the firm also has more general 'not-for-profit' expertise, so worth a try. Phone 020 7304 4646, or the trade association contact Michael Trenchard on 01727 832261, email: met@kingsmith.co.uk

• Electoral Reform Society (under Other services) also do subscription renewals, database management, membership surveys, appeals management, mailing services etc.

• Dataforce The whole bundle of membership admin and more, in just about any combination. They have handled appeal responses for the likes of Oxfam and WWF including call handling, banking, renewals processing, National Trust magazine mail-outs etc. but are interested in smaller scale too. Phone 01604 673800.

• Associa provides a range of outsourcing services for membership and other organisations.

Mainly Mailings and Marketing

There are a large number of 'Mailing Houses' who will take a mailing list and process it in various ways. Some with voluntary sector experience include:

• ARC NB Web site has disappeared summer 05, so may no longer exist. (Administration and Response handling for Charities). Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts, BA15 1NL, phone 01225 865001, email: info@arcwebsite.com
  
  
• BTB Mailflight. Phone 01234 840222.
  
  
• Centurion Press - see Design/Print page.
  
  
• FDML Do design, print management as well as 'direct mail' generation. FDML House, 5 Sovereign Close, London, E1W 3JG, phone 020 7265 0686, email: fd.ml@virgin.net. Also Midlands office.
  
  
• Hamilton House Have done work for DSC and NCVO. Hamilton House Mailings, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, NN17 4AX, phone 01536 399016
  
  
• ITO, a mental health charity. Mailing, response fulfilment, packing and distribution. Lydstep Terrace, Bedminster, Britsol, NS3 1DR, phone 0117 966 8491.
  
  
• Adara Intellidata# '20 years experience working with charities and other direct mailers'. Phone 020 8946 7537, email: info@intellidata.co.uk
  
  
• Reed Restart. A part of the Reed Group, the well-known recruitment agency, rehabilitation for prisoners.

Slightly different but worth noting, is L-Mail, where you can send send letters to any postal address via the Internet. MicroAid have set up their newsletter tool so that the odd person on a mailing list without an email address cana utomatically be sent a print version instead (for a small charge).

Response handling

Coping with response to appeals or the promotion of a special event or membership drive can really strain the resources of many groups. Often part of one of the above services, and is noted where known, but some of the banks will also provide the service (whether postal or phone, possibly even internet), checking cheques or other payment and passing on or processing information received with it. The Co-op Bank is one such.

• Broadcast Support Services Phone 020 8735 5049
• Two-Ten Communications Phone 01937 840210

Maximising the value of your Mailing list

Occam Direct Marketing run the (probably) unique Reciprocate exchange system which maximizes the effectiveness of charity reciprocal swap mailings. 'An outstanding success story for over 100 charity clients with 21 million supporter records, the Reciprocate database includes some of the best known charities in the UK.' The Stables, Manor Farm, Chilcompton, Radstock, Bath, BA3 4HP, phone 01761 233 833, email: mark.gilden@occam-dm.com

Other membership services

Elections, ballots. Electoral Reform Services Ballot services for unions and other membership organisations. Free seminars too. 33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NW, phone 020 8365 8909, email: lynn.davall@electoralreform.co.uk

Ballot boxes. Try Shaw & Sons.