Melissa Data Partners with the Capistrano Unified School District Foundation to Raise Money for Kids

Business Wire, June 29, 2004

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. -- As Part of Their Newly Launched Nonprofit Division, Melissa Data Will Work with the Capistrano Unified Foundation to Raise Funds For:

--1) smaller class sizes,

--2) arts, music and technology enrichment, and

--3) after-school and summer programs

Data quality software provider Melissa Data today announced its partnership with the Capistrano Unified School District Foundation to build and execute a fundraising program, School-Aid, that will raise much-needed monies for Capistrano school programs hardest hit by recent budget constraints. Donations raised will be earmarked for 1) smaller class sizes, 2) arts, music and technology enrichment, and 3) after-school and summer programs. The jointly executed program will include a direct mail campaign aimed at community stakeholders (Capistrano Unified Foundation families and local businesses who benefit from being located in communities with strong schools). To ensure zero waste and maximum return, Melissa Data will build this unique outreach effort using their extensive postal databases, mailing software, campaign measurement tools, and data enrichment services.

"What we have learned from our 20 years of experience in the data-quality industry can successfully be applied to nonprofit fundraising," explained Project Manager Nick Alivojvodic. "Direct mail is a powerful tool to raise money and build a base of loyal donors. We will create and mail an appeal to every household in the Capistrano Unified district, measure the success, and provide ongoing support to help the Foundation reach its financial goals."

The newly developed nonprofit program from Melissa Data, called School-Aid, includes several components: Consultation & Messaging (based on their 20 years of experience in the direct mail industry); Design & Creation (of program collateral that simply and directly explains Capistrano Unified Foundation's goals and needs); Printing, Mailing and Data Analysis (benefiting from Melissa Data's ability to presort and target mailings to ensure the lowest possible postage rate available); and Funds Processing and Reporting.

"As a nonprofit organization, we are constantly being deluged by requests from companies offering us 'fundraising events' where students are required to sell items door-to-door for a small percentage of the revenue or other similar such programs that yield minimal returns," said Cori Sponagle, administrative director of the Capistrano Unified Foundation. "So when Melissa Data approached us with their new School-Aid program, we were pleasantly surprised to find that there was virtually zero risk and no upfront costs to the Foundation. In addition, their program dovetailed perfectly into our existing plans for our annual fundraising. We are excited about the potential for this program to be a catalyst for our best fundraising year-to-date."

Key Program Goals

--Raise money for the Capistrano Unified Foundation

--Raise funds without any upfront costs or risk

--Find new donors

--Create community partnerships to better education

--Acquire and build a base of loyal supporters

--Maximize time and effort

--Increase visibility for the Capistrano Unified Foundation

About Capistrano Unified School District Foundation

The Capistrano Unified School district serves approximately 50,000 students in Orange County and is one of the fastest growing school districts in the State of California. Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the mission of the CUSD Foundation is to assist all 50 CUSD schools, providing much-needed funds that affect every child in every school. The Foundation is a volunteer-based, non-profit partnership that has raised over $600,000 for CUSD students, teachers and schools for arts and music programs, teacher grants, scholarships, and library and technology improvements. For more information, visit www.cusdfoundation.org.

About Melissa Data

Melissa Data provides data quality solutions with emphasis on address and phone verification and correction, postal encoding, and data enhancements. Every day more than 50,000 people visit the Melissa Data Web site. Founded in 1985 by Raymond Melissa, the company is a leading provider of easy-to-use and cost-effective solutions for achieving the highest level of data quality for lifetime value. A powerful line of software, databases, components and services afford customers the flexibility to achieve quality U.S., Canadian and international contact information using almost any language, platform, and media, for real-time, point-of-entry or batch processing. This year DM Review magazine named Melissa Data a Top 100 Company. For more information or to order free trial software, call 800-800-6245 or visit www.MelissaData.com.