Merkle Wins Consulting Contract with National Wildlife Federation; New Contract Follows Successful Delivery of Comprehensive Fundraising Database

Business Wire, May 1, 2006

LANHAM, Md. -- Merkle (www.merklenet.com), a leading database marketing agency, announced that it has signed a new contract for ongoing consulting work with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the nation's largest private, non-profit conservation education and advocacy organization. This new contract follows Merkle's successful implementation of a comprehensive custom database for NWF. The database, called a Fundraising Knowledge Center, contains the NWF's donor and membership information and will enable the non-profit to enhance its marketing efforts and improve the effectiveness of its donor programs.

As the NWF's membership database agency of record, Merkle will perform ongoing consulting work to support the organization's direct membership outreach strategy, which includes member acquisition, membership renewal and special issue appeals. The work with NWF will be performed by Merkle's fundraising division, Merkle|Domain. The length and financial terms of the new contract were not disclosed.

Fundraising Knowledge Centers are proprietary database infrastructures developed by Merkle that enable the management of all aspects of donor acquisition and retention programs, from campaign planning and execution to post-campaign analysis and measurement. Using Merkle's Fundraising Knowledge Centers, fundraising organizations can more accurately determine the return on investment in their member acquisition programs.

Dave Strauss, Vice President of Database Operations and Marketing, National Wildlife Federation, said "We are extremely pleased to have Merkle as our membership database agency of record. Merkle is unique in that they offer not just a piece of software, but a complete range of services and solutions. With the delivery of the Fundraising Knowledge Center, and based on our successful relationship, we are looking forward to our ongoing relationship with Merkle and we expect them to help us successfully execute innovative and effective donor contact management strategies."

Originally founded in 1936 and headquartered in Reston, Virginia, NWF depends on donations and fundraising to finance its conservation initiatives, as well as its wide range of communication and education programs. NWF represents the power and commitment of four million members and supporters joined by affiliated wildlife organizations in 47 states and territories.

Michael Mathias, senior vice president and Agency Group leader, Merkle|Domain, said "We are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with NWF with this new contract. Merkle has teamed with many nationally recognized non-profit organizations to improve membership and donor programs through the use of comprehensive, data-driven strategies that maximize results."

In addition to its work with the NWF, Merkle provides database and donor program services for many fundraising organizations, including the Arthritis Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Christian Appalachian Project.

About NWF

The National Wildlife Federation is a nationwide network of grassroots activists and wildlife enthusiasts dedicated to protecting wildlife for our children's future. Founded in 1936 by political cartoonist Jay "Ding" Darling, NWF focuses on three goals: to connect people with nature, to protect and restore wildlife, and to confront global warming. Based in Reston, Virginia, NWF operates out of nine offices and 47 affiliates throughout the country.

About Merkle

Merkle is a leading provider of data-driven marketing solutions that enable large national organizations to maximize the results from their marketing investment. Merkle provides customer strategy, business intelligence and analytics, data sourcing, media targeting and measurement, and marketing technology solutions to Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations. With over 800 employees, the privately held corporation is headquartered near Washington, D.C. in Lanham, Maryland with additional locations in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-MERKLE or visit www.merklenet.com.