Access Unlimited has had many years experience in helping Associations, Institutions, Charities and other membership based organisations.

Whilst the requirement of each organisation is similar, it is not unusual for the way in which they run to be different. We have a number of solutions that have been designed to meet the needs of individual organisations. Examples of common requirements are shown below.

Contact Ownership
Where required the ownership of the contact / client can be allocated to a specific individual within the organisation. This is also applicable to the ownership of pre-determined mailing lists.

ID Number
The system is designed as a Contact Database, any new Contacts recorded will have their number generated by the system. This means that a prospect who becomes a Customer or Member will retain the same ID number and analysis can easily be done to see how many prospects have been converted within a specified period of time.

Existing ID Numbers can be retained although it is important to check whether there are any existing duplicate Numbers on separate databases. If there is likely to be some duplication, additional characters could be introduced at the time of data Conversion.

Postname and Salutation
On entering the Full Name, the system can automatically derive the following -
Post Name
Title
Forenames
Surnames
Initials
Suffix
Sex
Salutation

Where possible tables are used to verify the information held in each field. e.g. Title, this information is checked against a Titles Table which is provided with the system and can easily be added to or amended as required. In addition Previous Name or Other Names can be recorded.

Address Details
Any number of different addresses can be held such as -
Home Address / Business Address / University Address / Alternate Address. These addresses can be flagged to enable different types of mail to be sent to different places.

Category
Different Categories can be set for each Contact. These are defined by the user and could refer to the type of business or in the case of Membership the type of Contact such as - Retired / Life / Honorary / Full / Associate / Fellow / Part Time etc.

Employment Details
The system can provide details on both the Previous and Current Employment. This also includes the Positions held.

Originating Source
Each Contact or Organisation can have an originating source against it. This is of particular interest when running specific campaigns to attract new clients / members.

Members
Different membership types such as Full, Associate or Fellow can be created. These can be linked to the subscriptions table which is individually specified to meet the individual requirements of the Organisation.

Qualifications
A table containing all of the different Qualifications or Exams can be held along with a record of every exam taken, the date and result.

Subscriptions Processing
A detailed subscription accounting system is provided that allows for specific letters to be sent out which may be renewals or reminders etc. Receipts can be entered individually or in batches and the user can analyse the membership funds and also forecast the expected revenue due over a given period.

Payment Methods and Direct Debits
Payments can be made by different methods including Cheque or Automatic Direct Debit. In order to manage the Direct Debits, individual Bank details are held. If the Direct Debit Processing is run frequently it may be worth transmitting the DD's over the telephone system to BACS via a modem. However in many cases it is easier and less expensive to prepare a diskette which is then sent to BACS for processing.

Membership History
Details on when someone became a member as well as the history of the membership, e.g. Grade changes, are provided and it is possible to track when a membership has lapsed or later been reinstated. The reason for lapsing or reinstating a member can also be recorded.

Membership Certificates / Cards
The system can create Certificates and Membership cards. It can also allow the user to record which certificate or membership card has been sent and when.

Branch / Regions
A table of Branches and Regions can be set up by the user and added to at a later stage if required. The system can also record who is the Branch Secretary as this is sometimes needed when 'welcome letters' are sent out to new members advising them which branch they are in and who is their contact / representative.

Membership Status
Many organisations require the maintenance of a membership status record showing the different stages of membership. Therefore the system would show not only that the member was a Fellow, or Associate but also the Date his status changed with any pertinent notes.

Notes
Individual free format notes can be held against a contact. If required these can be dated and searches carried out on Key Words.

Mailing - Letters and Labels and Mailsort
The database can link directly with a Word processing package - ideally Word. There is a Mailmerge facility which enables the user to create a Mailmerge file. This can either be used for linking to another Word processor or a standard ASCII output that may be required by an external printing organisation. As a further option the sytem can be linked to the mailsort module. This can be extremely cost effective where there are large mailing runs as the post office offer significant discounts where mailsort is used.

The user creates whatever letters are required and then selects the fields required to be merged from the Database. This means that as well as incorporating Name and Address and Salutation, numerous other fields can be selected from the database which can then be inserted within the body of the letter. Also if an ad hoc letter needs to be created, the user can select the Name and Address information directly from the contact record, merge into Word Processing and create a letter in whatever format is required thereby avoiding the need to re key the name, address and salutation information.

Conference Administration
An additional module can be added to provide conference administration. This system allows the user to book people onto a conference and then allocate accommodation, Workshop/Seminars and Dinners. The system will provide delegate lists and badges.

Query / Reports
The system provides a simple tick box selection procedure that enables the user to make the required selections. As part of the system installation, a number of standard reports are provided. However as Access has been designed to enable the end user to create his own reports and queries, additional or ad hoc queries can easily be created by the user with a minimal amount of training.

File Conversion
Access has very sophisticated data import facilities and with some special programming to help with the conversion. Providing that the original data can be provided in a simple ASCII format, it is usually possible to bring most of the information across to the new system.

Training and Installation
Training is provided on all products supplied. This may include the Database, Basic Windows, Word, Excel, Microsoft Office Products and Networking Administration if required. Training normally takes place on the customer's premises or alternatively it can be run off site. The Installation of the system can take place either at the Customer's premises or at our offices. This will generally depend on whether or not we are supplying the Hardware or whether the Equipment has already been installed. In addition a networking and cabling service is available.

Support
Support can be provided for selected or all aspects of the installation. Software support is usually provided via a modem and if required it can cover both the database system and other software and systems such as Word Processing, Spreadsheet and Networking.

For more information please contact us