MDS Communications Corporation

What MDS Communications Corporation does

MDS Communications Corporation is a privately held, family-owned telephone fundraising services provider founded in 1992 by Jay Mount in Phoenix, Arizona. The company operates exclusively in the non-profit fundraising market, delivering outbound and inbound calling campaigns including renewal calling, lapsed donor reactivation, new donor acquisition, sustainer invites, and inbound supporter conversion. Headquartered in Mesa, Arizona with additional call centers in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and Shoreview, Minnesota, MDS serves over 40 national and regional non-profit organizations — including Save the Children, CARE International, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, Operation Smile, American Bible Society, and The Navigators — and reports that most clients have been with the firm for 10-15+ years.

The service platform combines a workforce of over 400 employees (including nearly 180 remote agents across multiple states) with proprietary custom predictive modeling, PCI-compliant data security, real-time credit card processing, and an integrated on-site fulfillment center producing tens of thousands of pledge follow-up letters weekly. MDS claims the highest hiring standard in the industry, accepting only ~5% of Telephone Fundraising Specialist applicants, and reports that all Quality Assurance and supervisory staff are former specialists averaging 10+ years of tenure. The company holds the Noble Systems Innovation Award and claims a winning record against every major telephone fundraising vendor in split tests.

MDS operates on a fee-for-service professional services model where donor contributions are remitted directly to the non-profit client and MDS is compensated separately. The company historically offers contracts with a one-day cancellation clause, claimed to be unique in the industry, and positions this as eliminating financial risk for clients. Go-to-market is relationship-based direct sales to non-profit organizations, with long retention cycles serving as the primary commercial moat; the firm does not pursue for-profit commercial work, maintaining sole focus on non-profit, ministry, and political/public policy fundraising.

Name

MDS Communications Corporation

Legal name

MDS Communications Corporation

Website

https://mdscom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

MDS Communications Corporation is a privately held telephone fundraising services provider founded in 1992, serving over 40 national and regional non-profit organizations with outbound and inbound calling campaigns, predictive modeling, and on-site fulfillment from call centers across Arizona, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Telephone Fundraising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899), Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

Fundraising & Donor Acquisition Calling (Nonprofit) (BPAAADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)

Keywords

• Telephone fundraising services
• Nonprofit donor acquisition
• Lapsed donor reactivation
• Predictive fundraising modeling
• Direct mail fulfillment

Headquarters

HQ city

Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Telephone Fundraising Services: MDS provides telephone fundraising services for non-profit organizations on a fee basis. The company charges separately for their services while all donor money is mailed directly to the non-profit organization. This model eliminates financial risk for clients and aligns MDS incentives with client success.
2. Mailing/Fulfillment Services: On-site fulfillment center provides mailing services for special mailing efforts in addition to standard telephone pledge and follow-up letters. Revenue generated from printing and mailing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MDS Communications Corporation provides outbound and inbound telephone fundraising services exclusively for non-profit organizations, Christian ministries, and political/public policy causes. Core service lines include Renewal Calling, Reactivation Calling, Acquisition Calling, and Inbound Telephone Fundraising, complemented by on-site mailing/fulfillment and custom predictive analytics modeling to maximize donor revenue for clients.

Product overview

MDS Communications Corporation is a telephone fundraising service provider offering a unified suite of outbound and inbound calling services for non-profit organizations. The core offering consists of four primary service lines: Renewal Calling (single gift, new donor, sustainer, and thank you calls), Reactivation Calling (lapsed donor re-engagement), Acquisition Calling (new donor outreach), and Inbound Telephone Fundraising (handling incoming supporter calls). These are complemented by Analytics and Modeling Services for custom predictive models and Mailing/Fulfillment Services for pledge follow-up letters. The company operates call centers in Mesa, AZ, Oshkosh, WI, and St. Paul, MN with remote agents, serving over 40 national and regional non-profit organizations since 1992.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renewal Calling Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Won split tests against every major telephone fundraising vendor in the industry for renewal, reactivation, sustainer invite and other calling campaigns
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• InfoCision Management Corporation: InfoCision is one of the largest U.S. contact center operators providing telephone fundraising, inbound donor support, and customer service for non-profit, political, and faith-based clients — directly overlapping MDS's core service lines and customer base.
• Donor Services Group (DSG): DSG specializes in telephone fundraising, donor acquisition, and direct mail services for non-profit organizations, with a similar mix of renewal, reactivation, and acquisition calling — a direct head-to-head competitor in the same niche.
• Telefund Inc. Telefund is a contact center focused on telephone fundraising for non-profits and political campaigns, providing inbound and outbound calling services — a direct competitive overlap with MDS in both verticals.
• The Heritage Company: The Heritage Company is a long-standing telephone fundraising vendor for non-profit and Christian ministry clients, offering inbound/outbound donor calling and pledge processing services comparable to MDS's offering.
• Associated Marketing & Communications (AMAC): AMAC operates a large in-house call center providing membership services and fundraising calls for non-profit, advocacy, and Christian ministry clients — directly comparable in vertical mix and phone-based delivery model.
• Strategic Fundraising: Strategic Fundraising provides telephone fundraising and direct marketing services to non-profit and political clients, including acquisition, renewal, and lapsed donor reactivation calling — a niche competitor in the same service category.

Broad incumbents

• Pursuant (formerly Russ Reid): Pursuant is a larger, multi-channel non-profit fundraising agency (formed from Russ Reid and CDM) offering phone, direct mail, digital, and analytics services. It serves many of the same large national non-profits as MDS but as a broader agency partner.

Emerging players

• CCS Fundraising: CCS Fundraising provides fundraising counsel and campaign management services for non-profits, including some telephone outreach components — adjacent to MDS with partial overlap in non-profit donor engagement services.

Others

• DonorPerfect: DonorPerfect is a non-profit donor management and CRM software provider used by many of the same charitable clients MDS serves. While not a direct competitor, it sits in MDS's ecosystem as a complementary technology vendor.
• Blackbaud: Blackbaud is a major non-profit technology and fundraising software platform whose donor database and analytics products are widely used by MDS's clients. It is an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct phone-fundraising competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MDS Communications Corporation