When was the last time you cleaned your mailing list?

Maybe now — during the end of summer lull — is a good time. Once September arrives, we all know what the fundraising tsunami rushing toward year-end will be like. Too late to fix things then.

Thus, this reminder that Agitator readers can update/clean their files in minutes and for only $20 regardless of the number of names and addresses on your list.

You’ll recall that in May we announced that as part of The Agitator Data Crusade to drive down the cost of fundraising data we added TrueNCOA to The Agitator Toolbox. This easy-to-use tool developed and supported by our sister company, TrueGivers, enables you to quickly update the addresses on your file for just $20 regardless of the size of your file.

Since TrueNCOA was introduced 4 months ago it has saved nonprofits more than $650,000 in what would have been wasted mailing costs.

Most organizations spend far too much for address correction services. With no hidden fees, no record minimums, and no record maximums, TrueNCOA uses an ‘all-you-can-eat approach’ and will process any file for $20 using the National Change of Address (NCOA) records of the US Postal Service.

U.S. Agitator readers can sign up for free at TrueNCOA.com, where you can find out all the details about putting TrueNCOA to work for your organization. Their website also has helpful links, like their frequently asked questions section, and technical info right on the site.

Or, if you prefer, you can see the step-by-step process on the video in The Agitator Toolbox.

Retention Depends on Staying in Touch With Donors

As emphasized in my book, Retention Fundraising: the New Art and Science of Keeping Your Donors for Life, among the easiest of what I termed “easy retention wins” is keeping your donors’ addresses up to date.

After all, if you can’t communicate with donors you’re unlikely to hold on to them.

It’s sad but true that, on average, 10% of all U.S. nonprofit mail appeals won’t even be delivered. That’s because nearly 45 million Americans move each year, and for many their mail is undeliverable because of incorrect addresses.

Reinstating Lapsed Donors Requires Current Addresses.

If you’re going after lapsed donors you’ll need a clean list. And you may also want to read our post The Neglected Gold Mine of Lapsed Donors for some helpful tips on strategy and tactics for reinstating donors.

Here’s what TrueNCOA will do in minutes and and for a single fee of $20:

•  Match your list against the National Change Of Address dataset of approximately 160 million records and update your records. TrueNCOA looks at change-of-address records filed with the Postal Service to identify 18-month moves, provide address updates for 18-month moves, and identify 48-month moves (many providers only cover the past 18 months). TrueNCOA also offers a service that provides address updates for 48-month moves.
• Address Verification/CASS Processing. To assure the highest degree of deliverability they’ll then validate and standardize your address data with their CASS processing service that matches addresses in your list to the monthly update on the Postal Service’s National Address file, then standardizes address information and adds the correct Zip+4 and postal code
• Eliminate Duplicates. The average database has up to 10% duplicate records. By eliminating dupes you reduce unnecessary, printing and postage costs.
• Cost Savings Estimate. A Savings Calculator located in the TrueNCOA Summary Report displays the amount of money you save by running your file through TrueNCOA before mailing. Non-compliance penalties and wasted postage can cost non-profit mailers as much as $0.44 per piece.
• Automated Expired File Re-processing. Files processed through TrueNCOA expire after 90 days. TrueNCOA automatically re-processes your file as soon as it expires. The re-processed file is treated like a brand new file and when the re-process completes, you’ll get a notification email inviting you to review the TrueNCOA Summary Report. If you like what you see, export and download the file.
• “Remind Me” Feature. TrueNCOA has a Remind Me feature this week (check it out here!) so you can request that TrueNCOA send you an email reminder to process your file on the day of your choosing.

This allows you to hit the snooze button on using TrueNCOA, but guarantees that they’ll notify you with a friendly reminder that it’s time to update your addresses. Set up as many reminders as you wish. All you have to do is provide the reminder date, your email address, and a subject line (use this field as a note to yourself).

If you are a current TrueNCOA user, you can access the Remind Me page by clicking the Reminders link in the app footer. If you aren’t a registered user, you can still request reminders using this page.

To get started, just go online to TrueNCOA. If you have any questions or need any help they have the most friendly and helpful data specialists around. Contact Brandon Palmer at bpalmer@truencoa.com or call him at  855-878-3448. Tell him you’re an Agitator reader.

Roger

P.S. If you’re a nonprofit, there is no limit to the number of records you can process for $20. Files under 10,000 records can process in as little as 5 minutes with no strings attached.

FOLKS HIT BY HURRICANE HARVEY NEED OUR HELP 

Now’s the time for each of us to do our part in helping those hit by the disastrous effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Organizations participating in hurricane relief efforts include:

• American Red Cross. To donate visit redcross.org, call 1- 800-RED CROSS or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
• The Salvation Army: To donate visit givesalvationarmy.org or call 1-800-725-2769.
• Catholic Charities USA: Visit catholiccharitiesusa.org to donate.

In addition, if you’re looking to help …

….families with young children the local Texas Diaper Bank is putting together disaster relief kits. You can donate here.

…animal shelters and rescue groups that are taking in pets displaced by the storm ― whether the animals got lost in the chaos, got left behind, or simply need temporary housing while their owners stay in evacuation shelters. Those groups include the The Houston Humane Society, SPCA of Texas, Austin Pets Alive!, and the San Antonio Humane Society.

…local nonprofits assisting in the disaster and in need of funds to assist in the storm are beneficiaries of a crowdfunding site launched as a hurricane relief fund by  GlobalGiving.

Thank you.