http://www.asmallchange.net/power-of-a-clean-database/ Making sense of fundraising for non-profits. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:01:49 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.asmallchange.net/power-of-a-clean-database/comment-page-1/#comment-37390 Janice Chan Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:44:25 +0000 http://www.asmallchange.net/?p=443#comment-37390 With regards to regular updating of names and addresses, the U.S. Postal Service now requires organizations to check their mailing lists against the NCOA (Nat'l Change of Address) Registry every 95 days to qualify for bulk mailing rates! It's not that expensive and well worth it, especially since you will not get mail returned if it is a year or more after the person has moved (unless the mail clerk decides to be nice and return it anyway) - so you may not even know if half your list is not getting your mailings! With regards to regular updating of names and addresses, the U.S. Postal Service now requires organizations to check their mailing lists against the NCOA (Nat’l Change of Address) Registry every 95 days to qualify for bulk mailing rates! It’s not that expensive and well worth it, especially since you will not get mail returned if it is a year or more after the person has moved (unless the mail clerk decides to be nice and return it anyway) – so you may not even know if half your list is not getting your mailings!

]]> http://www.asmallchange.net/power-of-a-clean-database/comment-page-1/#comment-37161 Tim A. Troutman Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:05:31 +0000 http://www.asmallchange.net/?p=443#comment-37161 Jason, thanks for bringing this up. I think this is too often overlooked but it's extremely important. I have a list of queries and fixes I do monthly, quarterly, semi-annually and annually. If you have more one or more imperfect persons working on your database, you will have errors! Fixing them is an ongoing process. Jason, thanks for bringing this up. I think this is too often overlooked but it’s extremely important. I have a list of queries and fixes I do monthly, quarterly, semi-annually and annually. If you have more one or more imperfect persons working on your database, you will have errors! Fixing them is an ongoing process.

]]> http://www.asmallchange.net/power-of-a-clean-database/comment-page-1/#comment-37054 Kendra Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:07:14 +0000 http://www.asmallchange.net/?p=443#comment-37054 So true! Getting what people know about a donor from their head or personal file to the database is one of the hardest things though. It's one of the biggest frustrations I've dealt with since starting in non-profit, but it makes my job so much easier to have current and accurate data. So true! Getting what people know about a donor from their head or personal file to the database is one of the hardest things though. It’s one of the biggest frustrations I’ve dealt with since starting in non-profit, but it makes my job so much easier to have current and accurate data.

]]>