Protecting Privacy--and the Industry
Protecting Privacy--and the Industry
July 5, 2005
By Nancy Purcell
Without an understanding of the realities of fundraising, list owners make easy targets for privacy advocates, and a cloud of suspicion can cover the innocent as well as the guilty. As list brokers and managers, it is incumbent on us to do due diligence on all mailers with whom we come in contact. Donor lists are the most precious assets of an organization, and ensuring their safekeeping and proper use is our most critical responsibility.
List owners can do much to prevent trouble, too. Common sense is our best defense.
1. Offer opt-out frequently and prominently in mail pieces, and honor such requests immediately.
2. Update rental/exchange files regularly, to insure that "do not release" names are purged from outside access.
3. Use the DMA Mail Suppression File each time the rental/exchange file is updated.
Direct mail is still one of the best ways for nonprofits to educate the public and acquire new donors. If we want to make sure our legitimate uses of this medium can continue, we all must do our part to preserve the integrity of the system.
Nancy Purcell is the strategic development manager for Names in the News, an Oakland, Ca.-based list brokerage and management agency specializing in working with nonprofit organizations. This item was excerpted, with permission, from "In the News," the company's quarterly newsletter. For information, log on to http://www.namesinthenews.com.
