Tips for Safe, Fearless List Exchange

* Make sure that a member of senior management always is involved in decisions relating to the list.

* Make sure your list-exchange practices comply with federal and state laws. For information on these laws, contact your state’s Attorney General’s Office.

Dambach says a list policy also can help ensure that when exchanging lists with another organization you’re getting a clean, updated list in return -- rather than a list of expires. She says she’s seen a number of worst-case scenarios that prove the need for a list policy. In one case, a radio station exchanged its list with a theater. When contacting individuals on the station’s list, the theater informed them that the radio station thought they would be interested in supporting the theater. The source of a list is one thing you should never share, Dambach says.