Kim Cubine

Moving Forward with Gratitude

by with No Comment Gratitude

Three words spring to mind when summing up 2022: Relief, determination, and most of all: gratitude.

I’m so relieved that voters turned out and “fought for the soul of our country” to quote President Biden—and I’m so proud of the role CCAH played in helping to hold and strengthen the U.S. Senate and reelect so many House members and governors through our partnerships with the DSCC, EMILY’s List, and DGA.

In the face of unprecedented voter-suppression tactics, our partners at Legal Defense Fund made sure that Georgia voters turned out like never before to reelect Sen. Raphael Warnock. We bucked the history that said a president’s party can’t win in his first midterms. Democrats strengthened their hold in battlegrounds like Arizona and Michigan and Pennsylvania.

But not all was celebratory in 2022. The Supreme Court gave American women a true gut punch when they overturned Roe v Wade, and that’s when my determination kicked in as never before. We’ve been in the trenches protecting reproductive freedom for decades, and as we proved since Roe’s demise in June, we won’t sit back and take it, we will dig in and we will keep going. 

Kim Cubine
Kim Cubine
President

After all, that is the core of what we do at CCAH: we keep pushing forward.

That’s the message I’ve always tried to communicate to my daughter—now a teenager facing a very unpredictable future because of the politics in this country. But here’s what I know: hers is arguably the most enlightened generation when it comes to accepting people as they are: gender identity, body image, LGBTQ+ equality … they are open-minded and curious people.

And with her generation already taking up the mantle for reproductive freedom, climate action, gun control, income inequality, and so much more … I am filled with gratitude and tremendous hope for what’s to come.

As we ring in 2023, I am grateful for my family, my MissionWired and CCAH colleagues, our indefatigable clients, and this crazy, polarized, unpredictable, wonderful country.

I’m looking forward to working with all of you in the new year, to continue to right our society’s wrongs, to advance justice and equality, and to help everyone live the lives they want to live. I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes:

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Sage Advice for Fundraising in 2023

by with No Comment AdvicefundraisingNonprofit

Looking for a mantra to guide your fundraising program in 2023?

Here you go:

Stop freaking out.

Yes, fundraising is down virtually across the board. Yes, we’re coming off a very charged political year when progressive donors were pushed as never before online, in the mail, and on the phones. Yes, nonprofits had to compete with the deluge of political ads. The result? Exhausted donors.

Supporters did what they could, but times are tough, family budgets are pinched, and philanthropy sometimes must take a back seat. But I’m here to remind you that we’ve been here before. Many times. And you know this, but probably don’t want to think about it right now: Fundraising’s ups and downs are just part of fundraising.

And now is not the time to cut and run—if you ditch your donor acquisition program because times are tough now, you will only extend the pain later. Instead, invest in prospecting like a financial planner invests in a down market. Invest in prospecting like a Christmas tree farmer planting seedlings every single year. Invest in prospecting because if you don’t … you’re giving up on your future. Now is the time to be strategic and smart.

And look, there’s hope for 2023: Gas prices are falling. The Fed chair says the interest rate craziness might slow down soon. Americans continued to give millions on Giving Tuesday this year. All signs that fundraising will turn around, as it always does.

In the meantime, just stop freaking out. And remember that investments in prospecting today will reap rewards in the future when other organizations’ donor counts are down, and yours are holding strong. True, they may not be giving as much, but that’s yet another reason to keep incrementally upping your donor counts.

Budget for as much prospecting as you can reasonably afford—knowing that you’ll lose money now and make up for it later. Lose the freak-out attitude, make your best case for support, and just stay out there.

Jenny Allen
Principal & SVP

Now in Direct Mail: Navigating New Paper and Printing Challenges

by with No Comment CCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseydirect maildirect mail productionpaper

In a time of postal delays, paper shortages, and supply chain disruptions, CCAH is helping organizations rise to unprecedented challenges in print and direct mail production.

If you’re looking at an eight-month lead time for envelopes and wondering how to plan now for November mailings, you’re not alone. Direct marketers face new challenges in getting direct mail out the door—from postage increases and rising paper costs to labor shortages and shipping delays.

But direct mail is a major (and often primary) source of revenue for many organizations. Few organizations can afford to scale back direct mail programs or cut campaigns. Not to mention, many folks who comprise your direct mail audiences might not have access to computers or mobile devices; they rely on the mail to stay connected to the issues they care about.

The good news is that there are ways to navigate the new landscape, and we are here to help you through it. 

Shannon Murphy, Principal and Senior Vice President of Production

A Closer Look

According to the Bureau of Labor, over 4 million people voluntary quit their jobs in the month of January. An additional 3.6 million people called in sick from work that same month due to COVID-19 and other factors. On top of that, many people who spent their careers working in print are retiring from the printing trade, and so far, fewer workers in younger generations are stepping in to fill these roles. Like many sectors, print production is contending with a reduction in the workforce.

In addition to labor shortages, COVID-19 impacted paper supply and demand. In 2020, paper production was reduced by 40%, and many paper mills converted their lines to produce other materials. In 2021, demand for paper increased but mills couldn’t keep up. They weren’t and still aren’t able to import as much paper because of mill closures and logistical challenges, including trucking shortages, container shortages, increased dock time, and railway bottlenecks.

Some mills are completely sold out of certain types of paper, and mills are allocating paper to printers based on historical purchasing to prevent stockpiling. These factors have resulted in increased costs and lead time.

Because of the increased demand for paper that is expected through 2022 and into 2023, prices will continue to increase. Mills will consolidate offerings, and some brands will be discontinued. A worker strike in Finland at UPM, one of the world’s leading producers of label stock, began at the start of the year and is lasting through March, further impacting the paper industry.

Meanwhile, postage rates continue to rise, with the next rate increase set to take place on July 10, 2022.  At that time, rates are projected to increase by as much as 9% – 9.5%. Starting in January 2023, the US Postal Service has planned for two postage rate increases per year.

“However long the day, the evening will come – bad times don’t last forever.” – Irish proverb

Adapt and Overcome

CCAH is fortunate to work with suppliers who are going above and beyond to accommodate our clients’ needs in this challenging environment. While there are no easy or immediate solutions, there are steps you can take to stay in the mail and get your message in front of your donors.

At CCAH, we work with our clients to apply for USPS promotions to cut costs, leveraging USPS Gateway as a savings tool. We gang print for multiple campaigns, across programs and across clients. We also track mail for our clients to stay on top of delivery times and ensure mail pieces are delivered. And we implement innovative production techniques to offset cost increases and decrease production time. Here are additional steps we are taking that everyone can consider:

    • Choose the appropriate class of mail for your campaign. Build time into your plans so you don’t need to mail as much first class.
    • Keep mailing lists clean using NCOA and ACS, and purge undeliverable addresses from your lists.
    • Sign up for USPS Promotions. For Example, Informed Delivery will take 4% off your postage costs for the last five months of 2022. It has the added benefits of being free, potentially boosting response, and keeping your organization as visible as your competitors.
    • Be open to alternative paper stocks and different formats, which allow for flexibility in sourcing.
    • Stay away from print flat & convert envelopes, which take more time to produce.
    • Think about the BRE – how essential are white mail codes? The answer might be different for everyone, but it’s important to ask the question.
    • Is SRE postage warranted?
    • Tint paper to match a color. Color stocks are becoming harder to come by.

Ultimately, the best thing you can do now to ensure a successful year-end is  plan ahead and stay flexible. Don’t just have a Plan A. Have Plans B and C too. Already, many envelope suppliers are booked through August. So, start strategizing for your fall campaigns early, order paper now, and book press time. Come autumn, you’ll be happy you did!

And if you have any questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email at smurphy@ccah.com.

Print Industry: Important Update

by with No Comment CCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseydirect maildirect mail productionpaper

Plan Ahead – Way Ahead!

Envelope lead times can take up to 12 weeks. These lead times are the longest I’ve seen in the 20+ years I’ve been in the industry. Causing these delays are several factors:

    • Paper Shortages
    • Staffing Shortages across the supplier network
    • Transportation Delays

Paper Shortages & Cost Increases

Shannon Murphy, Principal and Senior Vice President of Production

Many paper mills have announced they are on allocation. This means they have limited tons available to produce/sell each month, and they are going to prioritize those tons to key customers/printers/end‐users. Each mill has different amounts of paper allocated to their key accounts. These allocation tons are determined by past customer history and are monitored and adjusted monthly as orders are placed and accepted into the mill runs. In addition, we have seen delays from multiple mills as they fall behind with their schedule. We expect similar market conditions to continue the balance of the year and well into 2022 or even early 2023.

Due to the allocated paper market, mills have been slow to confirm paper orders, but placing orders early will help the mill when determining allocation. Once paper is ordered you own it.

Some companies are not able to get recycled stock. This could be a problem for many environmental non‐profit organizations. In the past two weeks, a supplier told me that due to allocation he can’t order recycled paper until February.

Labor Shortages and major disruptions in the supply chain, made worse by the pandemic, have caused delays in print. Some paper manufacturers have scaled back their shifts due to the delta variant. Many have shifted to producing packaging materials due to the increase in online order shipping with the onset of COVID‐19.

Paper costs have increased 14% over the last year due to the increase in wood pulp. Wood pulp has increased over 50% in the last year. And paper increases aren’t over as several paper manufacturers have announced additional increases in the past few weeks.

Staffing Shortages

According to a recent study by Booz Allen, the number one business concern in the print industry is finding skilled workers. Because of this shortage 6/10 production jobs go unfilled. Not only is this affecting press operators, ink technicians, and prepress workers, it’s also affecting the trucking industry.

Suppliers are running at 75% capacity simply because they don’t have the staff to run equipment.

Other factors are playing into the staffing shortage:

    • Continued COVID Cases
    • Quarantine Requirements
    • Lack of childcare
    • Extended Unemployment Benefits
    • Pandemic having prompted workers to move to other industries
    • Retirement of the baby boomer generation

Transportation Delays

    • Nationwide truck driver shortage translates to only one driver available for every eight truckloads that are ready for delivery.
    • Lack of drivers and workers cause port back ups for shipments coming in from overseas.
  • Any one of these issues would cause delays, but the combination of these issues results in longer lead times and an increase in cost over last year for the same service.

CCAH Recommendations

    • Plan Ahead – schedules will be longer for the foreseeable future
    • Deliver Art on Schedule – flexibility in due dates is a thing of the past. Art delivered behind schedule doesn’t mean a “day for a day” anymore … a one‐day delay can translate to several weeks delay in the print schedule
    • Order Ahead – print for multiple campaigns at a time
    • Time Savers – print letter head and envelopes early; duplex laser to allow more lead time with copy; inkjet teasers instead of printing on envelopes
    • Be Flexible on Paper Stock (if you can) – can you tint white stock instead of using color paper or use a different paper weight?
    • Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

There is some uncertainty still, but it looks like we will continue to have print industry challenges into 2022 and 2023. Please plan ahead. And if you have any questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email at smurphy@ccah.com.

USPS Proposed Changes to First-Class Mail Delivery Service Standards

by with No Comment CCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseyclient servicescross channel marketingdatafundraisingmultichannelmultichannel marketingnonprofit fundraisingomnichannelStrategy

You may have seen, back in March, that the USPS published a 10-year strategic plan to achieve financial stability and service excellence. This plan includes adjusting the current 1–3-day continental U.S. First-Class delivery standard to 1-5 days. These changes are expected to be rolled out on October 1. In theory, the USPS expects this change to not only allow them to better meet delivery standards, which they’ve failed to meet over the past 8 years but also reduce their cost of delivering First-Class mail.

The summary of the proposed service change is as follows: mail that is currently delivered within 1 day (3-hour drive time from entry to delivery point) will not change. However, they are proposing stretching the 2–3-day delivery period out to 2-5 days. 

The chart below compares the current 2–3-day service standard against the proposed service standard. Ultimately, 81% of the current 2-day volume should keep a 2-day standard, with the remaining 19% flowing into 3-days. The current 3-day volume would be changed to 3-5 days, with 47% remaining the same, 36% going to 4-days, and the remaining 17% changing to 5-days.

Basically, 70% of current 1–3-day delivery would remain the same and 30% would be adjusted to 4 or 5-day delivery based on distance and destination-cost-impact.

*Note: Figures in the chart above are rounded and therefore may not add up to 100%

Between March and July, the USPS requested the US Postal Regulatory Commission consider the proposed service standard change which was completed and released on July 20, 2021. In summary, the Commission did find that extending the service standards would help the USPS meet delivery requirements but is concerned that the USPS has not tested their theory and thus they are lacking supporting evidence that they can operationally make these changes and have the overall expected service and financial impact.

Additionally, the Commission did not find that changing the service standards would have any financial impact, especially without supporting evidence. The USPS doesn’t need the Commission’s approval to change service standards. Kim Frum, USPS spokeswoman, said they are “reviewing the recommendations of the Postal Regulatory Commission, and will consider them as we move forward with our plan”. This statement further insinuates that the USPS will move ahead with their plans, despite the Commission’s findings, on September 1, 2021.

Mid-level Nirvana: Recap from Bridge Conference 2021

by with No Comment Bridge ConferenceCCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseycross channel marketingdirect maildirect mail fundraisingmultichannelmultichannel marketing

When there are multiple agency partners and internal departments playing a role in one mid-level giving program, how do you achieve success year after year? If you attended “Mid-level Nirvana: Achieving Channel Integration Bliss” at the 2021 Bridge Conference, you’d know what to do! Session speakers were Genevieve Paul, Director, Annual Giving at the National Park Foundation (NPF);  Kathy Swayze, President & Creative Director, Impact Communications; and Pete Carter, Principal & Senior Vice President, CCAH (and if you attended Bridge but missed the session, you can still watch the full presentation here).

Over 100 attendees participated in the virtual session and walked (or navigated) away with these takeaways:

Pete Carter, Principal and Senior Vice President
  • How to unify your message across digital and direct mail channels
  • Real-life tips on getting your agency partners and vendors to collaborate effectively
  • How to escape the mayhem and find nirvana (and more revenue) in a mid-level program

The NPF mid-level program is called the Champion’s Society, with membership beginning at $1,000 a year (or $100/month). Revenue has shown impressive year-over-year growth; this has been achieved with a collaborative approach to fundraising. Channel experts worked together to move donors up the giving ladder using truly integrated digital and mail strategies, with buy-in from membership, mid-level, and major/planned gifts staff.

Ensuring integration across channels is a reality, and not just wishful thinking begins with creating shared goals with channel-specific components. Then, as strategies emerge, maintaining open channels of communication is vital. These formal and informal meeting opportunities where ideas are freely exchanged require breaking down the walls that often divide us since defensiveness and territoriality ultimately will only hold us back from hitting our budget goals.

As ideas are developed, it’s important to avoid rejecting new concepts because they’ve never been tried before. For mid-level programs, in particular, fresh cultivation concepts are essential. Cultivating donors with special “insider” updates and appreciation messages will produce a glow of goodwill and lead to a long-term payoff from deepened relationships. 

For example – in November 2020 NPF leveraged a series of Thankful Thursday emails intended to show heartfelt and personal appreciation for the commitment shown by its donors. The final piece of this cultivation approach was our Find Your Park Friday, which is traditionally sent the day after Thanksgiving and encourages our park enthusiasts to find and visit their favorite park. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to be nimble and switch gears a bit in 2020. So instead of a focus on in-person park visits, we encouraged members to find a digital way to interact with their favorite park – from taking a virtual tour of a park or “joining” other park enthusiasts on social media to share their park stories.

After November’s cultivation emphasis, the focus shifted to the most lucrative fundraising time of the year, starting with #GT and lasting through year-end. We call this our 31 Days of Giving. In December we leveraged both a match gift offer and a downloadable thank-you gift for contributions. The number of online and offline year-end contacts in 2020 increased over the past 3 years, as did file size. But this graceful “cultivation, then donation” approach, with more opportunities to give, did not generate a rise in donor complaints about contact volume. In fact, to our delight, we saw an increase in total year-end revenue for the Champion’s Society, up a total of 35% since 2017. What’s even more impressive is that while digital income grew dynamically in that time, direct mail was also up a bit – meaning digital largely represented additive, not shifted, income.

Other new ideas launched over the past year include a dedicated Champions Society ad campaign on Facebook, which is gaining traction with each passing month. Targets include former Champions Society members and new-to-file prospects. This is an important part of our channel agnostic approach to donor recruitment and reinstatement – allowing an increased investment in channels that show promising results.

Here’s a summary of the keys to nirvana recommended by Kathy, Genevieve and Pete:

  1. Set clear goals.
  2. Communicate!
  3. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
  4. Be nimble and be prepared to switch gears.
  5. Focus on the long-term return in relationship.
  6. Be channel agnostic.

To find more strategies and to work with our experts, reach out to work with us!

Paper Availability — Going From Bad to Worse

by with No Comment CCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseydirect maildirect mail productionpaper

Paper is increasing in cost again!  And the timing to get paper is becoming longer and longer.

Custom stock and roll sizes can take several weeks to source as mills are running into the same issues as many other businesses: getting folks to come to work, fill equipment to run, and keep up with the demand.

The latest word is that by July 1, paper will see an increase of $4.00cwt (that’s $4 per 100lbs).

This would be an increase of 8% — an unprecedented increase. When a Mailshop gives an estimate of how much a job will cost your organization, paper typically represents 50%-60% of a quoted price. The remaining cost goes to labor, overhead, delivery, ink, folding, etc.

That means that with an 8% increase in paper, your quoted price for envelopes, letters, etc. will be about 5% higher than expected.  cwt

Shannon Murphy, Principal and Senior Vice President of Production

The Next Step

The dreaded word, allocation.

For those not familiar with how this one works, it basically looks like this:

Mills can’t meet demand. So they allocate inventory to printers and converters based on how much they buy and how much they have used over the last year.

Example

Let’s say company “A” bought $10,000 worth of paper in the past year. When put on allocation, they can only buy:

      1. The same as last year
      2. 90% of what they bought last year, etc.

The percentage they get will be based on supply.

The scary part is some printers could struggle to get paper. This is where suppliers’ strong relationships with paper manufacturers or merchants will play a key role in getting paper when needed.

How does this affect you? 

Factor in more time for projects. Getting paper will take longer, and of course with these announced price increases, it will cost more.

How Can CCAH Help?

    • We are starting early — making decisions on packages sooner so production can order paper before the art is released.
    • We’re talking with our production managers directly, asking about specialty stocks far in advance of wanting to use them.  We’re thinking about places we may have flexibility with the paper stocks we are using.
    • We’re being thoughtful on where strategy can change and where we won’t have wiggle room. Making major changes to package specifications midway through a job may spell big problems — if we have already ordered a special paper and the paper specs change — that original paper is still yours … the good news is you would have it available for your next mailing, or you could sell it to another supplier client if the need arose.

There is some uncertainty still, but it looks like the fall will be very similar to last year with paper challenges. Please plan ahead. And if you have any questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email at smurphy@ccah.com.

Close-up Of A Person's Hand Marking Error With Red Marker On Document

How to Make Sure Your Message Is What Stands out in Your Writing

by with No Comment CCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseyclient servicescross channel marketingfundraisingmultichannelmultichannel marketingnonprofit fundraisingomnichannelStrategy

Here’s why picky Grammar Police Officers like me point out errors: because mistakes in written materials communicate the message that details just don’t matter. So if you’re writing a project proposal, a grant funding request, or a direct mail letter, and the reader gets the impression that you don’t care about details, your request won’t rise to the top of the pile.

Here are a few of the most common errors and some tips on how to avoid them:

Apostrophes are used to indicate possession and contractions.

  • First up: Possession: Jane’s dog. Abdul’s cat. The Robinsons’ car. One exception: its is how you spell this particular possessive pronoun … as in “When I put my sweater in the dryer, it lost its shape.”
  • Next up: contractions. Words like don’t and can’t use an apostrophe to indicate there’s a letter or two missing (do not and cannot). Another example is it’s which always means it is.
  • Note that apostrophes never make a word plural – so if your see a sign reading No Dog’s Allowed on the Playground, please do me a favor and sneak over at midnight and paint over that apostrophe.

Effect and affect.

Effect is either a noun or a verb – “The sunshine is having a positive effect on my mood.” Or “The only way to effect change is to make your voice heard.” Affect is also either a noun or a verb, but most commonly a verb: “I didn’t think his insult would affect me so much.” Or “Sometimes people in shock have a flat affect, where they don’t react at all.”

Fewer/less.

Use fewer when there’s a set number of whatever you’re referring to, and less if it’s vague. For example:

Wrong: Less than 100 people were in my graduating class.

Right: Fewer than 100 people were in my graduating class.

Right:  Since fewer people go to restaurants now, there’s less crowding.

i.e. and e.g. are not interchangeable

 i.e. is Latin for that is to say or in other words. e.g. is Latin for for example. E.g.:

Right: He brought all kinds of desserts to the party, e.g., ice cream, cake, and cookies.

Right: Chris had adopted their gender-neutral name and pronoun a few years ago, when they began to publicly identify as nonbinary, i.e., neither male nor female.

And please, always add a comma after either abbreviation.

Me, myself, and I.

As the proofreading website Vappingo says, “I is the doer, and me is the done to.” As in “After I have finished shopping, please pick me up.”

It seems like people often use I incorrectly, just because it sounds fancier, so it must be right. So often, it’s not. For example:

Wrong: The party invitation was addressed to Buddy and I.

Right: The party invitation was addressed to Buddy and me.

One way to tell what’s correct in this example is to remove “Buddy and” – that way, you’ll see that “I” doesn’t work.

A couple of general rules for using myself correctly: Myself is never used in a sentence that doesn’t contain the word I. And myself never takes the place of me or I.

Wrong: The meeting attendees will include Sherry and myself.

Right: The meeting attendees will include Sherry and me.

Right: Thank you, but I can do it myself.

Yes, there is a place for an automated Spell Check in your process...

… but it’s not to check spelling! Spell Check is notorious for incorrectly “correcting” grammar and spelling, so don’t count on it for that. Instead, run a Spell Check after you’ve finished proofreading your document. It will help you clean up by finding extra spaces and repeated words you need to delete, problems with capitalization, and more.

Please don’t use what I call decorative quotation marks.

These quotation marks curiously surround a word for absolutely no reason. Here’s an example:

We went to lunch at a “soup and sandwich” place and I had the “Blue Plate Special,” while my mother had the $5.00 “Senior Lunch Deal.”

These quotation marks are unnecessary and make the sentence more complicated than it needs to be – some of the quoted words are regular words that are easily understandable. Others are already highlighted by being capitalized, so you don’t need the quotes. My rule: if you’re tempted to use decorative quotation marks, remove them and see if the sentence is clear without them. I promise you, it almost always will be.

Proofreading includes fonts and graphics.

Double check your consistency with headlines and subheads (are some all upper case, and some a mix of upper and lower case?) Also, if you’re using a Table of Contents, make sure the entries in the TOC match what’s in your document, and that the page numbering is consistent. Same goes for bulleted text, font size, boldface text, etc. Consistency is key.

Also pay attention to what might be missing.

Page numbers? Date? Signature?

And just a note about making your writing resonate.

Help your readers by making everything you write crystal clear. Assume that not everyone is familiar with jargon, so avoid it if possible instead of peppering your prose with terms people might have to Google. And it’s always a good policy to spell out all abbreviations or acronyms (at least the first time) so you don’t inadvertently leave your readers behind.

If you’re not sure about a word usage or grammar rule...

… remember the Internet is your friend. Sites like Vappingo, Grammarly, and my favorite: GrammarGirl (especially her Top Ten Grammar Myths), all provide easy-to-understand rules and examples.

One last piece of advice:

It’s much easier to spot mistakes in other people’s writing … so find a friend and help each other out. It’s harder to see the mistakes in a document that you wrote and are familiar with.

The Importance of CRM Address Hygiene Upkeep

by with No Comment CCAHChapman Cubine Adams Husseyclient servicescross channel marketingdatafundraisingmultichannelmultichannel marketingnonprofit fundraisingomnichannelStrategy

We, as marketers, are very reliant on our CRMs. Our fundraising strategy, campaign performance, and donor analytics are only as reliable as our trusted CRM data. The upkeep of this data is time-consuming and requires staffing resources and ongoing investment. However, forgoing the proper maintenance will cause long-term detriment to the entire marketing program and be a costly investment to correct. One of the most important yet simple upkeep items is keeping constituent address information up-to-date.

On average, 9.8% of people move each year and 31 million people moved in 2019. While many data vendors and mailshops can perform National Change of Address (NCOA) on your file prior to it being mailed, there is a limit on how long this remains sustainable if the data is never updated in the CRM. For instance, the USPS offers two types of NCOA products: 18-month and 48-month. Depending on which type of product the vendor has access to (most common is 18-month), determines how far back they can capture address changes.

Now, let’s assume the CRM isn’t updated with address changes, the vendor uses 18-month NCOA and the campaign mails at Marketing Mail rates (previously known as Standard Bulk Mail). If the address change was within 18-months, it will be captured by the vendor; if it is after 18-months, the vendor won’t capture the change and the USPS will deliver the piece to the address at which the constituent no longer lives. 

This can cause long-term compounded issues:
  • In all likelihood, this constituent will continue to be mailed at an incorrect address in Appeals/Renewals for the next 6-18 months. This is not only a front-end expense (print, production, and postage), but also a loss in donor engagement and further giving opportunity.
  • If this constituent is pulled into a Lapsed or Deep-Lapsed segmentation then the same issues will occur as in Appeals/Renewals (above) and that could go on for several more years.
    • This will also cause lower reactivation performance.
  • Donor analytics won’t necessarily be reliable as constituents may have only stopped giving because they were no longer receiving solicitations. Meaning, analysis numbers, such as donor retention, could be artificially lower than they should be.
  • Acquisition lists could overlap with active/lapsed donors because the active donor address is stale while Acquisition list data is consistently updated.
    • i.e.: If the same donor gives to an Acquisition campaign then the constituent will be added to the CRM which will cause duplicates (one record with a wrong address and one record with a valid address).
There are several proactive measures to keep the CRM address data up-to-date, all of which are ongoing maintenance options:
  • If your organization runs a quarterly Acquisition Program then it is likely that you are supplying the merge vendor with active, lapsed, and deep-lapsed donors to match against the outside lists. The merge vendor can return the house NCOA updates which can then be updated in the CRM.
  • An outside data vendor can run NCOA on the entire universe or a subset of the universe (active, lapsed, deep-lapsed) which can then be updated in the CRM. It is important to schedule these updates at least four times a year.
  • Some CRMs offer add-on address hygiene and change of address tools to keep addresses valid.
If the CRM is already out of date, there are several options to validate existing addresses and update those that have changed. This is a necessary step before the transition to one of the maintenance options listed above:
  • If the CRM universe has been NCOA’d in the past 48 months then using an outside data vendor to run NCOA 48-month will capture constituents who have moved within that window.
  • If the CRM universe has not been NCOA’d in the past 48 months then there are providers that offer a Proprietary Change of Address (PCOA) service. PCOA consists of address changes from outside sources such as: Utility Companies, Magazine Subscriptions, Credit Bureaus, Credit Card Companies, etc. Each provider has its own proprietary list and its retention-offering can range from 5-35 years. Most PCOA providers will also process NCOA 48-month at the same time.
    • PCOA can be an expensive service, mainly depending on total file quantity.
Once the CRM addresses have been updated then it is best to work towards isolating and merging duplicate constituents as there is a high chance duplicates have been created over time.

There are many other CRM data upkeep items that are just as important. Chapman Cubine Allen + Hussey will continue this series in 2021 to include items such as: deceased data appends, apartment appends, telephone appends, ECOA/eAppends, and demographic appends. If you would like help with your data processing needs, reach out to work with us.