Over 1.7 million mail pieces sent through the post in the lead-up to Christmas will be mailed to dead people. This alarming statement is made by Alliance Data Suppression Services (ADSS), which operate The Australian Bereavement Register (TABR).
The company’s research also suggests that the not-for-profit sector alone will account for around 241,800 items being sent to the deceased.
Sending mail to people who have died is not only a complete waste of money, it is extremely distressing and offensive to the bereaved. It will almost certainly affect your organisation’s hard-earned reputation.
ADSS’ Managing Director Glenn Harrison said: “it’s vitally important that fundraisers and direct marketers regularly screen their donor and prospect lists for deceased individuals, especially given the fact that your typical donor database contains a majority of people that are aged 55+ whilst prospect mailing lists are notoriously out of date.
“We spend a great deal of our time and effort working with fundraisers, direct marketers and data centre managers in helping them create the very best data practice procedures for their mailing campaign processes.
The not-for-profit sector is consistently challenged by the need to spend less whilst attracting and maintaining good ongoing relationships with existing supporters to encourage repeat giving. Charities in particular are scrutinised for the money they invest in their marketing programs, so it’s essential that all charities apply regular suppression techniques, to ensure accurate targeting and demonstrate a stronger ROI for their DM campaigns.”
It’s simply unacceptable to send marketing information at a time of the year that is going to be particularly upsetting to their remaining relatives when something can be easily done to stop this”
Click here to download the Fact Sheet about The Australian Bereavement Register.
