In June, staff members at our call centre were kept very busy. They were attending to bereaved family members wanting to register the details of their deceased loved ones with The Australian Bereavement Register.

The majority of calls came from referrals. Family members were referred to us after being subject to multiple mailings from various charities.

One bereaved family member informed us that she had received 20 unsolicited tax appeal mailings from charities addressed to her late mother, who passed away last year.

Sending mail that is addressed to a deceased person can be extremely distressing for bereaved family members and friends. In addition, such unsolicited mail is a complete waste of money and can damage a brand’s reputation.

All responsible mailers should pre-screen their mailing lists for deceased names prior to distribution. The need to do this especially applies to cold prospect names being used for acquisition purposes. Such files are notoriously known to be out-of-date. They are usually the main cause of complaints and opt-out requests.

Contact us on +61 2 9340 7019 to see how we can help you screen your data.