Proprietary Change of Address (PCOA) Vendor Suggestions

Joanne Felci 2

Hello!


Has anyone every done a PCOA update (supposed to be a way to find address changes NCOA does not catch)?


If so what vendor did you use and did you like them?


Was it worth the money to do?


I'm thinking of suggesting this for our Fall Appeal but would love to know other's experiences


thanks!

joanne

Faith Murray

We looked into those and yes, it has been definitely worth it. We've gone two different methods, based on our database needs at the time:


The first time we used BlackBaud's PeopleFinder service, which was a full-service data append including lost addresses, deceased names, phone appends, etc. It cost us in the range of $1500, but our database was poorly-maintained, and it was definitely worth it. We increased our deliverable alumni population by 28%, as well as other donors.


The second time, we asked our direct mail name rental company what they could do for us. (We use Trinity Direct, but I believe they specialize only in religious nonprofits.) Trinity D. had informed us that all mailers are required to run their files through NCOA processing, and they can as easily go back the full 48 months as just go back 18 - for an extra fee. They already have a database subscription, and since they already process our house files, it would be easy to run the files through for us. We paid a flat fee of $100 (the amount it cost them, they weren't trying to make a profit since we were already customers.) We received 6,000 address standardizations, 2,700 address updates, and 1,040 people identified as deceased. The savings in postage from NOT mailing to 1,000 deceased people was definitely worth the cost of the service.


A third time, we used VeraData, and they also performed well. However, I can't quote the cost because it was offered as an in-kind service.


Be aware that no database cleaning service is perfect. A very few (I'd say less than 2%) of the corrections we received back were errant. I'd check with any mailing houses/name rental houses that you work with on a regular basis and see what they can do for you. If you don't have any connections like that, then BlackBaud's services are still good bang for your buck if done every 2-3 years.

Joanne Felci 2

Thanks Faith!

Jen Claudy

I would definitely check with your mailhouse.  If they can't get you what you want, I can recommend a mailhouse I have worked with for years.  They've been doing NCOA screenings for me for years (full 48 months every time, no limit on number of records, and a flat rate of $25 per screening...plus they'd remove the NCOA charge from any mailings we did thru them) and did a Deceased screening once (which was more expensive, because they don't run it for other clients and it cost them extra to access that data).  I like having complete control of the data from start to finish and knowing exactly what goes where and how it imports back to RE.  Took a bit to get a system set up, though.


Another avenue to try is MelissaData.com.  I use their free lookups a lot.  I think they work more with the for-profit sector, and the one time I called to ask about something unusual (getting data back on school districts for addresses...which is available on their site when you look up each one individually), I didn't get the response I wanted...I don't think he really understood what I was asking for, and he never got back to me with a quoted price.  But they may do PCOA if mailhouses don't.


My guess is that either way, there will be a small number who slip thru the cracks and either don't return a change or return an invalid change.  Please post back about what you end up doing, how you do it, and how it all turns out!

Joanne Felci 2

Thanks Jen!


If we end up doing anything (or even if don't) I'll report back

Dale Anania

Jen Claudy:

I would definitely check with your mailhouse.  If they can't get you what you want, I can recommend a mailhouse I have worked with for years.  They've been doing NCOA screenings for me for years (full 48 months every time, no limit on number of records, and a flat rate of $25 per screening...plus they'd remove the NCOA charge from any mailings we did thru them) and did a Deceased screening once (which was more expensive, because they don't run it for other clients and it cost them extra to access that data).  I like having complete control of the data from start to finish and knowing exactly what goes where and how it imports back to RE.  Took a bit to get a system set up, though.


Another avenue to try is MelissaData.com.  I use their free lookups a lot.  I think they work more with the for-profit sector, and the one time I called to ask about something unusual (getting data back on school districts for addresses...which is available on their site when you look up each one individually), I didn't get the response I wanted...I don't think he really understood what I was asking for, and he never got back to me with a quoted price.  But they may do PCOA if mailhouses don't.


My guess is that either way, there will be a small number who slip thru the cracks and either don't return a change or return an invalid change.  Please post back about what you end up doing, how you do it, and how it all turns out!

Jen, would you be willing to send me your procedure for address change imports from a service outside of Blackbaud?

Thanks! Dale

Joanne Felci 2

Dale Anania:

 

Jen, would you be willing to send me your procedure for address change imports from a service outside of Blackbaud?

Thanks! Dale

 

I'd be interested in that also Jen