My question is about constituency codes.  How do you handle it when mail is returned to you which has an invalid address?

Currently, we have been changing the constituency code to 'Not on Active List' replacing whatever was there before.  I am just now noticing that there are people in the office which run reports based on very constituency code(s) I've been changing.

Believe it or not, I've never come across a reason to segment in this manner.  I've only ever had to segment on things like Board of Directors, Advisory Board, volunteers, etc. (in other words, Fluid groups.)

I know about the Inactive/Has No Valid address flags as well as the Send mail to this address checkbox.  We also use these but I am finding the constituency code change may be a mistake.

What are your thoughts, practices?

I agree. It is a mistake to change constituency codes for this reason.

Just mark the record inactive, no mail, etc.

You could also add an annotation to the record "Need a good address"

That way if someone has contact with the constituent, they can try to get a good address.

Good luck with your clean up. I would do that, ASAP.

Hi Ray.

We use constituency codes to catgorize why someone is in our database, (prospect, financial advisor, board member, staff, committee member, grantee or membership group. 

When we receive returned mail we mark the record no valid address, uncheck the send mail, add a Special Mailing attribute on the attributes tab with no valid address, the date, initials of person making the change and why returned from the post office. This is enough information to build a query of constituents whom you may want to mark as inactive in the future.

If the constituent is a financial advisor, accountant, foundation, grantee or prospect we leave those codes on the record. We may receive a "good" address in the future, either from our address updating service through Blackbaud or one of our appeal mailings.

Hope this helps.

Karen

Our procedure is simial to Karen's.  I plug in an end date on the address tab.  I like Special mailing attribute.

I would not change constituent code.  Their constituency - board, alumni, staff whatever you use - is not what's changing. It's just that address is not valid, or supposedly not valid - on occassion we've had mail returned that was correctly addressed when we contacted constituent.

 We use Solicit code- Gone Away or Do Not Mail and Check Has No Valid Address. We Do not include 'Do Not Mail, Gone Away' in any mailouts.

I totally agree with others that it should be addes as Constituency Code. 

Cheers!

 When a mail has been returned with no valid address, we take the following steps:

1. Flip the Address Type to "Previous Address" and uncheck the preferred address
2. Mark "Do Not Mail" in the solicit code (which we created)
   
3. Check off "Has No Valid Address"