NCOA and CASS

People move that’s a fact, which makes keeping your mailing list up to date a challenge. 

Luckily, the USPS maintains the National Change of Address database (NCOA), which is comprised of the change-of-address forms individuals fill out and submit to their local post office to get their mail forwarded to a new location. 

The Post Office will automatically check mailings against this database for 48 months to make sure your mail is forwarded to its recipient. However, to continue getting any Non-profit or Standard postage discounts they expect you to update your records. Additionally, keeping your donor’s addresses current means your organization won’t waste money sending undeliverable mail. This means your mailings will arrive in-home without delays, which will get your donor’s support back to you quicker. 

When paired with the Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS), which helps identify incorrect addresses, mail delivery is more efficient and affordable.

NovaMail processes your data file through CASS and NCOA automatically, meaning you don't have to worry about data hygiene issues. 

PRO TIP
When your donors notify you of address changes, make sure to update your records so you can stay in touch with them. NCOA may not help if the donor did not fill out a change-of-address form.