# Best practice marketing forum launched for non-profit organisations - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/11/01/best-practice-marketing-forum-launched-nonprofit-organisations/ - Published: 2010-11-01T18:46:39+00:00 - Author: Howard Lake Data management specialist Data Discoveries is to host its first best practice marketing forum for non-profit organisations at the Grand Central Hotel on Thursday 18 November between 5.30pm and 7pm. Data Discoveries has worked with many public sector, blue chip and charitable organisations over the last 15 years. With an intimate knowledge of how to improve direct mail response with effective database management, this will be the first topic at the forum on 18 November. Attendees at the best practice forum will be shown key tips on how to improve their database to vastly increase response from direct mail, so achieve the best return from marketing expenditure. This will include a question and answer session where attendees can ask specific questions. ## Advertisement According to the Direct Marketing Association, over half of charities spend between £0.5m – £2.5m every year on direct marketing alone. Data Discoveries estimates that up to 30% could be saved through more effective database management. Future topics for the best practice forum will include marketing industry experts sharing their insights on issues like social media, crisis management and efficient media buying. Attendees will be able to hear from these experts and question them directly about their specific issues in a confidential environment. The quarterly event is free for any non-profit organisations with a turnover of £1m or above wishing to attend. If you work for a charitable organisation and are interested in attending, please contact Nicola Smith, Marketing Manager at Data Discoveries on 0131 555 1100 or ns****@*************es.com Ken Naismith, Managing Director of Data Discoveries said: “We work with a number of charities and non-profit organisations. We became aware that there are few opportunities for sharing best practice marketing amongst these organisations. We were looking for a way to use our expertise to give something back and while there is a small financial commitment, hopefully sharing our expertise will be even more useful.” David Welch, Head of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications for Yorkhill Children’s Foundation who will be attending the forum said: “I think the forum is a great idea. It will be really useful to hear best practice marketing ideas from the private sector and see how these can be applied to improve marketing in the non-profit sector. There are quite a few marketing and PR forums but very few cross the private and non-profit sectors. I am looking forward the first event.” ENDS ### Notes to Editors • Data Discoveries is a leading data management specialist based in Edinburgh • They have been working with public sector and blue chip companies like Royal Mail, Prudential, Ticketmaster and Matalan, for over fifteen years. • They are licensees of a huge range of industry standard data sources which are cross referenced so customers are not limited to just one supplier For more information contact: Julie Moulsdale/Lesley Ferguson Perceptive Partners Communications E-mail: Ju***@*******************co.uk or le*****@*******************co.uk Tel: 07734 932 578 or 07762 769 659 ### Top Ten Tips to Get the Most from your Database 1. Keep it clean. Data decays at 25% each year and with 13% of the population moving every year, 1,600 dying each day and 18,000 moving every day, it’s easy to see why data goes out of date so quickly. Regularly clean your database against deceased, goneaways and mail and telephone preference registrants to reduce returned mail. 2. Know the law. It is a legal requirement that companies do not make unsolicited sales or marketing calls to customers registered on the Telephone Preference Service or Mail Preference Service unless they have permission to do so. Marketeers who keep on soliciting customers against their will by phone, fax, e-mail or any other remote media can face up to £5,000 or two years in prison under the Consumer Protection for Unfair Trading (CPUT) Regulations 2008. 3. Make big savings. £18m is wasted every year by mailing to the deceased alone. Cleaning your database saves money on avoiding any unnecessary mailings, helps the environment by reducing waste and eliminating complaints from people receiving unwanted mailings. 4. Give your data a workout. Campaigns with integrated marketing activity, such as a direct mailing, directing customers to a website that triggers an e-mail alert works over 60% harder than a stand alone mailing. 5. Know your customer. Knowing something about your customer is as important as knowing everything about your product or service. Get as much information as you can when it comes to demographics, gender and age as well as behavioural trends to build up a good picture of your customer. 6. Build the best database. Everyone’s database requirements are different but ensure it is built with search and sort functions, so that you can pull together specific lists and match customers to campaigns so that you are targeting the right people each time. Always review your results and act on findings. 7. Test, test, test. Try split testing your mailings by simply splitting your mailing list in half and sending one mailing pack to one half and a different pack to the other. Carefully monitor the results and aim to develop a pack that beats the winner. 8. It’s a matter of choice. By including customer contact preferences in your database, you can contact customers in the way they choose. This in turn will increase their response rates. 9. Bring it together. Merge multiple lists and purge them to make one large list to give your maximum postal savings. 10. Give it a service. Don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining your files. Plan one update every day for every 1,000 names. Clean your mailing at least twice a year and plan a mailing at least four times a year to get the most from your database. * **[£7.7 million for Scottish third sector to support unemployed into work](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/12/15/77m-scottish-third-sector-support-unemployed-work/)**( 15 December 2010) * **[Scottish First Minister's Christmas card to benefit four charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/12/20/scottish-first-minister039s-christmas-card-benefit-four-charities/)**( 20 December 2010) * **[Rural projects to benefit from Scotland-wide events](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/01/21/rural-projects-benefit-scotlandwide-events/)**( 21 January 2011)