FundSvcs Community

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!

With all due respect to the smart people who I respect who have responded thus far, I have a different take on it.  :)  I recommend storing addresses in your database in the "pretty" format, the format you would want the address to look its best should it be merged into a $10,000 thank-you letter -- words spelled out within reason (Lane for sure, maybe not Blvd.), punctuation, mixed case, etc. (Your example doesn't fully capitalize the address, but if you don't, you're not technically within full CASS compliance anyway.)  Why?  Because generally when mailings are done in-house, you want them to look nice like this, not look like bulk mail.  In-house mailings tend to be small enough and important enough that we pay first class postage on them and the post office is obligated to deliver them, if perhaps not quite as fast, even in the pretty format.  On the other hand, when you are doing a bulk mailing, such as a magazine or newsletter, your mail house can easily convert the pretty format to the post office's preferred CASS format. In fact, they have to run it through software to prepare the bulk mailing anyway that will CASS-format them as a matter of course.  So you can have your cake and eat it, too, this way.  We're not catalog companies, IMHO, so our addresses should look personal and professional on our most important, internally generated mailings, not cryptic and bulk to meet post office standards when they're not necessary. 

Also, to clarify, Gwen, there's a difference between NCOA and CASS.  I think the acronym you meant to use in your question was CASS.

How would you and your fundraisers and leadership prefer thank-you letters to look?

2795 E BIDWELL ST STE 100

FOLSOM CA 95630-6480  [this was generated from USPS.com according to their full standards]

Or

2795 E. Bidwell Street, Suite 100

Folsom, CA 95630

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!

With all due respect to the smart people who I respect who have responded thus far, I have a different take on it.  :)  I recommend storing addresses in your database in the "pretty" format, the format you would want the address to look its best should it be merged into a $10,000 thank-you letter -- words spelled out within reason (Lane for sure, maybe not Blvd.), punctuation, mixed case, etc. (Your example doesn't fully capitalize the address, but if you don't, you're not technically within full CASS compliance anyway.)  Why?  Because generally when mailings are done in-house, you want them to look nice like this, not look like bulk mail.  In-house mailings tend to be small enough and important enough that we pay first class postage on them and the post office is obligated to deliver them, if perhaps not quite as fast, even in the pretty format.  On the other hand, when you are doing a bulk mailing, such as a magazine or newsletter, your mail house can easily convert the pretty format to the post office's preferred CASS format. In fact, they have to run it through software to prepare the bulk mailing anyway that will CASS-format them as a matter of course.  So you can have your cake and eat it, too, this way.  We're not catalog companies, IMHO, so our addresses should look personal and professional on our most important, internally generated mailings, not cryptic and bulk to meet post office standards when they're not necessary. 

Also, to clarify, Gwen, there's a difference between NCOA and CASS.  I think the acronym you meant to use in your question was CASS.

How would you and your fundraisers and leadership prefer thank-you letters to look?

2795 E BIDWELL ST STE 100

FOLSOM CA 95630-6480  [this was generated from USPS.com according to their full standards]

Or

2795 E. Bidwell Street, Suite 100

Folsom, CA 95630

We are considering changing our addresses in the system to follow the NCOA Address Standards, such as using '1234 Tennessee Ln' instead of the more formal '1234 Tennessee Lane.' Could you all provide input on what the majority prefers?

Thank you!