DMAW is spearheading an initiative to update the standards of conduct for Nonprofit List Rentals and Exchanges. In this blog post, we explore the need for an overhaul of the existing guidelines to protect consumer privacy and uphold the rights of list owners.

In January 2016, the DMAW leveraged the work of eighteen direct response experts spanning list brokers, list managers, agencies, data coop providers and consultants to publish a detailed 10-page document outlining standards of conduct for Nonprofit List Rentals and Exchanges. The document has served as the guiding principle in our nonprofit sector but desperately needs updating to account for significant changes that have occurred over the past 7-1/2 years.

DMAW has formed a working group co-chaired by Roger Hiyama of Wiland and Marianne Hammer of Names in the News. We’re recruiting members to help with this effort and hope to have a completed document in the next two months.

The original document is still very relevant but needs updating to protect the privacy of consumers and the rights of list owners. The working group will review the following key topics:

• What constitutes “one-time use” as stipulated in list agreements, and do the same rules regarding merge/purge multi’s still apply?
• When are you allowed to co-target the direct mail audience with email, social ads, or programmatic display ads, and do you need to receive permission from each list owner and/or pay additional fees?
• What data can be captured during the merge/purge process?
• What data footprints can be collected and used for a single client?
• Can a data provider or agency collect data intelligence across multiple clients?
• What tagging is allowable on internal databases, prospect databases, and chronic non-responder files?
• Under what circumstances can promotional files be used for model building?
• What are the gray areas of data usage and analytics that need to be defined to differentiate “acceptable use” versus “outright theft”?
• What updates are needed within the “fine print” of the list agreements that we currently utilize?
• What data security and data processing agreements are needed due to GDPR and the myriad of data privacy legislation enacted by states like California, Colorado, Utah and Virginia?

The list industry, and broader nonprofit community, has done a remarkable job of self-regulation. DMAW’s goal is to codify the commonly accepted standards of business for clarity, consensus, and transparency and to guide our future generations of nonprofit professionals.

If you want to join the DMAW working committee to update our List Standards, please contact Roger Hiyama at rhiyama@wiland.com. Nonprofit organizations are needed as well!!

Roger Hiyama, Executive Vice President, Solutions & Innovation, Wiland
Roger Hiyama leads the solutions and innovation group at Wiland, where he develops new product initiatives and data solutions to meet the evolving needs of the nonprofit sector. His focus is on data trend analysis, mid-level and major donor fundraising, and new donor acquisition solutions using digital marketing.