The ‘HowTo’ Video below demonstrates how to code a constituent as ‘LOST’ in Blackbaud, Inc.’s The Raiser’s Edge™ Database when you have received returned mail marked ‘UNABLE TO FORWARD’ and you have no additional contact information or way of updating the record.
Enjoy! …
This video goes against everything I tell my database administrators to do. By moving the address to former and creating an empty one, you have created more work for them. If they use any global service that is going to search for this “Lost” constituent, they need that former address as the preferred. They should be able to add an attribute and click the box “No valid address” and use them as filter options when they query and/or export out of Raiser’s Edge.
Melissa, you are absolutely correct. If you have full control over everyone who is using your database you should NOT copy to alternate and leave as LOST. This video is the nuclear option for large shops who have people continually pulling address information out of queries, exports, mailings, without regard to attributes or other codings and repeatedly sending out bad mail – over and over and over.