How do I get an National Change of Address (NCOA) update?

Data hygiene is essential to a well-functioning database. It's also essential to make sure you're not wasting money! Mailings sent to old or incomplete addresses unnecessarily divert funds.

Through an integration, your database can compared with publicly-available information and updated to be accurate. In particular, an NCOA update provides new addresses, supplied to USPS, for any existing accounts in your database who have relocated.

Updated address are imported into NeonCRM in USPS format. This format abbreviates street type designations and cardinal directions and includes a 9-digit zip code. Apartments and other additional address data is included in Address Line 1. An example of how an updated address would look in Neon is below:

Two partners can provide this service: TrueGivers & Melissa Data.

TrueGivers

Our TrueGivers integration automates data stewardship for non-profits. Establish the synchronization for free to see what updates are available. Purchase credits for TrueGivers to have the updated information synced to your database automatically overnight.

This integration updates your accounts with NCOA information, but also includes CASS, DPV, RDI, deceased information, and Individual & Household data enhancements. 

Ready to try it out?

TrueGivers Frequently Asked Questions

• Learn more about TrueGivers & the integration here. 
• See pricing information here.
• How long does it take for an address update to be completed?
  • The TrueGivers & NeonCRM integration processes NCOA updates for most NeonCRM databases in less than an hour, and guarantees that service will complete within 24 hours of completing the integration. The updated data is synchronized with your NeonCRM database in an overnight process. If you are in a hurry to use the updated data, you can use the Synchronize button on your dashboard to start the synchronization process.
• Can this service be used for Canadian and/or international addresses?
  • Unfortunately, no. This service only works for United States addresses. Canadian and international addresses will be ignored in the scan.
• What data will be used to determine if an address needs to be updated?
  • The TrueGivers & NeonCRM integration pulls First Name, Last Name, Address, City, State, and five-digit Zip fields. The data in those fields will be used to determine if there are more up-to-date addresses, deceased data, and enhancement data for your account records.
• If a more up-to-date address is found for an account record, what will happen to the old address in NeonCRM?
  • The TrueGivers & NeonCRM integration adds the more up-to-date address to the account record as the primary address. The old address is archived. The TrueGivers & NeonCRM integration never deletes any data.
• How will I know which addresses were updated by the address update?
  • Within your TrueGivers account, you can see an Input Data Report and a Mailing Address Report. 
• Does the service update secondary addresses in my NeonCRM system?
  • The TrueGivers & NeonCRM integration updates the primary address of all individual accounts and the address of the primary contact on all organization accounts. Secondary addresses and secondary contact addresses are not updated.
• What does deceased information tell me?
  • A "deceased match" occurs when the TrueGivers & NeonCRM integration identifies one of your records on one of multiple sources including: consumer opt-in, Social Security Administration, and other public web sources. When the data is synchronized to your database, it's pushed into Custom Fields. Additionally, we provide three deceased fields: Deceased Type, Deceased Date, and Deceased Link. These provide information for you to confirm the deceased data. Individual matches indicate that there was a Full name + Address match. Household matches indicate that there was a Last Name + Address match
  • Not all deceased records may be matched depending on the input data and the data available in the source. This may include records with too many matches, non-unique names, missing address or name details or other variations that make the confidence too low to pinpoint a match. If you have a record that is invalid for either no match or is simply the incorrect person, please send the full details to neoncrm@truegivers.com.

Melissa Data

Melissa Data provides updated mailing address data for accounts in your database. This service includes the export of name and address data from your NeonCRM system to be cleaned and checked against the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) database, and the import of updated address data back into your system. The scan uses Melissa Data's NCOA service, which includes approximately 160 million records, including all permanent change-of-address records filed with USPS in the last 48 months.

• $350 for databases with fewer than 25,000 accounts
• Cost estimate available upon request for databases with greater than 25,000 accounts

To request this service, please fill out our NCOA Update Request Form.

Melissa Data Frequently Asked Questions

• How long does it take for an address update to be completed?
  • NCOA updates can take up to five business days. This timeline begins upon payment.
• When should I request address update services?
  • Address update services are very helpful to complete before a large mailing, such as a year-end appeal or event invitation. Having updated addresses will save postage and ensure that you are reaching as many constituents as possible.
  • In order to ensure that addresses are updated but do not become out-of-date, we recommend requesting address update services two weeks prior to a major mailing. For example, if you plan to send your year-end appeal letter in mid-November, request services in late October.
• Can this service be used for Canadian and/or international addresses?
  • Unfortunately, no. This service only works for United States addresses. Canadian and international addresses will be ignored in the scan.
• What data will be used to determine if an address needs to be updated?
  • NeonCRM will provide the First Name, Last Name, Organization Name, Address, City, State, and five-digit Zip fields to Melissa Data for review. These fields will be used to determine if there are more up-to-date addresses for your account records.
• If a more up-to-date address is found for an account record, what will happen to the old address in NeonCRM?
  • We will overwrite the old address with the new, updated address from Melissa Data. The old addresses will not be retained in NeonCRM.
• How will I know which addresses were updated by the address update?
  • A report of all addresses changed through the address update service will be provided upon request once the service is complete. This report includes a list of all addresses, their update status, and the Melissa Data Result Code. A record of address changes will not be stored in the NeonCRM database itself.
• Does the service update secondary addresses in my NeonCRM system?
  • Neon's NCOA Update service updates the primary address of all individual accounts and the address of the primary contact on all organization accounts. Secondary addresses and secondary contact addresses are not updated.