We have a fairly large number of donors that we don’t have a personal relationship with, especially those that are lapsed or one-off donors. Now that we’re soliciting that portfolio more (especially as we get to year-end), I’m looking for a way to quickly check for obits, especially with couples where only one of them may be deceased. I’d hate to send something to a couple, only to find out that one of them passed 3 years ago.
How does your organization stay on top of obit-checking at a large scale? Is there an external tool you use, or database where you can upload names in bulk? Do you conduct a monthly rotating review, and how do you pull those lists?
Right now, we’re individually Googling names and their city of residence, but that isn’t practical for months where we’re soliciting 500 lapsed donors. Thanks in advance!
