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Global Anti-Spam Movement: Why Should Nonprofits Care? by Heather Fignar, Consultant, NPAdvisors.com While speaking at a recent conference on the topic of tsunami fundraising, I was asked a question regarding Canadian anti-spam laws. I had to confess that I knew nothing about the legislation. After the session, that audience member informed me that these new regulations were much more strict than the US Can-Spam legislation. Many U.S. charities have Canadian donors. International aid organizations, in particular, may be impacted. So, at NPA we did some digging. There is no anti-spam legislation in Canada – not yet! There are several Canadian laws that separately apply to spam, but no comprehensive legislation such as the U.S. CAN SPAM Act of 2003. (For an analysis of this act, see http://www.npadvisors.com/NewContent/100382.asp.) Instead, in 2004, Canada launched the Anti-Spam Action Plan and announced the creation of a joint government - private task force to combat spam. Less than a year from inception, the task force's primary achievement has been a series of best practices for helping reduce spam before it reaches the end-user. The first of its kind, the plan addresses a range of issues, including a review of legislative measures, technological solutions, as well as consumer education and awareness. A review of these best practices can be found at: http://e-com.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inecic-ceac.nsf/en/gv00247e.html. Spam is a global problem and many task forces have been set up to address the issue. Several countries and the EU have a Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE). In fact, there is a larger international coalition: http://www.international.cauce.org/members.html. So, why is this important to nonprofits? One of the biggest outcries lately has been about fraudulent email solicitations for tsunami contributions. NPA has reported on how vital the internet and email was to raising legitimate funds for this disaster. However, fraud presents a great threat to internet fundraising. With the tsunami came an increased awareness of the web's potential. Email can reach new segments of a donor base and raise money more quickly and efficiently. But not if spam turns off the giving public. Not if, increasingly, fundraising email appeals are caught in spam filters. And not if the legislation is written in a way that will hurt legitimate email fundraising. Nonprofits need to be aware of potential donor concerns and take steps to reassure them. Nonprofits need to develop or revise email and privacy policies. You need to understand exactly how your emails look to the recipients so that you can correct any technical problems like reverse DNS. Be ahead of this game. Rather than follow the letter of the law, go above and beyond so that your donors know you take their trust and privacy concerns seriously. For more information on how to get your emails delivered, read NPA's e-Fund article about it: http://www.npadvisors.com/NewContent/100370.asp. If you need help starting a compliant email program or would like to have your current email program audited, give us a call at 540/428-3640 ext 12, or email us at inquiries@npadvisors.com. May 2005 | |
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