8.  Stand Up and Be Counted! Communicate your Commitment To:

    * Constituents
    * Media
    * Lawmakers

All of your efforts to be a responsible member of the direct marketing community are lost if your information practices are not communicated to your donors or members, the media, and lawmakers. Only by articulating your commitment loud and clear can you be sure that your efforts are being recognized by other direct marketing professionals.

The DMA's Government Affairs department and Public Relations department are active in keeping lawmakers, consumers, and the media up to date on the positive steps being taken on the privacy front. A Grass-roots Lobbying Guide has been published to give direct marketers information on communicating with local, state, and federal lawmakers.

9.  Demand Similar Standards of Your Peers

While your organization may be an enlightened champion of fair information practices, others may not be quite so quick to take up the banner of effective self-regulation. It is important that we as an industry come together in support of self-regulation. Even a few detractors can increase the burden on responsible marketers. Others within the industry must be encouraged to implement fair information practices.

One important way to do this is to insist that the companies you do business with, both suppliers and list users, have fair information policies in place and share your commitment to fair information practices.

10. Train -- Train -- Train!

All of your efforts to implement fair information practices hinge on your ability to train employees on the importance of a pro-active approach in managing consumer data. Consumer relations staff should be equipped to provide donors with accurate information and to be aware of consumers's sensitivity to the privacy issue. All employees should receive a copy of your Corporate Fair Information Policy Statement and understand its implications. Making each person in your organization--from tele-canvassers to the president--aware of what is being done to respect customer privacy concerns will help assure continued access to consumer information.

As stated earlier, these 10 steps are just an overview of fair information practices. Adhering to fair information practices requires commitment and constant review. As your organization and the environment in which it operates evolves, consumer expectations will also change, and your information practices will need to change with them. In adopting fair information practices, your company will be taking a giant step in serving its customers and securing the future of the industry.

DMA's Fair Information Practices Manual is your one-stop resource for comprehensive information on fair information practices. All of the top ten steps and many other issues are thoroughly treated in the Manual. It will help you in preparing for the privacy sensitive future of direct marketing.

To order the Manual, contact the Direct Marketing Association's Washington office at 202 955-5030. The first copy of the Manual is free to DMA members. There is a $25 charge for additional member copies and a $50 charge for non-members.

This resource is (c) 1996 by, and compliments of The Direct Marketing Association, Inc. 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-6700 Contact the DMA at (212) 768-7277, by fax (212) 768-4546