Happy New Year, we hope you enjoyed the festive break.
In this celebratory edition of Postcode News, we recognise our 40-year anniversary! Read how AFD has grown from a home-based business to the market leading independent provider of address and contact data accuracy solutions.
AFD’s Annual Charity Night at the end of November was another reason to celebrate.
You can read how some of the 80 charities nominated by staff and directors will use over £3.5 million in donations from the Postcode People at AFD to help those in need. One of the many gifts was the donation of a plane to fly humanitarian aid to remote communities in Papua New Guinea.
Also at the event, we celebrated winning the Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence: Business of the Year 2023!
We hear from Action for Children about their Secret Santa campaign that provides Christmas gifts, clothing, and warm meals to children and young people during the festive period. Read how their requirement to cleanse their supporter address database was met by AFD, helping maximise the deliverability of their vital direct mail communications.
The AFD story began in 1983 as a home-based business in a Scottish village. Initially focused on providing office and computer equipment and managing charity databases, in 1988 AFD developed and released MailSaver, revolutionising mailing data sortation to maximise Royal Mail postage discounts.
A pivotal moment occurred in the mid-1990s when AFD Postcode was launched, offering street-level address entry and validation. This innovative and affordable solution cut address entry time by 80%, delivering accuracy to organisations of all sizes – and seamlessly integrating into everyday applications. Today, AFD’s range of solutions has grown to encompass name,
address, email, phone, and bank data validation.
AFD Software’s success is built on its continued commitment to deliver the highest-quality contact data validation
solutions. Catering to thousands of organisations in the UK, from household names such as AO, AXA and Compare the Market to sole traders, the company has maintained its unique culture, ethics, and
identity. The entire team of Postcode People at AFD is motivated by strong working relationships, good working
conditions and “making happy customers”. The result? Enduring relationships with customers through exceptional solutions, service, and support.
As AFD Software marks 40 years in business, we thank you for the ongoing partnerships that have made it a cornerstone in the data validation industry. Here’s to another 40 years of collaborative success with the Postcode People at AFD, dedicated to meeting all your contact data validation and cleansing needs!
To celebrate the milestone we commissioned a special poem with a difference: read all about it in our next edition of PN!
Continuing the theme of celebration, not only did the Postcode People celebrate 40 years in business and the charity event, we also celebrated being named “Business of the Year 2023” at the Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence earlier in November.
We couldn’t have achieved this without the hard work and dedication of all our Team, Customers and Suppliers – so thank you all for the part you have played in this.
AFD was specifically recognised for the award as the leading postcode software house, investing in the local community, providing high quality employment to the 50-strong team of experienced staff, and delivering on the company motto of “making happy customers” by continuing to support the thousands of organisations that rely on AFD for their address and contact data quality requirements.
Speaking at the Awards for Excellence ceremony, AFD’s Managing Director, David Dorricott said: “This is a win for the fifty wonderful Postcode People at Mountain View (AFD’s Head Office) and in the UK. It’s a win for the loyal customers who have used our services for decades. It’s a win for our suppliers who are reliable and help, and it’s a win for the wider community – not only on the Isle of Man but across the world as proceeds from our business help make such a difference”.
More information about AFD being named as Business of The Year can be found at www.afd.co.uk/winner.
AFD’s Annual Charity Event unfolded as a celebration of the work of over 80 charities nominated by the staff and directors, supporting a wide spectrum of causes. From combating modern slavery to aiding people with disabilities, AFD was able to contribute around £3.5 million in donations this year, which will make a positive impact to lives at local, national, and international levels. The event spotlighted three charities that gave presentations.
One By One CEO Becky Murray shared the moving – if shocking – story of how the charity came into being, and showed how their international work supports children across the Pakistan brick kilns, tackles sexual abuse and trafficking of Ugandan girls, and is establishing prosecution pathways for child trafficking in Rwanda.
Mental health issues are featured in several gifts nationally and locally including to Isle Stand Up to Suicide. Founder Paula Dunlop explained how this Manx charity aims to reduce death by suicide through its free phone line and short-term phone counselling sessions. AFD is funding training to help people spot signs of a person in a suicidal crisis – and how to help effectively.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) flies more than 120 light aircraft in more than 25 countries, including many across Africa and the Asia Pacific. They provide flights to remote and isolated communities often considered too dangerous or time-consuming to reach, enabling lives to be transformed.
During their presentation, MAF celebrated the 15 years of service that the AFD-donated Kodiak Bush Aircraft has completed in Borneo, sharing real stories of how lives had been saved and vital supplies delivered to some of the most remote communities in the world. During its continuing service, the plane has flown over 588,000 miles, transported over 25,000 humanitarian and church workers, delivered more than 900 UK tonnes of vital cargo, and completed hundreds of medical evacuations.
At the close of the Charity Event, The Postcode People announced plans to celebrate their 40 years of successful business by purchasing another brand-new humanitarian aircraft for MAF!
The announcement, to the gathering of Staff Team Members, Charity Leaders and community representatives – including the
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man and his wife, Sir John and Lady Lorimer, and the President of Tynwald – was at the Mountain View Innovation Centre, AFD Software’s iconic headquarters near Ramsey.
The state-of-the-art 9-seater Cessna 208 Caravan worth over £2.5m ($3.2m) will be a gift for MAF, the world’s largest humanitarian air service, to use to serve the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Known as a ‘workhorse of the skies’, the Cessna 208 Caravan has been described by Plane and Pilot magazine as “one of the most trusted and talented, purpose-built utility airplanes ever produced.”
AFD Managing Director, David Dorricott said: “It has been a privilege to partner with MAF for decades – we know that this investment will save lives, and transform the quality of life for thousands in remote communities – what better way to celebrate such a waymark in our business?”
MAF’s CEO Donovan Palmer, who attended the 40th anniversary charity event, was deeply grateful for the generous gift. He
presented AFD Software with a symbolic blueprint sketch of a Cessna 208 aircraft, saying: “It is overwhelming and humbling to be chosen by AFD Software as their main partner charity this year to celebrate their 40th anniversary. We admire them as innovators, collaborators and are so grateful to be considered friends. It is tragic that in 2023, millions of people still live cut off from the basics they need to survive. This gift of a new Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft will be a lifeline for thousands of people in PNG – where isolation kills every single day. What’s more, it will help propel MAF’s fleet into the next chapter of our mission enabling us to reach more isolated communities with lifesaving help long into the future. From everyone at MAF, we are deeply grateful for this life-changing gift.”
All the inspiring organisations that AFD has partnered with and the incredible work they do can be seen at www.afd.co.uk/charity.
For a century and a half, Action for Children has been steadfast in its mission to protect and support vulnerable children and young people in the UK. Their charitable services provide practical and emotional care, amplify the voices of those in need, and advocate for lasting improvements in their lives.
Each festive season, the charity’s Secret Santa campaign aims to raise funds for some of the 4.2 million children living in poverty. The goal is to bring the magic of Christmas, ensuring they have warm clothes, a hot meal, and a special present. Last year alone, Action for Children assisted 766,000 children and their families across the UK.
Andrew Wilks, Supporter Operations Lead at the charity, emphasises the crucial role accurate data plays in communicating with supporters and raising funds for vulnerable children. With over 500,000 contacts in their database, Andrew turned to AFD’s address data experts to understand the current levels of data accuracy within the contact database.
“Initially, we requested a data audit to show how many of our supporter addresses matched to the Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF) and understand how many of our contacts had deceased or moved house (known as ‘Goneaways’).
The results instantly showed us the necessity of regularly cleansing address data, flagging records of deceased or gone-away individuals (to suppress from mailings), and obtaining available forwarding addresses.” Andrew adds; “For a charity focused on communication and fundraising through direct mailings, accuracy is paramount. Mailing supporters who are no longer at the address held, especially those who passed away can clearly be upsetting for family members who might be receiving that communication.
For contacts that have moved, it’s a waste of resource. Direct mailings are a vital connection that tells the stories of children we have helped and advertises current fundraising initiatives that need support. It’s essential that those communications go to the correct contacts at an accurate address. As a result of the data audit, all our supporter data now goes through the AFD process regularly”.
Action for Children recognises the challenges of managing a high volume of enquiries and donations. Andrew continues; “The AFD data cleansing process proved invaluable in reducing manual work, saving hundreds of hours, and improving data quality. The charity now operates with increased compliance, efficiency, and sensitivity, and with greater confidence in the quality of our supporter data.”
When asked what his recommendation would be to other organisations wanting to cleanse their contact database, Andrew
concludes; “If you want a positive impact on operations through an overall improvement in contact data quality – we recommend reaching out to The Postcode
People at AFD Software. All the team are very knowledgeable and extremely helpful in terms of delivering a quality service, both in terms of the accuracy of the data, but also the professionalism with which individual tasks are handled and dealt.” Another reason for celebration!
Do you have complete confidence in the accuracy of your contact database? Contact one of AFD’s Data Quality Consultants to discuss your specific requirements today on 01624 811711 or email postcode@afd.co.uk.
Kath loves farming. Was it something about counting sheep that attracted her to apply for a Finance Assistant role at AFD? That was 16 years ago and just 2 years later in 2009, Kath took on the role of Head of Finance. Under Kath’s leadership, the finance team grew in expertise, and systems became more and more efficient. “Having grown the team to handle so much, I was ready for an additional challenge and AFD supported me to gain a Human Resource qualification. This led to a combined role of Head of Finance and HR, overseeing all aspects from payroll, holidays, absence, recruitment, and other people-related matters and liaising with the Directors as necessary.”
Kath loves the feel at AFD: “It’s like being part of a large family, we each have a significant part to play. The senior management and Directors are aware, supportive, and alongside for both work and personal issues. I have found this invaluable over the years and I know that’s true for others.”
A personal work highlight for Kath is celebrating the AFD charity night each year; “It’s so good to see the funds we generate used creatively to relieve suffering, improve society, and further the Christian gospel. The personal aspect for me is that at the charity event I get to meet representatives from charities that have helped members of my close family – and I’ve been able to thank them face to face.”
Kath has two sons, both in their mid-twenties; “The eldest gets married this year and loves his job as a Precision Farming Engineer. My youngest is a sheep farmer so my weekends are mainly spent out in the fresh air helping him on the farm. I enjoy it – and absolutely love lambing time. I have a crazy one-year-old dog called Charlie, who is a Poodle and Coton de Tulear mix known as a Poo-Ton. Full of character, loyal, and with the softest fur coat ever!”
Having been brought up enjoying the green hills, open space, clean air, and beaches of the Isle of Man, Kath has not yet ventured beyond the British Isles. “There’s just the need for a passport to visit my sister in Australia – if I can pluck up the courage”.
Between October and December 2023 there were significant updates to data on PAF. These included 13 new localities; 6,898 new postcodes; 99,882 new delivery points and 16,250 delivery point changes.
The most up-to-date PAF data is available now in our latest Q.1/24 update. You can order updates for any AFD Software solution by calling 01624 811711 or email postcode@afd.co.uk.