Rotary International Selects DataFlux to Help Manage Millions of Membership Records Worldwide

Release date: 9/10/2008

Humanitarian service organization uses DataFlux to identify incorrect and duplicate membership data

CARY, N.C. (September 10, 2008)— DataFlux, a leading provider of data quality and data integration solutions, today announced that Rotary International, one of the world’s leading humanitarian service organizations, has selected DataFlux dfPower Studio to identify duplicate and incomplete records corresponding to Rotary’s more than 1.2 million members worldwide.

Rotary International is currently in the process of migrating its membership data to a central membership repository. The process has proven extremely complicated, requiring Rotary to merge numerous databases and to reconcile multiple records – all with bits of correct data – into one master member record. Rotary’s core membership database has grown organically over the past 10-12 years. Since the organization receives member data from 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas, maintaining quality is a constant challenge.

Rotary selected DataFlux dfPower Studio to standardize its international membership data. Verifying and validating international address data is a top priority for the non-profit, followed by data de-duplication. According to Peter Markos, chief information officer for Rotary International, the organization evaluated several data quality solutions vendors, ultimately selecting DataFlux for its superior customer service, polished and user-friendly product and advanced analytics capabilities.

Rotary is already seeing results. Running dfPower Studio for the first time to evaluate 100,000 Canadian membership records in just a single database, Rotary saw that 2.5 percent of these records could be identified as duplicates. Rotary expects that number to grow as additional databases are merged. The organization is fine-tuning its data quality algorithms so that multiple passes using DataFlux software will identify further database inconsistencies.

Prior to implementing DataFlux, data entry workers at Rotary identified duplicate and inaccurate records through manual, time-consuming processes. With millions of records, this method was tiresome and inefficient. The sheer volume of records, compared with the actual membership of Rotary, historically has been inflated by members leaving clubs in one community and then joining clubs in another, thus causing their individual data to be stored multiple times in a database.

Rotary expects phase one of its data migration program to be completed by March 2009. DataFlux will play an integral role in this first phase and in all phases to come, seeking to help Rotary bring the heart of its organization – its membership data – under control.

“At the end of the day, Rotary really is a service organization driven by its data,” Markos said. “We are making an ongoing commitment to ensure that we have the highest quality information. Better information helps Rotary achieve its humanitarian mission in communities around the world.”

“Rotary International is a global icon of service, dedication and the power of human beings,” said Tony Fisher, president and CEO of DataFlux. “We’re pleased to help Rotary maintain accurate, actionable information on its members, the bread and butter of any service organization. This organization has proven that data quality is not just a back-end issue – it’s the crux of enabling better outreach and improving efficiency across the board.”

About Rotary International
Founded in Chicago in 1905, Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary’s global membership is approximately 1.2 million men and women who belong to approximately 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.

For more information on Rotary International and its many service projects, please go to: http://www.rotary.org.