How to display different mailing address?

Some members in our ward receive mail at an adult child's address or have a PO Box. How can this be displayed on the lds.org directory? (I can't find a way.)

(It works fine when you enter it in MLS and use MLS to print labels, but too many people want to download the spreadsheet from lds.org and enter it into their own print filter, and then the intended mailing addresses are lost in favor of the physical address.)

Thanks...

geek wrote:Some members in our ward receive mail at an adult child's address or have a PO Box. How can this be displayed on the lds.org directory?

The Directory only displays the residential address. The mailing address would have to be included in a future upgrade. We do not know if this is planned for a future upgrade.

Individual record information, to include mailing address, is accessible for certain leaders in Leader and Clerk Resources. However there is no list print or list export capability. And since only certain leaders have access, it is of no use for the membership at large.

Thanks for the response; much appreciated.

Are you saying that providing access to actual mailing addresses is "of no use to the membership at large"? That's a fairly surprising statement, and one that I don't feel is based on a realistic view of "contact information". Oh well. I do hope it is planned for a future upgrade. I can't imagine any practical reason why it wouldn't be... It's like having a cell phone and a home phone.

Since mailing addresses are as part of a family's contact information as physical addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses, not making them available to the ward at large is counterproductive, especially since we're trying to push them to use the resources on lds.org. I'm thinking about things like christmas cards, birthday cards, invitations to birthday parties, thank you notes, etc. These are all acceptable uses of mailing addresses for ward members. As such, they can only be accessed through MLS and that's simply unproductive and wrong.

(I've been asked this question by people in 2 bishoprics 3 times in the last month. Maybe we'll recommend that members put their mailing addresses in their physical address fields in MLS, if they differ, so that they get pushed to lds.org).

Anyway ... Happy New Year!

geek wrote:Are you saying that providing access to actual mailing addresses is "of no use to the membership at large"?

He's saying that the current tools are not accessible and therefore not useable by the membership at large.

geek wrote:Maybe we'll recommend that members put their mailing addresses in their physical address fields in MLS, if they differ, so that they get pushed to lds.org.

Pity the poor HT/VT who shows up at the mailing address.

Given that most of the uses you cited aren't really "church" but social, I think it's more important to keep the addresses as they are intended to be. Also, I would imagine that mail sent to the physical address is still likely to find it's way to the member, even if they don't normally receive it that way.

geek wrote:Since mailing addresses are as part of a family's contact information as physical addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses, not making them available to the ward at large is counterproductive...

We can understand the desire to have everything the way we want it all at once. But as with anything good it takes a while to develop. Church development resources are limited and the online technologies are directed by church departments - the sponsors and the real customer. The church departments drive the prioritization for development. When adding mailing addresses to the online directory moves up high enough on the priority list we will get that capability. Until then we have to exercise patience.

Mailing addresses are still available through MLS printouts. While this is not as high-tech as we may want, it gives members that information now until it becomes available online.

We live in a rural area where most members do not use their physical address for mail. If the Stk Presidency or Bishopric wish to send out a mailer we then receive complaints from the post office of unrecoverable mail and members that complain because they have not received their Christmas invitation (for example). We do our best to hand things out at Church or in person in these cases but it is not as easy as it would appear to reach everyone.

In other cases, we have some members who are less active that will accept a letter but not home or visiting teachers. We send them letters each month to keep them in the fold.

Our Bishop receives a lot of mail, tithing and offering, etc. through the mail. His home is not on a regular mail route and he has to use a P.O. Box. He is now having difficulty with the post office as they cannot deliver to him and he is called each time to go in to pick up his mail. Not a good image for him in the community.

If, as suggested, I add the po box into his address field on address line 2 then the mapping function of LDS.ORG is affected and people can no longer use that function. The solution to this issue should not be too difficult as the fields already exist for alternate address or po box. They only need to be referenced to show on the directory so that members are aware and leaders can use them accordingly. I would humbly request that the status of this task be re-evaluated and addressed.

Best regards,

BEWilson wrote:I would humbly request that the status of this task be re-evaluated and addressed.

Unfortunately the forum is not the place to request this. The forum is mostly community user to user support. The official method to provide this type of feedback is through the LDS.org feedback link.

Thanks, will do