| Recently, I presented to an awesome group of fundraising professionals about direct mail practices. Thankfully, I was joined by one of my favorite clients– Tim Richart from Literacy Pittsburgh. The room was full and the attendees were engaged. And Tim, as their peer, offered valuable expertise. We talked about the value of Direct Mail—dispensing any myths and extolling its value—but we were preaching to the choir. Direct Mail is an effective and important tool in any fundraising strategy. Most nonprofits routinely mail at least one time per year, asking for financial support. Some have a dedicated staff person—think Annual Giving coordinator. It makes financial sense because if eligible to mail at nonprofit rates, the organization receives steep discounts on postage–almost 50%! For example, currently: First class letter costs 66 cents ea Bulk letter is approx. 30 cents ea But NP can be as low as 14 Cents! click here for link to USPS pricing list https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm?_gl=1*m020lu*_gcl_au*MTA0NTgyMzIwOS4xNzAyMzEwOTMw*_ga*MjAzNzY4ODc3Mi4xNjg1NzE5ODQy*_ga_3NXP3C8S9V*MTcwNDgyMzU3Ni41NC4xLjE3MDQ4MjM2MTcuMC4wLjA. |
There is an application process to be eligible to mail at nonprofit!—Apply w United States Postal Service!
Not all organizations are eligible to mail at NP rates.
Once nonprofit mail status is achieved, there are several things to keep in mind of when designing your mail or the post office can reject it:
–Return address must appear on all nonprofit mail (If you move, notify the post office)
–Address must match what is on file at the post office
–A min of 4 inches is needed for address
For more information or to request a copy of Direct Mail ABCs—Easy as 1-2-3
contact me, Darci@dirmailserv.com
