Looking to start up a donation campaign for your Milwaukee non-profit … but unsure where to start? Perhaps the person who oversaw the previous outreach retired or left? Or, you’re just short on workers and long on work?
You want a turnkey mailing service that grasps how direct mail for charities operates. Simply put, you need Bresser’s Information Services, a mail service provider (MSP) that does the hard work fund-raising can be mysterious, and ripe for errors. How do non-profit postage rates function? Which types of organizations are eligible? Can any materials be mailed, or only specific types?
First, a definition. Non-profit mail is printed material eligible to be sent as USPS Marketing Mail®, by organizations authorized by the Postal Service™, at considerably reduced non-profit postage rates.
You can reap tremendous savings on postage … as long as you stick to the rules. Bresser’s Information Services understands them intimately, and is ready to help.
Remember, nothing that requires sending via First Class Mail® is eligible for non-profit rates. The rules are clearly laid out. Unbendable. Don’t even try.
So, what can you mail at non-profit rates? Self-mailers, letters, newsletters and booklets weighing less than 16 ounces can be eligible for USPS Marketing Mail®.
Only materials of authorized organizations, registered as non-profits with USPS, can be mailed at non-profit rates. Stated otherwise, don’t try to piggyback on the non-profit status of another Milwaukee organization. It won’t work. Authorized organizations are prohibited from sharing their mailing privilege. Obtain your own.
How? Complete PS Form 3624, Application to Mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® Prices. Be prepared to show documentation that your organization is a legal non-profit. Fill out the form completely. Doing so can be the difference in a decision returning in days, versus weeks.
Is your Milwaukee organization eligible? Most likely, as long as your due diligence is complete. The classifications of organizations approved for Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® rates are lengthy: philanthropic, religious, educational, veterans, scientific, labor, fraternal, political … the list goes on.
Got your non-profit authorization? Great. Let’s get down to business. Bresser’s Information Services will mail on your organization’s behalf, using our mailing permit.
There’s a reason our name includes “services,” though. We don’t stop at preparing your mail for the greatest postage savings, and dropping it at the post office.
We provide advice on designing your mail piece. Print your materials in full color. Populate and expand your mailing list, using recipients known to support certain causes. Polish up your list, deleting vacant and duplicate addresses. Find new addresses for recipients who have moved.
Since its founding in 1946, Bresser’s Information Services has printed, addressed and mailed millions of donation campaign pieces. We understand the regulations, the rates, and how to get your fund-raising outreach in the right hands.
Contact us to launch your next Milwaukee fund-raising effort. We’re a mail house, for sure – one focused on keeping your non-profit house strong, vibrant, and doing good work in the community.