Aiming to launch a donation campaign for your Virginia Gardens charity … but unclear where to start? Maybe the person who ran the earlier outreach retired or exited? Or, you’re just low on employees and long on work?
You need a turnkey mailing service that grasps how direct mail for non-profits functions. Put differently, you need Bresser’s Information Services, a mail service provider (MSP) that does the hard work fund-raising can be uncertain, and ripe for errors. How do non-profit postage rates function? Which types of operations are eligible? Can any materials be mailed, or only certain types?
First, a definition. Non-profit mail is printed material eligible to be mailed as USPS Marketing Mail®, by organizations authorized by the Postal Service™, at significantly reduced non-profit postage rates.
You can realize sizable savings on postage … as long as you obey the rules. Bresser’s Information Services understands them completely, and is prepared to help.
Remember, nothing that has to be sent via First Class Mail® qualifies 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. Put differently, don’t try to utilize the non-profit status of another Virginia Gardens organization. It won’t fly. Authorized organizations are barred from sharing their mailing privilege. Get your own.
How? Complete PS Form 3624, Application to Mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® Prices. Be ready to show documentation that your organization is a legal non-profit. Fill out the form entirely. Doing so can make the difference in a decision returning in days, versus weeks.
Is your Virginia Gardens organization eligible? Probably, as long as your due diligence is complete. The classifications of organizations eligible for Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® prices 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,” however. We don’t stop at preparing your mail for the largest 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 donate to certain causes. Clean up your list, removing 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 fund-raising pieces. We know the rules, the rates, and how to get your fund-raising outreach in the right hands.
Contact us to initiate your next Virginia Gardens 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.