Aiming to start up a fund-raising campaign for your Hales Corners non-profit … but unclear where to start? Perhaps the person who supervised the previous outreach retired or departed? Or, you’re just low on help and long on tasks to be done?
You need a turnkey mailing service that knows how direct mail for charities works. Simply put, you need Bresser’s Information Services, a mail service provider (MSP) that does the hard work fund-raising can be ambiguous, and ripe for mistakes. How do non-profit postage rates function? Which types of operations qualify? 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 substantially reduced non-profit postage rates.
You can realize tremendous savings on postage … as long as you stick to the rules. Bresser’s Information Services knows them completely, and is ready to assist.
Remember, nothing that has to be sent 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 classify 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 jump onto the non-profit status of another Hales Corners organization. It won’t work. Authorized organizations are barred from sharing their mailing privilege. Apply for 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 entirely. Doing so can be the difference in a decision returning in days, versus weeks.
Is your Hales Corners organization eligible? Most likely, as long as your due diligence is complete. The categories 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,” though. We don’t stop at readying 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 specific causes. Polish 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 materials. We understand the regulations, the rates, and how to land your fund-raising outreach in the right hands.
Contact us to start your next Hales Corners fund-raising effort. We’re a mail house, for sure – one dedicated to keeping your non-profit house strong, vibrant, and doing good work in the community.