USPS Bulk Mail Rates for Non-Profit Organizations: Everything to Know

Non-profit mail accounts for 10% of all mail volume in the United States, according to the Alliance of Non-profit Mailers. The United States Postal Service (USPS) encourages reasonable postage rates for qualified organizations by offering non-profit print and marketing mail rates. If your organization or customers qualify for non-profit status, you can save significantly on postage costs for direct mail campaigns.

However, with postage costs rising, sending non-profit postcards or letters is becoming increasingly expensive. Therefore, to make the most of your donations, you should try to reduce your overheads.

As a partner of the USPS, Postalytics’ automated direct mail platform gives you access to USPS non-profit mailing rates. We can also help you save money and maximize the impact of your marketing budget by reducing printing costs, improving your return on investment, and getting your direct mail into the hands of a highly responsive targeted audience.

Postalytics’ affordable direct mail pricing is packaged with a free non-profit postcard and letter templates, address validation, personalization tools, conversion targeting, and more.

What is the USPS non-profit rate for postage?

To support non-profit organizations, the USPS offers USPS Marketing Mail, which comes with preferential pricing for eligible organizations. Non-profit shipments sent via USPS Marketing Mail can be up to 60% less than the price of First Class Mail.

For example, a non-profit organization could reduce its postage costs from $0.291 per piece to as low as $0.173, a savings of $11,800 for a direct mail campaign of 100,000 pieces. If you are looking to make bigger savings, you can also use a service like Postalytics to save further on mailing, designing, and printing postcards and letters.

What is the postage for non-profit bulk mail rate?

Many factors determine the bulk mail price, including the letter’s contents, size, and destination. Non-profit organizations are particularly reliant on bulk mail for their annual fundraising efforts. This includes mailing letters to hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people. Non-profit organizations can send millions of letters at reduced prices with bulk mailings.

USPS bulk mail rates for non-profit organizations 2024

As we mentioned earlier, USPS bulk mail non-profit rates can pay up to $0.173 to post a letter. Rates are expected to increase in July 2024, but the price hike is still being negotiated with non-profits and other stakeholders.

If you plan a non-profit bulk mail campaign, you’ll also need to factor in additional costs like design, printing, staff to stuff the envelopes, and other overheads. With Postalytics, we take care of all of that for you. That’s why our bulk mail rates are so attractive to non-profits in 2024.

We’ve broken down the cost of sending a bulk direct mail campaign for your non-profit with Postalytics compared to the USPS  postal service. With Postalytics, you can spend as little as $0.57 per piece ($100 for 1,000 pieces). In addition, by automating every step of your campaign, you’ll save money and reduce the amount of work your staff needs to do.

Non-profit postage rates are only available for domestic mailings, not international mailings. Any non-profit organization can calculate non-profit postage for 2024 using the USPS postage calculator. However, what the calculator won’t be able to do is a factor in your other costs of design and printing of your material, making it hard to budget.

Fortunately, Postaltyics offers our clients a per piece rate that includes all the costs to create and send a non-profit letter or postcard campaign, providing certainty and peace of mind.

How can I apply to mail at non-profit USPS marketing mail prices?

For a non-profit organization to be eligible for discounted bulk mail postage rates from the post office, it must complete an application at the Business Mail Center. They must pay a one-time annual fee and select one of three payment options – pre-canceled stamps, postage meter, or permit imprint. They are also required to complete a separate application for each Business Mail Center.

Non-profit mailing rules 

The USPS has strict postal service guidelines for shipments that carry a non-profit postage rate- they must first authorize organizations wishing to ship at these rates as eligible. Eligible organizations must be organized for non-profit purposes and may not distribute any portion of their profits to private shareholders or individuals.

The material mailed must also meet strict non-profit mail guidelines.

• Mail sent at non-profit rates will look like regular USPS marketing mail, with one exception: the organization’s name or abbreviation must be followed by NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, NONPROFIT ORG or NONPROFIT.
• There is only one restriction on the type of content you can send in non-profit pricing: No goods or products may be offered, even if they have not been ordered or solicited.
• Non-profit groups must include the name and address of the authorized non-profit organization on or in their mail piece when sending non-profit USPS marketing mail.

How to look up a USPS non-profit authorization (NPA) number 

The NPA number lets mail carriers know that the entity on your envelope is a non-profit organization authorized to mail a piece at a lower postage rate. If the USPS recognizes your non-profit status for their postal services, you will receive an approval letter with your NPA number on it, so you don’t have to look it up.

Final thoughts: USPS bulk mail rates for non-profit organizations

Non-profits are always looking for ways to optimize costs during fundraising rounds.

Postal rates are rising, with more increases expected from the United States Postal Service in July 2024, so maximizing financial resources for mailing services is a constant challenge.

Non-profit USPS marketing mail postage discounts from the post office won’t be enough; however, you can maximize your savings in postage, and other costs, when using Postalytics.

 If you run a non-profit and want to save some money in more ways while fulfilling your mission, Postatlyics’ automated direct mail solutions are very cost-effective. A great way to reduce costs is to spend less time creating non-profit campaigns. Sending out non-profit mailers for a direct mail campaign can take up to 30 hours, using valuable organizational resources.

Instead, when utilizing Postalytics’ automated mailing services, you can send a direct mail card in under five minutes from the comfort of your desk.

To save time and money on delivery while also increasing the effectiveness of your campaigns, sign up for a Postalytics account today.

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