United States Postal Service

Robert Taub, acting chairman of the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission, summed up the state of the USPS in 2015 during his DMA Nonprofit Federation Washington Nonprofit Conference keynote: "Very few people wonder if the mail will be there — it's always there and always has been … but will the mail be there in the future?"

(Press release, Jan. 15, 2015) — On Jan. 15, the United States Postal Service filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) a Market Dominant price change based on a Consumer Price Index (CPI) cap authority of 1.966 percent.

Many promote the commercial spirit of giving at Christmas. I believe all of us should consider promoting philanthropy in a noncommercial way at this time of year. Think about your neighbors, friends and those in need this year. Do something nice without expectation of return. Can you afford to help at least one person this year? Become a Santa, and see how it feels!

The Direct Marketing Association presented its 2013 International ECHO Awards at its annual conference, including 11 to nonprofits. The nonprofit winners include, Chill Out E.V., Food for the Poor, World Vision Canada, ASPCA, American Cancer Society, FAD — Anti-Drug Foundation, Operation Smile, Fundación Once & FSC Inserta, Amnesty International, Inspiring Denmark, and The Norwegian Cancer Society.

The United States Postal Service announced plans to transition to a new delivery schedule during the week of Aug. 5, 2013, that includes package delivery Monday through Saturday, and mail delivery Monday through Friday. The Postal Service expects to generate cost savings of approximately $2 billion annually, once the plan is fully implemented.

How can a printed fundraising direct-mail piece interact with a donor’s smartphone? The answer: QR codes.

While a larger postal rate case remains on appeal, postal rates increased by an average 1.7 percent effective this past Sunday — the first increase in two years.

An average 5.6-percent rate hike, proposed by the United States Postal Service (USPS) last summer but rejected by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) the past fall, remains on appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Two seemingly disparate developments spur this writing. One is the fiscal disaster that is the United States Postal Service and the other is the unprecedented attack on the deductibility of charitable donations. I see these as related and stemming from the same problem.

The Direct Marketing Association and the DMA Nonprofit Federation today asked the Postal Regulatory Commission to dismiss the United States Postal Service’s request to increase postal rates by 10 times the rate permissible by law. The petition was filed by the Affordable Mail Alliance.

This action by USPS comes just three years after Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, which was supposed to prevent rate increases that exceed the rate of inflation.

As the nonprofit community determines just how much they might see postal rates increase next year, it's clear that Standard Mail Parcels will get hit with the largest increases – 23 percent – under an exigent rate case filed by the United States Postal Service (USPS) today.

How much the nonprofit rate for Standard Parcel or other categories used by nonprofits will increase is unclear, but USPS appears to be moving toward having categories cover more of their costs to handle.