5 Ways To Save on Nonprofit Postage in 2022

Direct mail is extremely effective for nonprofit fundraising. With ever-increasing postage rates, it can eat away at your donations. You should not stop sending direct mail, but there are some things you can do to decrease the amount of postage you pay. The less postage you pay the more donation dollars go toward your organization.

First, let’s look at your donor and prospect lists. You should do list hygiene that will consist of:

• Running your file through NCOA to get current addresses
• Running your file against deceased data to remove anyone who has passed away
• Running CASS/DPV to make sure your mail addresses are deliverable with the post office
• Deduping so that you are not sending two pieces to the same house. 

After dropping all of the bad data you should now have a clean mailing file. Sending mail to outdated data is a waste of print, mail and postage. In 2022, USPS is running some promotions that you can utilize to save on postage.

1. Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Promotion

This program runs from February through July. This year, the discount has increased from 2% to 4%. Use this program to highlight special finishing technologies that engage the senses. Some ideas are special visual effects, sound, scent, texture/tactile coatings — and even taste. In addition, you can create interactive mail pieces such as pop-ups, infinite folds or other dimensional aspects. This is a really fun one that can only be done with print marketing. Get the requirements here.

2. Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion 

This program runs March through August. This one has a tiered discount structure of 2% to 3% based on the technology used. Use this program to engage customers and prospects with mobile technology in direct mail. This can be done with QR codes, augmented reality, near field communications (NFC), video and more. This is a very powerful way to create a longer connection with donors and increase the effectiveness of your message. Get the requirements here.

3. Earned Value Promotion 

This program runs April to June. There is no change in the 2-cent discount this year. This is only for organizations that use reply mail. If you use reply mail for your donations, use this program to save postage on each piece of business reply mail and courtesy reply mail you have sent to you. Get the requirements here. 

4. Informed Delivery Promotion 

This program runs from August through the end of the year. This year, the discount has increased from 2% to 4%. Use this program of Informed Delivery, which will send an email to people with a color picture of your mail piece to let them know what is coming in their mailbox that day. You can even provide a clickable link so that people can start donating through the email. Get the requirements here.

5. Mobile Shopping Promotion

This program runs September through December. This year, the discount will remain at 2%. Use this program to generate donations during the holiday shopping season. By adding mobile technology to your mail, it allows your donors or prospects to make a donation and you can qualify to save on postage. Get the requirements here. 

You can participate in as many of the promotions as you would like. Each promotion requires registration to participate and reporting after the mailing is complete, but they are worth the savings! An ounce of prevention can save you a pound of headaches. It is important to thoroughly check your mail pieces for postal regulations before you print. Your mail service provider can help you with this. Don’t waste money on postage. Are you ready to start saving?