The U.S. Postal Service is making its mail acceptance clerks’ jobs a little easier by allowing nonprofit mailers to certify in writing that mailings meet the requirements for reduced-rate Standard A (advertising) mail postage.
Until last month, when the new rule took effect, mail acceptance clerks certified the mailings after reviewing a mail sample.
“This certainly is an improvement over the old system,” says Lee Cassidy, National Federation of Nonprofits executive director. “It is much better than having 25,000 or more [mail] acceptance clerks make individual decisions” on whether a nonprofit mailing meets USPS reduced-rate criteria.
In addition to allowing nonprofits to certify the eligibility requirements, the rule also allows postal officials to assess additional postage if, after review, it is determined that the mailer’s certification was erroneous or false.
The rule “seems fair and reasonable because while it puts the burden on nonprofit mailers and it also protects both nonprofits and the USPS against fraud,” adds Amy Gotwal, Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers assistant director.
The rule continues to prohibit nonprofit mailers from advertising or selling products or services in mail pieces that are not “substantially related” to the organization’s cause even if the money raised isused by the organization.
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