Mailer groups — especially nonprofits — are pleased with just-released clarifications of the U.S Postal Service’s Standard Mail eligibility rules, which came about after negotiations between the USPS and nonprofit mailers.
Last fall, the USPS rules, spelled out “certain limited conditions” under which mailings that appear personal–thanks to technology–can qualify for standard rates and said it would give “more explicit guidance” for what mailings qualify for the lower standard rates (Direct Newsline Oct. 27. 2004). That prompted the nonprofit mailing community to negotiate with the USPS, as it feared it would lose some postage discounts it previously had enjoyed.
The new rules are set to take effect June 1.
“I’m very pleased with this,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.”
Among other things, the compromise ruling acknowledged the fact that not every mailing that nonprofits send out is soliciting money.
“Say you volunteered for an organization last year, the nonprofit can send out thank you letters and ask volunteers to come back the next year and not have to pay more.
Among other things, the agreement with the USPS permits nonprofits to use standard mail to solicit such things s as membership, enrollment in educational programs and responses to surveys.
This agreement also extended somewhat to commercial mailers, said Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce.
For example, Del Polito noted that financial service companies would still be eligible to send things like credit rejection notices via standard mail and may be less tempted to abandon mail for cheaper electronic alternatives, which he feared could have happened if the rules stayed as they were originally drafted last fall.
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