Hoping to start up a fund-raising campaign for your Milwaukee non-profit … but unclear where to start? Maybe the professional who oversaw the earlier outreach retired or departed? Or, you’re just short on staff and long on tasks to be done?
You need a turnkey mailing service that comprehends how direct mail for charities works. In other words, you need Bresser’s Information Services, a mail service provider (MSP) that does the logistical limbo) for your Milwaukee direct mail fund-raising.
Using direct mail for {non-profit fund-raising can be daunting, and ripe for pitfalls. How do non-profit postage rates function? Which types of operations qualify? Can any materials be mailed, or only certain types?
First, a definition. Non-profit mail is printed material eligible to be sent as USPS Marketing Mail®, by organizations authorized by the Postal Service™, at considerably reduced non-profit postage rates.
You can realize sizable savings on postage … as long as you adhere to the rules. Bresser’s Information Services knows them thoroughly, and is prepared to help.
Remember, nothing that requires sending via First Class Mail® qualifies for non-profit rates. The rules are well defined. Unbendable. Don’t even try.
So, what can you send at non-profit rates? Self-mailers, letters, newsletters and booklets weighing less than 16 ounces can classify for USPS Marketing Mail®.
Only materials of authorized organizations, registered as non-profits with USPS, can be mailed at non-profit rates. Put differently, don’t try to ride the non-profit status of another Milwaukee organization. It won’t fly. Authorized organizations are prohibited from sharing their mailing privilege. Get your own.
How? Complete PS Form 3624, Application to Mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® Prices. Be ready to show documentation that your organization is a legal non-profit. Fill out the form entirely. Doing so can be the difference in a decision returning in days, versus weeks.
Is your Milwaukee organization eligible? Probably, as long as your due diligence is complete. The categories of organizations eligible for Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® prices are many: philanthropic, religious, educational, veterans, scientific, labor, fraternal, political … the list goes on.
Got your non-profit authorization? Great. Let’s get to work. Bresser’s Information Services will mail on your organization’s behalf, using our mailing permit.
There’s a reason our name includes “services,” though. We don’t stop at preparing your mail for the greatest postage savings, and delivering it at the post office.
We provide advice on designing your mail piece. Print your materials in full color. Populate and expand your mailing list, using recipients known to give to specific causes. Polish up your list, deleting vacant and duplicate addresses. Find new addresses for recipients who have moved.
Since its founding in 1946, Bresser’s Information Services has printed, addressed and mailed millions of fund-raising mailers. We understand the regulations, the rates, and how to land your fund-raising outreach in the right hands.
Contact us to initiate your next Milwaukee fund-raising campaign. We’re a mail house, for sure – one focused on keeping your non-profit house strong, vibrant, and doing good work in the community.