How to get Non Profit Postage Rates

To get non profit USPS postage rates you will need to be a non profit. There are also a few steps to be eligible for nonprofit USPS rates as well as get approved by the USPS. Once approved Action Mail can process your mailings to qualify for the discounted nonprofit postage rates.

USPS Non Profit Eligibility

The USPS has 10 organization categories of nonprofits that can receive nonprofit postage rates. Not only does the organization need to be in one of these categories but it will also need to be an organization whose income does not benefit any individual or stakeholder (not for profit)

There are 10 categories of organizations that may be approved for Nonprofit USPS Mail prices:

1. Agricultural

2. Educational

3. Fraternal

4. Labor

5. Philanthropic

6. Religious

7. Scientific

8. Veterans

9. Qualified Political Committees

10. State or Local Voter Registration Officials

Not all nonprofit organizations are eligible for the Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail prices. Certain organizations (such as business leagues, chambers of commerce, civic improvement associations, social and hobby clubs, governmental bodies, and others) that, although nonprofit, do not qualify for the Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail prices

How to get Non Profit Status with the USPS

The non profit will need to submit documents and Form 3624 to the USPS. Action Mail can submit these documents on your behalf.

Proof of non profit status will need to be included, including:

Evidence that the organization is nonprofit and that none of its net income inures to the benefit of any private stockholder or individual.

Acceptable evidence includes:

An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) letter of exemption from payment of federal income tax.

If an IRS exemption letter is not available, a complete financial statement from an independent auditor (such as a certified public accountant) substantiating that the organization is nonprofit.

Documents describing the organization’s primary purpose, such as:

Organizing instruments that state the purpose for which the group is organized, such as the constitution, articles of incorporation, articles of association, or trust indenture.

Materials showing how the organization actually operated during the previous 6 to 12 months and how it will operate in the future.

Bulletins, financial statements, membership forms, publications produced by the organization, minutes of meetings, or a list of its activities may be used.

Political Committees

For qualified political committees, organizational or other documents substantiating that the applicant is the state or national committee of the political party.

Voting Registration

For voting registration officials , a copy of the statute, ordinance, or other authority establishing responsibility for voter registration.

How to mail at No Profit USPS postage rates

Once the application is approved the USPS will issue a nonprofit authorization number. With this number Action Mail can process your mail and submit all necessary documents to have your mailings qualify for non profit rates. Only mailings eligible for marketing mail will qualify for these rates.

Selecting EDDM Every Door Direct Mailing Routes

EDDM Every Door Direct Mail allows you to select mailing routes and mail your postcard or brochure to the entire mailing route. Selecting the correct mailing routes is key to a successful campaign.

What is an EDDM Every Door Direct Mail Route

In order to select the right EDDM route it is helpful to understand what a mailing route is. A mailing routes is the route that a specific postal carrier (mailman) is assigned to. These routes are mostly in a small area but sometimes they are split between a few different areas.

Selecting Mailing Routes

To select mailing routes you can use an online tool or you can contact us and we can assist you with selecting routes and provide you with a map and list of routes to review and select from. You will first need to identify the geography (zip code or radius around a specific point). You can then select individual routes within your area.

You will need to mail to every address in a route but you can select to exclude businesses if you would like. There is also basic demographic information available for each route, like median income, median home value, percentage households with children, quantity of homes vs apartments, etc. You can use this information to include or remove routes.

Selecting a Specific Demographic

If you would prefer to mail to a specific demographic like single family homes, only households with a certain income, or any other demographic an EDDM mailing may not be the best option. For specific demographics there are more cost effective direct mailing options that should increase ROI. Contact us and we can help you determine the best option for your specific mailing

What is marketing mail?

Marketing mail is mail sent for marketing purposes that is elligible for discounted USPS postage rates. Previously this was referred to as 3rd class mail, 2nd class mail, and standard mail. Many people also refer to marketing mail as bulk mail.

USPS Marketing Mail® (formerly Standard Mail) is mail matter that is not required to be mailed as First-Class Mail® or Periodicals.

USPS Marketing Mail Requirements

Marketing mail must have at least 200 pieces, be less than 16oz, and not be required to be sent as first class mail. First class mail is needed for any personal correspondence, bills, and statements.

Types of Marketing Mail include:

Postcards, flyers, advertising, EDDM

Small parcels

Catalogs newsletters and bulletins

Marketing Mail Postage Prices

Marketing Mail postage is significantly reduced. Postage is around $0.28 per piece but depends on the distribution of the list. There are also discounts for delivering to local post offices.

Contact us to see if we can help you with your marketing mail campaign and have your mailing qualify for the lowest postage prices. Even if your mailing is not illegible for marketing mail prices we can still help you with getting the lowest prices on first class mail.

Send Gifts or Collateral to Online Meeting Participants

With meetings going online we are seeing trends of gifts or collateral being sent to participants. Sending a follow up gift is a great way to keep your brand front and center and connect with your participants. We are also seeing companies sending packages prior to meetings with gifts and information to help facilitate the meetings.

For virtual meetings that replaced conferences we are seeing many conferences sending kits similar to what they would have provided to each participant during the conference. These kits can include information about the meeting (schedule, resources, etc), inserts from advertisers, swag and gifts for participants.

We have also seen a trend in companies sending items to help facilitate meetings. These items can include brochures or booklets to help facilitate meetings, or items with QR codes to direct the participants to online resources.

Branding and unboxing is a key component to these packages because the main goal is to connect participants. These packages help create a physical connection for virtual meetings. The possibilities on what and how it can be sent are endless. Action Mail can provide some ideas based on your specific needs and put everything together for you.

Cheap Postcard Printing

There are a few options to print cheap postcards. At Action Mail we will help you select the right card for your budget and project. Postcard printing prices are typically based on the size, paper, color, and quantity. Below are recommendations for each factor to reduce the printing costs.

Postcard Size:

To reduce the cost of postcard printing you can print on a smaller size. At Action Mail we recommend a 8.5x5.5 size. This will give you the most bang for your buck. The cheapest size we print is typically a 4x6 postcard. Selecting a standard size like 4x6, 5x7, 8.5x5.5, 6x9, 6x11, 8.5x11 will get the best prices but the larger the size the less that can fit on a sheet which makes the price higher.

Postcard Paper:

The paper stock will also effect your postcard printing cost. Typically the thinner the paper the less expensive. 100# gloss cover is our cheapest paper stock.

Color Printing:

Printing in black and white is a lot cheaper than printing in color.

Postcard Quantity:

Printing in bulk will help reduce your postcard printing costs. Printing in bulk helps eliminate the setup costs and can reduce your postcard printing prices.

At Action Mail we can print cheap postcards but we prefer to work with you to find a balance to get the best quality card for your budget. Contact us or request an estimate and we can provide the best options for your postcard printing.

USPS Bulk Mail Tracking and Reporting

It is now possible to track bulk mail and USPS marketing mail. The tracking and reporting of delivery of bulk mail is not as good as for packages but it does provide an idea of where the mail is in the mail stream. For bulk mail the USPS equipment is not setup to scan every barcode and tracking availability usually depends on the type of mail piece and the final destination post office. Some post offices have scanning equipment others do not.

The bulk mail tracking reporting will not show the actual delivery but rather the last scan prior to being delivered by the postal carrier. We have also seen that larger mail pieces (flat/ large envelopes) tend to have trackability than smaller pieces. This is due to the equipment each type of piece is run on.

Bulk mail tracking is great for having an idea of where mail is in the mail stream but it should not be relied upon to track individual pieces. Typically reporting will just let you know the percentage of mail that has received the last scan before being delivered to the mailbox. Most people use this to have an idea of where the piece is in the mail stream so that other marketing efforts can follow accordingly. We also see people using this to ensure that mail is in the system and verify that time sensitive bulk mailings arrive on time.

If this is tracking for bulk mailing is something you are interested in please contact us. We will also need to know this prior to processing data as the tracking identifier will need to be placed in the barcode.

Online Print Store

Action Mail is launching an online print store. This online print store allows you to place orders for printing directly online. Of coarse you can always request a custom estimate or sending your specifications and artwork to us via email but if you prefer to purchase printing online feel free to use the portal.

The print portal allows you to easily order printing of postcards, booklets, envelopes, catalogs and more online. All print orders can be held for local pickup with no shipping charge for anything that will be picked up or mailed by us. If you are looking for a faster turnaround or more competitive pricing especially on larger orders please contact us for a custom quote. Unfortunately all mailing is still custom quoted due to all the variables involved, but please contact us for a quote.

If you have any questions with the online print portal or please do not hesitate to contact us.

USPS Informed Delivery Customization

USPS informed delivery is a free service where the USPS can will send you an email with what will be arriving in your mailbox. This service provides redisendtial consumers with a great opportunity to see their mail ahead of time and track important mail and packages. This also provides a great opportunity for marketers to add additional content and touches to the consumer.

Typically Informed Delivery scans all letter size pieces and provides a black and white scan of the address side of the mail piece. Action Mail can provide the USPS with a color image to replace the black and white image, helping your piece stick out. This also allows for flat size pieces to be viewed in the informed delivery email which otherwise would not be available. Action Mail can also add a smaller ride along image which has a clickable link directing the recipient to the url of your choice.

Informed Delivery is a great service and the amount of household using the service is growing quickly. We highly recommend that you try informed delivery for your personal use as well as take advantage of customizing informed delivery for your mailers.

Action Mail is offering a promotion where we are linking color images of the mail piece and links to your mailing FREE of charge for your first informed delivery mailing. We hope this will give you the opportunity to test out informed delivery customization and see if it will work with your direct mail campaign.

Avoid COVID-19 Screen Fatigue with Direct Mail

During the lockdown people are spending an incredible amount of time in front of computer and phone screens.  All this time can lead to a condition called Screen Fatigue,  common symptoms are blurry vision , double vision , bloodshot eyes , stiff neck and pain in your spine.

A good break from your screen is a trip to the mail box.

Now is an excellent time to utilize direct mail as there is very little competition in the mail box and consumers are eager to see what waiting for them in their mail boxes.

Direct Mail is a great tool to use in order to inform customers of your operational procedures during the reopening phase. Targeted lists can find your ideal customer in the in a specific geographical area,  for example within a certain radius of your facility.

Now is an excellent time to use direct mail , either cards letters or catalogs to get ahead of the game and build some excitement as people prepare to get back to work and in to stores as soon as the lockdown ends.

Quick Turnaround for COVID-19 Coronavirus Printing and Mailing Notifications

With the COVID-19 Coronavirus global pandemic Action Mail knows how important it is to get COVID-19 Coronavirus notifications printed and mail with a quick turnaround. Action Mail will do all it can to support organizations who need to provide notifications about the Pandemic including insurance updates, medical notifications, and financial notices.

Due to the nature of the printing and mailing of important communications Action Mail will continue operations as long as allowed by health officials. With all the misinformation and uncertainty we know how important receiving notifications from reputable sources is and we are committed to helping organizations communicate to their employees, policy holders, client, etc through print and mail.

We also know the urgency to get this communication to stakeholders as quickly as possible and will do whatever we can to meet your expedited timelines and offer solutions to ensure your print and mail communications get delivered as soon as possible.

While committed to delivering important communications we are also trying to remain isolated and following CDC guidaince. We are also working closely with the USPS and have continfency plans in place. We are doing all we can to help during these difficult times so if there is anything we can assist with please contact us

Mailing Advertising During the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

The USPS (United States Postal Service) is still operating even during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and direct mail is a great way to communicate and advertise during this crisis. As more people are not leaving their homes getting the mail is an important way to keep informed and communicate with the community.

For example there are lots of local restuarants that are offering pick up and delivery services, but the public is not aware of which ones are. Creating a direct mail campaign with an offer can help local businesses while also helping local residents know locations that are still open.

Action Mail is here to support businesses during this difficult time and are doing what we can to reduce costs and help business reach their customers. We are remaining open as long as possible to ensure that important notification mail like insurance and cobra notifications are sent and also are here to support and help the community

San Diego Direct Mail Discounts

Action Mail can get you discounted postage rates for direct mail going to San Diego. Action Mail can do this by accessing USPS postage discounts for delivering mail to local processing centers in San Diego.

Action Mail can provide discounted USPS postage rates by doing the post offices work for them, by sorting and barcoding the mail so it can be processed quickly and efficiently by the USPS. The USPS gives additional discounts on marketing and standard mail if the mail house delivers the mailing to a local post office. Action Mail has at least one delivery a day to the main sorting facility in San Diego which will get mail going to San Diego an additional discount. This additional discount can be up to $0.04 per piece. Not only does delivering local mail in San Diego to the main sorting facility save money but it will also reduce delivery time.

If your mail is not going to San Diego, Action Mail will analyze your list and see if it is cost effective to deliver to another local post office. Action Mail can drop ship anywhere in the country for affordable rates so if there are opportunities to reduce cost and increase deliery time we will let you know about the options. Action Mail will always process your mailing list to get the lowest postage rate the list qualifies for.

Coronavirus and USPS Direct Mail

Coronavirus is currently not effecting USPS Direct Mail. Communication from the USPS indicates that there are no interuptions in domestic service and all mail is being delivered as normal. The coronavirus outbreak is actually a good time to send direct mail pieces as people are staying home.

Shipments to China Effected by Coronavirus

The USPS has a temporary suspension of the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined for China and Hong Kong, which has been effective since Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. There may also be delays in mail and packages going to and from China.

Can Coronavirus spread via USPS Mail

As far as we understand, no. The CDC states there is likely very low risk that COVID-19 can be spread from products or packaging shipped from China, because of poor survivability of coronaviruses on surfaces.  Also, according to the CDC, there currently is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with imported goods; and there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States associated with imported goods.

Will Coronavirus effect USPS Mail Delivery

Currently coronavirus has not effected USPS mail delivery except for shipments to and from China. The USPS has specific protocols in place to provide safeguards for the USPS Postal employees which instruct employees to stay at home if they have any symptoms and for managers to monitor sick time to see if a virus may be spreading. At the moment there is no delay or effect on domestic USPS delivery and processing.

A Good time to mail

With many people staying at home direct mail is a good medium to reach them and promote sales or provide important information.

The coronavirus is a fluid situation and we will continue to monitor it but as of now everything at the USPS is functioning as it should.

Database Errors, an overview of mistakes

When we process databases we scrub the data to look for incorrect addresses and moved addresses to correct any errors or mistakes in the database. We can correct a lot of different database errors but we cannot identify or fix them all.

What we can fix or identify:

Incorrect addresses or addresses that do not match the United States Postal Service database of addresses. Many times this includes spelling mistakes, incorrect suite numbers, inccorrect abbreviations, incorrect street numbers, etc.

Moved addressess. We can identify moved addresses only if a change of address form has been provided to the USPS within the last 48 months or if the address has been reported as

Duplicates. If you would like to remove duplicates please inform us and let us know how you would like to remove them. Please let us know if you want to remove one per person or one per an address and if you would only like to remove exact matches. Since there are so many variations and each person has different strategies with their databases we typically only remove duplicates if requested.

What we cannot fix:

Incorrect names. If the wrong name is associated with address we will not be able to correct this issue. Many times we see issues like this when a cell is deleted and the entire data is shifted. Unfortunately there is no way for us to know if the name is correct without trying to append names to the data and comparing them with the list, but even then this would be difficult.

Moved address that did not file a change of address. We cannot fix moved addresses that have not filed a change of address or have moved over 48 months ago.

Can you send Bulk Mail on President's Day

The United States Postal service is closed on President’s Day but some bulk mail is still accepted and processed. The USPS does not deliver mail on President’s Day and most post offices are closed, but for bulk mail there are a few exceptions. Some post offices are open to accept bulk mail. No postage payments can be received so all funds will need to be in the permit prior to the holiday. These post offices that are open are short staffed so mail may not move like it would otherwise but it should still get a head start. For time senstive and first class mailings President’s Day does not count as a processing day for the USPS.

In most cases it is best to schedule bulk mailings to deliver to the post office before of after holidays but for rush mailings like political mailings we can work with you to determine which post office we would be able to deliver to.

Politcal Printing and Mailing In San Diego

Action Mail is your one stop shop for Politcal Printing and Mailing in San Diego. Located in San Diego Action Mail can get your political mailings delivered to San Diego county quickly to ensure messages get to voters prior to elections.

Action Mail can provide fast turn around printing and mailing for election direct mail campaigns. During elections getting your political messaging to voters at the right time is key to winning an election. Action Mail focuses on local elections in San Diego delivering political mailings to local San Diegan post offices to reduce postage costs and USPS delivery time.

Action Mail can help you with direct mail as well as any other printing including door hangers, flyers, banners, yard signs, postcards, and any other collateral or printing needs to help with your political campaign. Contact us to get an estimate and turnaround times for your political printing and mailing

Mailing a Booklet or Folded Self-mailer without tabs

The USPS has rules that require certain size booklets and folded self-mailers to have tabs or affixtures to seal the mail piece. Any piece that is considered a letter size piece that has any folds will need tabs or be required to mail as non machineable. These tabs or closures help ensure that the mail piece does not open in the USPS automated machinery and can run smoothely. Affixing tabs increases the mailing cost and can effect the recipients’ experience.

There are some ways to avoid adding tabs but it depends on the mail piece design and where it is going as removing tabs or changing the piece design can also increase postage costs significantly. If the mail piece is a letter size and has folds then it will need tabs. Removing them will result in the piece being labeled as non machinable with a significant postage surcharge. The way to avoid using tabs is to make the piece a flat. Flats do not require tabs, but the postage may increase significantly depending on the sort. Typically we only recommend doing this if the distrubtion of addresses is very saturated.

To make the piece a flat there are a couple options. The first is to incease the length of the smallest side to larger than 6.125" inches. The second option is the rotate the address block so that it is on top half of the mail piece parrallel to the shorter side when the fold on the longer side is in your right hand.

This is a bit confusing so if this is something you are looking into please contact us to go over the options, design, and if this would make sense for your mailing list.

Problems with EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail)

EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) is a serives the USPS has made in an attempt to reduce mailing costs. After doing hundreds of EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) mailings we know that the iniative is not perfect and we have seen lots of issues with EDDM. At Action Mail we prefer carrier route saturation mailings which often tend to be more cost effective, but are happy to help with EDDM campaigns in you prefer.

Below are a few problems we see with EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail):

Delivery: We often see that some EDDM pieces do not get delivered. An EDDM piece does not have an address but instead depends on the postal carrier to provide one piece to every address on their route. We have seen that sometimes route quantities published by the USPS or inaccurate and there is nothing to safe guard against a carrier not picking up all of the mail or not delivering to a household. To avoid these issues we recommend an addressed mail piece. With an address the carrier has a specific location to deliver to and the piece is processed by USPS automated equipment making it much more likely that the mail piece will be delivered correctly.

Cost: EDDM mail pieces tend to cost more. EDDM requires bigger size mail pieces which cost much more to print. This additional printing cost often makes EDDM mailings much more expensive. The mail processing is much simpler but is more of a manual process, so it tends to be a bit less expensive, but any savings are erased by the higher printing costs. There are other mailing clasess where slightly smaller, more cost effective printing sizes are available.

Demographic Targeting: EDDM mailings need to be sent to everyone on a postal carrier’s route. This is great for some mailing campaigns, but many others would send mail pieces to people who would not fall into their target demographic. This can result in money wasted on printing and postage by sending to people who would not be interested in mail campaign. Action Mail can get very specific lists to target your ideal demographic.

Generic Mailing: EDDM mailpieces do not have a name or address on them and look very generic. Action Mail has seen a trend in increased personalization in mailing, and many times a piece without an address looks very generic and does not resonate with recipients. Action Mail can work with you to not only include an address on a mail piece but also additional variable information so that it is personalized for each recipient

These are a few of the problems we see with EDDM. Contact us to learn a bit more about the differences and what type of campaign we would recommend for you. EDDM can be a great resource and is cost effective way to mail large publications but it is not right for everyone as we have noticed many problems. Luckily there are other options which can mitigate these issues.

Quick Turn Around Political Mailings

With the mid-term election fast approaching the key to a successful political mailing campaign is to provide voters with relevant information at the correct time. With the political climate changing daily getting the most up to date messaging that will resonate with voters can make a big dfference.

At Action Mail we can provide rush turn around times of political mailers to help with your election campaign. Contact us with your specific campaign and turn around needs and we will make sure it gets in voters hands when you need it. We can work with you to balance costs and turn around times to make sure your political mailing gets in the hands of voters while still keeping within budget.

Let us know what you need and when you need and we will work with you to make sure your quick turn around political mailings are delivered on time and on budget.

Tips For a Successful Direct Mail Campaign

We often get asked what can mailers do to increase responses and have a successful direct mail campaign. Like any marketing we believe targeting the right people with the right message at the right time will lead to results. One of the most important aspects of a direct mail campaign is the list. If you do not target the correct audience no matter how good your offer and mail piece are you are likely to not get a great result. There are a few other tips below, but we recommend starting by targeting the right demographic.

Stand out in the mailbox

Make sure your piece stands out in the mail. This can be done by the size, material, variable data, or design of the mail piece but make sure that there is something to grab respondent’s attention. Depending on the budget

Make it easy to respond

One of the biggest mistakes is making it hard for respondents to act on your mailer. Make the deliverable you want easy for the respondent to see and act on. For example if your goal is to have them visit a website, put the website all over the card and make sure it is clear and easy to see and read.

Clear Messaging

Make sure your messaging is clear, easy to read, and directed toward the correct demographic.

Multiple Touches

Sending multiple mail pieces often helps increase the odds of arriving at the right time and futher promoting your brand and messaging

There are many things that can be done to get the attention of your target audience in the mailbox, but the most important aspect is targeting the right audience.