Nonprofit Mail: How to Apply for USPS Nonprofit Authorization
Direct mail marketing is a big channel for specific businesses and industries, but nonprofit mail can be crucial for the success of a nonprofit organization. Nonprofit mail marketing is discounted rate mail marketing. If your organization qualifies, you can get a large discount on postage for certain mail types. Getting your organization properly registered to get a USPS nonprofit authorization number is the first step to getting the discounted rates. If you are new to mail marketing, we put together a guide to help you get started on mailing for your nonprofit organization.
Eligibility Requirements for Nonprofits
There are 8 types of organizations that can be approved for USPS nonprofit marketing mail pricing. According to the USPS, typically the nonprofit eligibility can include the following organizations:
- Fraternal
- Educational
- Veterans
- Religious
- Agricultural
- Labor
- Some political committees
- Philanthropic
- Scientific
There are a few catches – not all organizations are eligible, even if it might sound like one of the above types. Individuals cannot be eligible for nonprofit discounted rates also. Information directly from the USPS about eligibility can be found here. Examples of organizations that do not normally qualify are certain political organizations, hobby and social clubs, chambers of commerce, and business leagues. If you think you qualify, you can apply for nonprofit mail marketing authorization. If you receive nonprofit authorization, you are not done just yet. You can only mail certain things at those prices, as there are restrictions. You are limited in what kind of advertising you can do as well as the amount you can do as well. To start the process of applying, you can click here.
How to Apply
Once you get a copy of the form PS 3624, fill it out and provide the required documentation. Some documents include supporting your claim for nonprofit status and prices. These include formative papers, which might be a charter or articles of incorporation. They will also ask for a letter of exemption from the IRS from federal income tax payment and other evidence of nonprofit status. This can include balance sheets, notes, or other financial statements prepared by a certified public accountant. You will also need to provide additional supporting documentation going over financial statements and activities of the organization showing activity over the last year. You can submit your application online here or you can submit it to your postmaster.
Nonprofit Mail at ADM
At Automated Direct Mail, we specialize in helping local businesses in the Palm Beach County area with all types of marketing. But what we are best at is streamlining the direct mail marketing process – and nonprofit mailing too. We have been handling direct mail marketing campaigns for businesses in our area for over 25 years. At ADM, we put our customers first and it shows. We make sure you get the most out of your marketing budget. Check out our website to learn more about us or contact us here to see how you can get started on a direct mail campaign.
To learn more about applying for nonprofit status, check out these resources below:
