A Word of Caution from the USPS

The Post Office recently called NPCC and asked us to warn our members about a nonprofit-rate postal violation that they have recently caught and enforced. It seems that several New York nonprofits have been mailing postcards that included “advertising” for a for-profit company. If you attended last summer’s workshop on nonprofit postal regulations you know that you must be attentive to the content and packaging of all materials that are mailed at the nonprofit rate. Otherwise you can jeopardize your nonprofit postal rate and/or subject your mailings to intensified scrutiny.

In particular, be aware that mailings containing any external advertising may be “mailed at nonprofit standard mail rates only if the advertising for the product or service is substantially related to one or more of the authorized organization’s purposes.” If the outside cover of your brochure says “printed by____” (the name of the company that donated the cost of the printing) or displays a logo of a company other than your own you run the risk of having the entire mailing opened and scrutinized for other unrelated advertising and sent back to you to be re-stamped at bulk standard commercial rates or at first class rates.

Obviously, this can ruin any time-dependent mailing and may result in your nonprofit permit being rescinded, so be cautious. For complete information on nonprofit mailing regulations check out the Post Office’s website at www.usps.com and Publication 417, Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility. For further information and inquiries call the Business Mail Entry office of the USPS at 212/967-8585.