Wednesday, May 09, 2007

When Stamps Hurt

Here's a short article about the upcoming postal rate increase as it relates to nonprofits.

Charities and change agents send out a lot of mail pieces as they seek donations and raise awareness. This increase means it could take more of their budget to reach people. (The discounted nonprofit rate is safe for now, but it could increase as the USPS faces more and more budget issues.)

How then can these organizations best reach their core constituency? Direct mail response is usually dismal at best, and I'm always shocked when I get an unsolicited letter from a nonprofit. I usually toss it along with my Kroger ad and credit card applications.

If nonprofits are going to not only save money, but increase their advertising effectiveness, they have got to get out of the direct mail game as their donor base (which is usually older) embraces technology more and more.

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