Appeal Mailings

It’s that time of  year again when many non-profits are sending out their Holiday Appeal mailings. With that in mind, I thought I would share a couple of strategies to get the most out of your appeal. An appeal mailing could be a particular direct mail piece or a specific email campaign sent to your prospects and donors. With any Appeal mailing, make sure you track who responds to each solicitation. With this information, you can determine the following:

• Whether you’re focusing on the correct individuals or organizations
• What type of solicitation garners the most support (e-mail, direct mail, personal letters, etc…)
• What type of messaging gets the most attention

Another good suggestions is to track the effectiveness of your appeals over time to determine if certain types of appeals work better than others. It’s also important to include dates in the description of your appeal…like Walk-a-Thons, Charity events, etc…this way you can accurately measure the success of each appeal and remember, donations related to a certain appeal will continue to come in after the event is over.

Remember the tips above and your next Appeal Mailing will be a successful one!

Direct Mail and Postal Discounts

There are several steps involved in the mailing process and a successful discounted mailing requires careful consideration of the steps below.

1. Choosing a Mailing Service - Which mailing service you choose depends on the shape, weight, and content of your mail, along with speed of delivery.
2. Choosing a Postage Payment Method - The Postal Service offers three ways for you to pay for and apply postage to your mail pieces. (stamps, permit imprint & metering)
3. Preparing Your Mail - Machinable, non-machinable, and automation are the three ways The Postal Service classifies how mail pieces are prepared. These classifications are based on the ability of your mail piece to be processed on Postal Service equipment.
4. Sorting Your Mail - Sort your mail according to Postal Service standards.
5. Entering Your Mail - The minimum requirement is to enter your mail at the Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) or Post Office where you hold a mailing permit. You can receive additional discounts by transporting your mail closer to where it will be delivered.

After you make these choices, prepare your mail pieces, then sort them by Postal Service  standards, and enter your mailing at a postal facility. For each step, you will need to complete the minimum level of work required by the Postal Service. You may also choose to complete higher levels of work to receive greater postage discounts.

To qualify for certain postage discounts, you must mail a minimum number of pieces:

• 500 pieces for First-Class Mail
• 200 pieces (or 50 pounds of mail) for Standard Mail
• 50 pieces for Parcel Select
• 300 pieces for Presorted or Carrier Route Bound Printed Matter
• 300 pieces for Library Mail 300 pieces for Media Mail (formerly book rate)

In some cases, the characteristics of your mail pieces will determine which rates and discounts are available to you. If you need any assistance in determining what method works best for you, please contact Eye/Comm at 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We’re happy to help with all your questions.