Watch Out for Postal Rates
Anyone who knows me can tell you I am still being dragged into the 21st century--at least from a technological perspective. I still like my notecards and pens. But if you’re not paying attention to what’s going on at the Post Office, in particular there increases in rates, and adding that into your strategic thoughts regarding outreach in a strong digital program, then it will cost you and your organization in the long run.
Recently, the Post Office announced an increase in rates across-the-board---and then shortly thereafter continued the price escalations by announcing surcharges on certain postal items during the holidays. From a nonprofit perspective, this just means higher costs in our mailing programs. This does not take into account inflationary price increases with critical items such as paper, envelopes, and ink. Bottom line is that it’s getting a lot more expensive to mail things.
At the same time, we’re being deluged on a moment-to-moment basis with junk email. And sometimes the things we want in our own “In” boxes show up in junk based on the filters. Nonprofits are struggling with this as well.
This is not my area of expertise. I don’t have the answers. But what I do know is that if we don’t find a way to communicate more cost-effectively with the masses -- allowing our nonprofit mission stories to be shared and allowing more people to have simplicity in a giving experience—it will continue the trend across the United States of fewer and fewer people making charitable gifts.
It has to be easy. It has to be cost-effective. It has to be successful. And finding digital strategies to do just that will become more and more important over the next decade.
