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An Easy Way to Reduce your Mailing Costs
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In just the past few years, improvements in technology have given way to all sorts of new means by which to solicit and collect donations. DonorPerfect has certainly reflected this, with options such as WebLink, DonorPages, InstaCharge, EFT, e-mail solicitations via Constant Contact, etc. Having said that, the truth remains that a majority of donations made to non-profits are still generated via direct mail. As such, preparing mailings is one of the most common activities for non-profit organizations. Keeping mailing costs down can be done by sending a bulk mailing. Some organizations use a mailhouse to do this, while others handle the mailing themselves. If you're doing it on your own, DonorPerfect can help. In order to get a reduced postage rate, the United States Post Office has guidelines for sending a bulk mailing*. One requirement is to provide all of the pieces being mailed in zip code order. DonorPerfect allows you to merge and print the letters in zip code order - just follow these simple steps!
- Go to Report/Listings and select the desired option (i.e. Listings, Labels, Mailmerge, etc.)
- Set a selection filter, if desired
- Choose Zip for the Sort Order
- Click Preview (for Listings/Labels) or Do (for Mailmerge)
- If running a mailmerge, you will receive a system message asking if you wish to rename the file. Some clients find it helpful to rename the file to make it easier to locate when performing the mailmerge. This option also allows you to save the mailmerge file in a different folder, if desired.
- You will then receive a system message displaying the number of records that have been processed. Click OK.
- After creating the mailmerge file, or alternatively if you previewed/printed a listing or a set of labels, you will next receive a system message stating "Do you want to print the zip counter/bulk mail reports now?", which only appears when sorting by zip code. You have the ability to preview or print this report.
- You can take this report to the post office to provide some of the information that is required for bulk mailings, in order to obtain a reduced postage rate. This report provides a count of records for each zip code service area (the first three digits) and for 5-digit zip codes that receive more than 10 pieces of mail.
This option makes it easy for any non-profit to work with their local post office to produce a bulk mailing. Looking for advice on bulk mailings? Ask questions on our User Forum to get advice from other DonorPerfect users.
* Check with your local post office for all of the rules and regulations related to properly sending a bulk mailing.
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Please note that Version 10.04 of DonorPerfect is available for download on our website.
If you are using an earlier version, we encourage you to click here to download the most current version!
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