How Nonprofits Can Save Money on Postage

Nonprofit Standard Mail – While nonprofit organizations and businesses use Standard Mail® the same way, authorized nonprofit organizations are eligible for additional savings on Standard Mail. Eligibility to use nonprofit rates is based both on the eligibility of the organization and the content of the mail piece as established by federal statutes. Authorized Nonprofit organizations can use Standard Mail or Enhanced Carrier Route mail.

Eligible Organizations Simply being an IRS-approved nonprofit organization does not qualify an organization for these rates. Typically, there are 10 categories of organizations that may be eligible.

Organizations eligible for nonprofit rates include:

• Agricultural
• Educational
• Fraternal
• Labor
• Philanthropic
• Religious
• Scientific
• Veterans
• Voter Registration Officials
• National and State Political Parties

Note – Nonprofit postage prices are available only for domestic mail, not for international mail.

Please review Publication 417, Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility, or get advice from your local business mail entry unit personnel while you are designing your nonprofit material, especially if your mail piece contains any advertising.

To learn more about Standard Mail for Nonprofits, click below.

• Who qualifies for nonprofit prices?
• How to apply for nonprofit prices
• Calculate your nonprofit postage costs

Nonprofits, Charities and the Cooperative Mail Rule (CMR)

The Cooperative Mail Rule (CMR) allows one or more authorized nonprofit organizations to share the cost, risk, or benefit of a mailing at Nonprofit Standard Mail® rates. Cooperative mailings are entered at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates only if all cooperating nonprofits are authorized to mail at that rate. The CMR does not allow nonprofits to share the cost, risk, or benefit of a mailing with for-profit organizations and mail at the Nonprofit Standard Mail rate unless the mailing is a solicitation for monetary donations and only when the nonprofit is provided with the list of donors and contact information (or waives the provision of that information).

Eligibility to use nonprofit rates is based both on the eligibility of the organization and the content of the mail piece as established by federal statutes. For more information read the following: DMM 703 Nonprofit Standard Mail and Other Unique Eligibility

Also, Nonprofit Enhanced Carrier Route Standard Mail allows nonprofit organizations to save even more for bulk mailings weighing less than 16 ounces. All you have to do is sort mail pieces to the individual carrier routes within a 5-digit ZIP Code™.