Quick Service Guide 703
Special Standards
Standard Mail—Nonprofit
Eligibility
January 18, 2009
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Eligibility Overview (703.1.0)
Only qualified political
committees, voting registration officials, and organizations that meet
specific standards for qualified nonprofit
organizations and that have received specific authorization from the
USPS may mail eligible matter at the Nonprofit
Standard Mail prices. Except for previously accepted
mailings being deposited under a plant-verified drop shipment
program (705.15.0),
nonprofit mailings presented for
USPS acceptance must include a properly prepared mailing statement
bearing the national authorization number of the approved
nonprofit organization. Pieces mailed at the
Nonprofit Standard Mail prices must meet the general standards for
Standard Mail (243.2.0
for letters,
343.2.0 for flats,
443.2.0 for parcels) and the standards specific to any other
discount or price claimed.
Qualified organization: the
organization is not organized for profit, and none of its net income
inures to the benefit of any private stockholder or individual. Types of
organizations that may qualify (703.1.2):
religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic, agricultural, labor,
veterans, and fraternal. Voting registration officials and national and
state political committees may be qualified without regard to their
nonprofit status.
Ineligible
nonprofit organizations (703.1.4):
service, social, and hobby clubs; citizens' and civic improvement
associations; state, county, and municipal governments are generally not
eligible.
Eligible and ineligible
matter:
-
Prohibitions and restrictions: Nonprofit
prices are not permitted for mailing promotional material
for credit cards, and promotional material for insurance
policies, and travel arrangements is restricted. Authorized
organizations may not let any other person or organization
use their authorizations to mail at Nonprofit
Standard Mail prices.
-
Cooperative mailings: mailable at
Nonprofit Standard Mail prices only if
each cooperating organization is individually authorized to
mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail prices
where the mailing is deposited.
Authorizations:
PS Form 3624
with supporting documentation is required to be submitted and approved
prior to mailing at Nonprofit Standard Mail prices;
PS Form 3623 is
required for any additional mailing office without
PostalOne! access.
Annual presort mailing fee:
$180.00. Destination price eligibility: standards in
246 for letters,
346 for flats, or
446 for parcels.
Name and return address on
outside of mailpiece must be that of the authorized organization;
pseudonyms or bogus names of persons or organizations prohibited (703.1.5).
All matter mailed at Nonprofit Standard Mail prices
must identify the authorized organization. The authorized organization's
name and return address must appear in at least one of two places: on
the outside of the mailpiece or in a prominent place on the material
mailed.
Physical Standards
Same as Standard Mail
generally; some restrictions on promotional material (703.1.6).
See Quick Service Guide for
the specific type of matter you wish to mail.
Mail Preparation
See Quick Service Guide for
the specific type of matter you wish to mail.
Marking: "Nonprofit
Organization" or "Nonprofit" or "Nonprofit
Org."
Postage statement: See
individual Quick Service Guides.
Identification: The name and
return address of the authorized nonprofit
organization must be either on the outside of the mailpiece or in a
prominent location on the material being mailed (703.1.5).
For mail preparation graphic,
see the appropriate Quick Service Guide.
For specific prices and
preparation standards, see the following Standard Mail Quick Service
Guides:
240a, Nonmachinable Letters
240b, Machinable Letters
240c, Automation Letters
240d, Enhanced Carrier Route Letters
340a, Nonautomation Flats
340b, Automation Flats
340c, Enhanced Carrier Route Flats
440a, Machinable Parcels
440b, Irregular Parcels
440c, Enhanced Carrier Route Irregular Parcels
440d, Not Flat-Machinable Pieces
Postage and Payment Methods
Precanceled stamp (604.3.0),
meter (604.4.0),
or permit imprint (604.5.0);
applicable conditions and restrictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Nonprofit Standard Mail?
A. Nonprofit
Standard Mail is printed matter such as pamphlets, newsletters, direct
mail, or merchandise that weighs less than 16 ounces and is eligible for
nonprofit prices mailed by an authorized
nonprofit organization.
Q. What can an authorized
organization mail at nonprofit prices?
A. An authorized organization can
mail only its own mail.
-
A product may be mailed at Nonprofit
Standard Mail prices only if it meets one of the following
requirements:
· The product must be a
low-cost item. "Cost" is based on the price paid by the
nonprofit organization to acquire the product, and not the sale
price. (At the beginning of each calendar year, the value of low cost is
adjusted for the cost of living (see
703.1.6.11 for current cost)).
· It must be a gift or
donation obtained by your organization at no cost or,
· It must be a periodical
publication of a nonprofit organization. (If any
eligible product contains advertising, it is also subject to the
information provided below.)
Q. What types of advertising
are not eligible?
A. The following types of
advertising are not eligible:
-
Any advertisements that promote credit, debit, or charge
cards are always prohibited at Nonprofit
Standard Mail prices.
-
Advertising that promotes or offers any insurance policy
is ineligible for Nonprofit Standard Mail
prices, unless it is promoted to members, donors,
supporters, or beneficiaries of the authorized mailer and
provided the policy coverage is not generally, otherwise,
commercially available.
-
Advertising or announcements that promote the
availability of any travel arrangement are ineligible unless
the arrangement is promoted to members, donors, and
supporters of the organization, and the reason for the
travel must contribute substantially to the
organization's qualifying purpose.
Q. How can I make sure my
newsletter meets the content requirements of a Periodicals publication?
A. To meet those requirements, a
newsletter must:
-
Have a title printed on the front cover.
-
Consist of printed sheets and not be reproduced by
stencil, mimeograph, or hectograph processes.
-
Contain an identification statement within the first
five pages. This statement must include the title; issue
dates; publication frequency; name and address of the
organization; issue number; International Standard Serial
Number, if applicable, and the subscription price, if
applicable.
-
Have contents that are at least 25% non-advertising.
Q. I want to
hire a mailing house to print and mail my organization's newsletter. We are
authorized to use Nonprofit Standard Mail prices, but
the mailing house isn't. Is the mailing eligible for
Nonprofit Standard Mail prices?
A. As an organization authorized
to mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail prices, you can
use a commercial firm to prepare and present your mailing for you at
those prices. The issue is whether the arrangement is a legitimate
"principal-agent" relationship. If you are paying a fee to the mailing
house to prepare your mailing, and the mailing house has no other
interest in the mailing, it should be eligible for
Nonprofit Standard Mail prices. However, if the mailing house shares
in the advertising revenues, places its own advertisement(s) in the
mail piece at no cost, or at a discount, or will not receive any fees for
its services (reimbursement for expenses), the mail piece would probably
not be eligible for Nonprofit Standard Mail prices.
Under this arrangement, the mailing house now has a vested interest in
the mailing and is no longer functioning in an agent capacity.
For the specific DMM
standards applicable to this category of mail, consult the DMM sections
referenced above and the general sections within each DMM module.
Source: 703 Special Standards - Standard Mail—Nonprofit Eligibility |
