Printing for nonprofits: appeal letters, newsletters, signage and nonprofit postage

The year in print

Most nonprofits print the same set of pieces every year: one or two appeal mailings, a newsletter, an annual report, event invitations and programs, signage for a gala or a 5K, and letterhead and envelopes for the office. Plan them together. Paper, envelopes and design templates that serve all of them save money and time, and the organization looks consistent.

Appeal letters

A typical appeal package is a letter, a reply card or reply slip, a reply envelope and an outer envelope. The letter tells one story and makes one ask. The reply card repeats the ask with giving levels and a place for the donor's details.

• Personalize the letter and reply card with the donor's name and, where you have it, their last gift.
• Print the reply card so it fits the reply envelope without folding it twice.
• Use a business reply envelope or a plain return envelope, and check the current USPS rules for business reply mail if you use one.
• Keep the outer envelope simple. A return address and a short line of teaser copy is plenty.
• Mail early enough that it arrives well before any deadline you mention, such as year-end giving.

Newsletters

A printed newsletter keeps donors and members connected between asks. An 11 x 17 sheet folded to 8.5 x 11 makes four pages and mails flat or folded. Self-mailers with an address panel skip the envelope. Larger issues can be saddle stitched in multiples of four pages.

Put stories about the people you help ahead of internal news, and include a way to give in every issue.

Event signage

Keep the main banner free of dates so it serves next year too, and put the year and sponsors on cheaper pieces you replace each time. Collect sponsor logos as vector files early: chasing them is often the slowest part of the job.

• Retractable banner stands for the entrance and registration table.
• Vinyl banners for outdoor events, mesh where it is windy.
• Sponsor boards or banners with every sponsor's logo at agreed sizes.
• Yard signs on coroplast for directions and parking.
• Programs, bid sheets and table cards for galas and auctions.

Nonprofit Marketing Mail basics

USPS offers lower nonprofit prices for USPS Marketing Mail to organizations that are authorized to use them. Authorization is not automatic and is not the same as IRS tax-exempt status. An organization applies to USPS with PS Form 3624, Application to Mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail Prices, usually at the post office where it will mail, with supporting documents. USPS decides eligibility based on the type of organization and how it operates.

Even once authorized, the nonprofit prices come with rules. There are restrictions on mailing on behalf of other organizations and on some kinds of advertising content, and the usual Marketing Mail requirements apply, including a minimum quantity per mailing and address quality standards. A permit imprint account or other postage payment method is also needed. All of these change from time to time. Check with USPS or the USPS Postal Explorer site for the current rules before you plan a mailing around nonprofit prices.

Using a mailing department

If your organization is authorized, a print shop's mailing department can prepare the mailing under your nonprofit authorization: addressing from your list, presorting, bundling and paperwork. Bring your authorization details and permit information when you request the quote. Commercial Printing Services runs mailing and fulfillment in-house, so the appeal can go from press to mail without a second vendor.

Stretching the budget

• Print a year of letterhead and envelopes at once, plain enough to use for every campaign.
• Use one or two standard sizes so pieces share paper and press setups.
• Ask whether a version change can run digitally instead of a whole new run.
• Clean your mailing list before each mailing. Every undeliverable piece is wasted print and postage.