Urgent – Stop the Postal Rate Increase – Must act by Sept 20

in Fundraising,News

UPDATE – September 30, 2010

Today the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) denied a Postal Service request for an average 5.6 percent rate increase.  This is big news for the nonprofit sector and all businesses that rely on direct mail as a viable revenue source.

The full announcement on the failed rate increase is found in the PRC’s press release.  Here is an excerpt from that press release:

“The Commission found that the Postal Service failed to justify rate increases in excess of its statutory CPI price cap.”

“Commission analysis confirms that the Postal Service’s cash flow problem is not a result of the recession and would have occurred whether or not the recession took place. lt is the result of other, unrelated structural problems and the proposed exigent rate adjustments would neither solve nor delay those problems.”

# # # End of 9-30-10 update

 

There is hope.  There’s an EASY way for your nonprofit to help stop the next 5.6% rate increase with the U.S. Postal Service.  But the deadline for acting is Monday, September 20th.

I received an email this morning which I’ve included in this post (see below). The email alerted me to this opportunity which I’m sharing with you.  Again, it’s an EASY way for nonprofits to take positive action.

Here’s the point: If you act today or Monday (Sept. 20 is the last day), you just might be able to help stop the postal increase. 

Direct mail results in the lion’s share of fundraising dollars.  This increase directly impacts your budget, and reduces the funds available to execute your mission.

What to do:

  1. Read the letter that the Direct Marketing Association NonProfit Federation (DMANF) has drafted.  It will be ent to Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Ruth Goldway.  Oh, and you do NOT have to be a member of DMANF to respond.  Any nonprofit can add their voice to the effort.
  2. If you agree with the letter then send Christopher Quinn an email.

–  Christopher Quinn, CQuinn@the-dma.org

– Tell Christopher Quinn you learned of the letter from the DMAW

Ask him to add your organization’s name to the letter

– Do this today, but no later than Monday the 20th of September

Good luck! And below is a copy of the email I received this morning:

Good morning, Karen,

You may or may not know that the Postal Service on July 6 put forth a request to the Postal Regulatory Commission to raise rates an average of 5.6%.  Obviously, industry groups are working diligently to have this request denied.

When Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Ruth Goldway spoke at our June Monthly luncheon, she encouraged each of us to write to her individually and collectively to support our case for dismissing this request.

Recently, if you are a member of the DMA NonProfit Federation, you received an email from Christopher Quinn asking you to read a letter and write directly to him saying he can put your organization’s name on the letter supporting the denial of this increase.  Here is the letter for your review:  DMA Nonprofit Federation Letter to the Postal Regulatory Commission.

I would like to ask, that if you support what is written in the DMANF letter and are a member of the DMANF, then please write directly to Christopher Quinn (CQuinn@the-dma.org) and let him know that he can add your organization’s name to the letter.

If you are not a member of the DMANF, and agree with dismissing the postal increase, still write to Christopher Quinn!  Let him know that you learned about his letter from the DMAW and you would like to have your organization’s name added.

We are running out of time – you need to let Christopher know by Monday, Sept. 20.

We all know the effect a postal increase will have on our marketing campaigns.  So please take this important step that will take less than 5 minutes. It will impact all of us.

Thank you,
Donna Tschiffely
DMAW Executive Director
 

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