Nonprofit Postage Rates

Learn whether your nonprofit mailings or those of your clients qualify for non-profit postage rates.
Mailing Services Staff Writer Pitney Bowes
05/28/2021 Postage Savings

Does your organization qualify for non-profit postage rates?

According to the Alliance of Non-profit Mailers, non-profit mailings account for ten percent of all US mail volume. The USPS® returns the favor by offering qualified organizations non-profit postage rates. If your non-profit organization or non-profit clients qualify, you can save substantially on sending Periodicals and USPS Marketing Mail®.

Eligible non-profits

The IRS and the USPS use different criteria to determine non-profit status. Qualifying as a tax-exempt organization does not guarantee that you qualify to mail at non-profit rates.

Organizations that the USPS generally considers eligible for non-profit postage rates include:

  • Agricultural
  • Educational
  • raternal
  • Labor
  • Philanthropic
  • Religious
  • Scientific
  • Veterans
  • Some political committees

Who doesn’t qualify for non-profit postage rates?

  • Individuals
  • Business leagues
  • Chambers of commerce
  • Social, hobby and other types of clubs
  • Trade associates
  • Certain political organizations

You can verify if your organization qualifies by completing and submitting PS Form 3624, Application to Mail at Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail Prices, available online or at your local Post Office.

Non-profit organization workers planting trees

How to prepare non-profit mail

After your application has been approved, you have to make sure your non-profit mailings are compliant with USPS requirements.

Mail sent at non-profit postage rates follows the same guidelines as any USPS Marketing Mail, with two important exception:

  1. The words Nonprofit Organization, Nonprofit Org, or Nonprofit must appear in the postage itself or printed on the mail piece next to the postage area.
  2. The name and address of the non-profit organization must appear on the outside of the piece or be featured prominently in its contents.

Other than that, non-profit mail is sorted, prepared and delivered the same way as regular USPS Marketing Mail—only at non-profit postage rates.

Non-profit postage rates

No matter how small, every increase in postage rates impacts a non-profit’s budget and ability to reach supporters and donors. To ensure you’re up-to-date on the most recent rates you can calculate your nonprofit postage on the USPS website. Or you can engage with a presort service provider who will offer you the opportunity to save even more.

Save even more with Presorted Non-profit Mail

Keeping up with the latest non-profit postage rate changes is important to an organization’s budget, but so is taking steps to reduce the costs of non-profit mailings. Presorting service providers can help non-profits do both.

Postage discounts are compounded for non-profits if mail is presorted by ZIP™ Code, saving the USPS the time and trouble. Maximum savings for non-profits and those that serve them are gained when mail from multiple clients is pooled together or “commingled” by a presorting service provider to help meet minimums for discounts. Explore Presort Services.