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A reduced Standard Mail (A) bulk rate of postage is available for eligible organizations that have received authorization and whose individual mailings meet the additional eligibility rules that apply to Nonprofit Standard Mail. This Nonprofit Standard Mail rate provides authorized organizations an opportunity to realize significant savings in postage compared with that charged at the regular Standard Mail (A) bulk rates.
The U.S. Congress authorized these reduced rates in 1951 and determined the categories of organizations eligible for these rates (see 2-2). Later legislation extended these privileges, adding other categories of organizations that may mail at these rates and restrictions on what may be mailed.
Publication 417 discusses eligibility, authorization, and mailing rules for the Nonprofit Standard Mail rates. Publication 417 is organized as follows:
· Chapter 2 explains the categories of organizations that are eligible and those that are generally ineligible to mail at the Nonprofit Standard Mail rates.
· Chapter 3 explains how to request authorizations to enter mail at the Nonprofit Standard Mail rates at the post offices where mailings are to be deposited.
· Chapter 4 explains how to determine whether an individual mailing meets the general requirements for mailing at the Nonprofit Standard Mail rates.
· Chapter 5 explains how to apply the "cooperative mail" rule, which prohibits mailings by or in behalf of an unauthorized entity at the Nonprofit Standard Mail rates. This chapter also discusses the application of these rules to the mailings of political committees and how to identify Nonprofit Standard Mail mailings.
· Chapter 6 explains how to apply the specific content-based restrictions to Nonprofit Standard Mail mailings. These restrictions are generally targeted at products and at mailings that contain material promoting or advertising products and services.
· Appendix A contains four case studies applying the content-based restrictions.
· Appendix B contains questions and answers about the content-based restrictions.
· Appendix C discusses legal issues and Internal Revenue Service rules.
· Appendix D provides guidelines on how substantially related advertising may apply to four types of organizations.
· Appendix E contains copies of the two application forms for requesting authorizations to mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail rates:
- PS Form 3624, Application to Mail at Nonprofit Standard Mail Rates.
- PS Form 3623, Application for Nonprofit Standard Mail Rates at Additional Mailing Office.
You can obtain these publications on designing reply mail and postal addressing from your postal business center or local post office:
· Publication 353, Designing Reply Mail. This publication shows mailers how to design reply pieces.
· Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards. This publication shows mailers how to use standardized formats for addressing their mail for optimal service. The many examples, charts, and list of addressing abbreviations enhance the explanations and instructions in the publication.
You can order copies of the Domestic Mail Manual, which contains postal standards for domestic mail, from the U.S. Government Printing Office by writing to this address for subscription prices:
NEW ORDERS
SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS
US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
PO BOX 371954
PITTSBURGH PA 15250-7954
TELEPHONE: 202-783-3238
You can also order electronic versions of the Domestic Mail Manual from these two vendors licensed by the Postal Service:
GLOBAL VILLAGE PUBLISHING INC
1101 KING ST STE 190
ALEXANDRIA VA 22314-2944
TELEPHONE: 1-800-394-4874
WINDOW BOOK INC
300 FRANKLIN ST
CAMBRIDGE MA 02139-3708
TELEPHONE: 1-800-370-2410