Direct Mail

'The Biggest Sin Is Doing Nothing'
March 6, 2012

If you don't take the time to take action for the good of the sector, you are essentially condoning its deterioration. Heed Angel's advice. Do your part. Visit www.dmaaction.org and make your voice, your organization's voice, your beneficiaries' and donors' voices heard. Without your help, there will be organizations that suffer, people whose needs won't be met, and all the great work your organizations do will be weakened.

Postal Service Losses Continue in First Quarter
February 10, 2012

The U.S. Postal Service ended the first three months of its 2012 fiscal year (Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2011) with a net loss of $3.3 billion. Management expects large losses to continue until the Postal Service has implemented its network redesign and down-sizing and has restructured its health care program.

A Love Story in Words and Pictures
February 1, 2012

I tend to toss the lot of sameness into a basket to open and look through later, but there are a few rare exceptions — like everything I receive from Best Friends Animal Society. Those mailings are like a treat, an irresistible feast of cuteness and an infallible pick-me-up.

The Very Survival of Nonprofits Is Being Threatened
January 1, 2012

The Great Recession failed to destroy the strong fabric of nonprofit organizations in America. We buckled but did not break. But now our own government is threatening to do what even the disastrous economy couldn't: undermine the financial viability of nonprofits in America.

USPS plans unprecedented cuts to first-class mail next spring
December 5, 2011

The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service said Monday it is seeking to move quickly to close 252 mail processing centers and slow first-class delivery next spring, citing steadily declining mail volume. The cuts are part of $3 billion in reductions aimed at helping the agency avert bankruptcy next year. It would virtually eliminate the chance for stamped letters to arrive the next day, a change in first-class delivery standards that have been in place since 1971.

DMA Members Speak Out on Capitol Hill for 'DMA Hill Day'
November 17, 2011

Members of the Direct Marketing Association and DMA Nonprofit Federation headed to Capitol Hill with the DMA Government Affairs team to participate in DMA’s Postal Hill Day, meeting with key Congressional leaders to ensure that the interests of marketers are safeguarded as the postal reform debate heats up. 

DMA members from the nonprofit community traveled to express their concern with postal legislation issues. Nonprofit mailers highlighted the dire consequences they — and their beneficiaries — would experience if Congress fails to safeguard the nonprofit postal rate preference.

Postal Service Ends Fiscal Year 2011 With $5.1 Billion Loss
November 16, 2011

The U.S. Postal Service ended its 2011 fiscal year with a net loss of $5.1 billion. The year-end loss would have been approximately $10.6 billion had it not been for passage of legislation that postponed a congressionally mandated payment of $5.5 billion to pre-fund retiree health benefits.

Total 2011 mail volume declined by 3 billion pieces, or 1.7 percent, from 2010. The Postal Service’s largest and most profitable product, First-Class Mail, continued its year-over-year decline, from $34.2 billion in 2010 to $32.2 billion in 2011 (5.8 percent).