Bulk Mailings: PVSWiki

Table of Contents

When doing a bulk mailing, you must be organized or else things will get very confusing very quickly.

Planning

Determine if it's more efficient to mail in-house or out-of-house. It can be more cost-effective to mail in-house for smaller mailings (under 5,000 pieces) if resources are available for preparing the mailings. Secure a printer if necessary.
Determine if you will use a list broker or if you will use an in-house directory as a data file. Secure a list broker if necessary
Determine if you will use a designer for the mailing (sometimes provided by the mail house). Secure a designer if needed
Create a calendar

Standard Components of Fundraising Appeals

Richard has traditionally written and coordinated fundraising appeals. The basic parts to any mailing are the Carrier Envelope, Letter/Brochure, and remit slip/ envelope. First draft materials are given to the Development Director to look over for grammar/ spelling errors. Consult the Membership "bibles" of past mailings for ideas.

A. Letters/Brochures

The main fundraising letter has been in a variety of formats; a standard 8" x 11" letter, a 5" x 8" loose-leaf letter with pictures and/or graphics, or a tri-fold brochure style with a tear-off reply form. The text of a fundraising letter is dependent on its purpose. If it is a new solicitation some standard language is used. If it is an appeal to members for additional funds, language about Vote Smart's mission, or the upcoming projects we need help funding may be discussed. Renewal letters might talk about some of the past year's accomplishments. Again, consult the Membership "Bibles" of past mailings for content and language.

B. "Remit Slip" or other response device

With every mailing that goes out, there should be included a reply form of some sort ("Buck Slip" is the industry term) to both help identify the source of income and the person's donating information. The form should contain fields for the member to fill out (Contact Information requested includes Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Phone, E-mail; You also need boxes to check for the amount of the donation as well as type of payment - Check or Credit Card with a line for the credit card # and expiration date), mail code, as well as options for available PVS materials, information, services needed, etc. The specific design will depend on the nature for which the funds are being asked. It is also recommended that the following two sentences or some version of them is on the return card somewhere, provided that there is sufficient room: 1) All contributions are 100% tax deductible. and 2) The Project never sells or shares member information. Consult previous mailings from the Membership Bibles for examples.

C. Envelopes

All membership mailings consist of two envelopes; a carrier envelope, the size of which is obviously determined by the size of the letter/brochure (usually a #10 or a 6 x 9/C5) and a courtesy reply envelope that is 6" size or a #9 that is one size down from a #10 and will fit inside both a #10 and a C5.

Our logo used on all envelopes, with the address on the back flap. (It is cheaper to keep it on the same side).

D. Solicitation Codes

Every membership mailing that is sent out must have a solicitation code so that it can be easily determined from where the funds came. Work with the mailer to create a code. Note that you will want a separate code for each group of people you want to track. Ex. CRN3-17: Members who have renewed. NRN3-17: Members who have not renewed.

How to Create a New Solicitation Code in DonorPerfect:

In the top right hand gear box, select "Code Maintenance" from the dropdown menu.
Select "Show only" and change it to "solicitation." Check the box that says "hide inactive codes. This will show you all of your active solicitation codes.
Look at previously created solicitation codes and mimic their format for the code you are about to create. This format should be followed for consistency.
Here is an example of the correct format and the pieces of info you MUST have:

Code: 17-1
Description: RN-1-17 Program #1 Renewal 2017
Date: 11/30/2016 (The Drop date of the mailing)
Total Mailed: 14265 (This is how many people are in the file you sent to the printer)
Printing Costs: $6,365.00 (You will know this number when you get the invoice from John. Make sure to add any postage we previously paid to the amount due on the invoice)

* It is important to input these pieces of information because they will be pulled when you create the standard weekly report. Do not worry about any of the other fields.

To create the new code, select the "Add" box.
When you save the new code, make sure that when you go to do data entry nothing appears strange looking.

E. Other enclosures

There are times when additional materials are included in a mailing, such as a speaking tour schedule or a press release. These will become part of the total mailing package and will increase the total cost.

Decide on Postage

Because Vote Smart operates on a shoestring budget, most mailings that go out from the office are sent via USPS, using the nonprofit bulk mail procedures. In order to get the bulk rate, a mailing must go out the same day and have at least 200 pieces of the same size and weight. If you are close but not at 200 pieces, you should combine this mailing with another (if possible) or send "dummy mail" addressed back to Vote Smart. We include "nonprofit precanceled stamps" that we purchase for 5 cents a stamp, on the mail package to give the illusion of being a more personal piece of mail.

In some cases, it may be desirable to use first-class postage even if you have close to or above 200 pieces to mail.
The advantages of first-class mail:

It usually gets to the recipient faster
It looks less like a mass-mailing, and more personal.
We will get notifications back if the mail does not get delivered.

When sending mail to priority contacts or if there are time concerns, this may be preferable despite the increased up-front costs. Also, if sending postcards, the cost difference may not be worth using the bulk mail rate.

Prepare Data Files

See the Exporting Mail Files wiki for more info on pulling the file of our members. Remember: The Vote Smart mailing list is never to be given out to anyone. We do not sell, give, or exchange our list with anyone or any organization. We also do not give out individual names or contact information to any of our members.

If working with a list broker, they will supply the data file, but it may need clean up prior to a mail merge

Out-of-House Mailings

Advanced Prep

Secure a printing house, list broker (for prospecting mailings), and a designer, if necessary. Mutually agree on a price and schedule for the mailings.

Schedule for producing bulk mailings

For any mailings being produced out-of-house it is best to set up a timeline. The print shop or mail-house likes to have the art and data with ample time for corrections and correspondence - roughly 2-3 weeks. In addition, if lists are being purchased that is added time that needs to be factored in.

Ideally you will want to create a schedule for all of your mailings that takes the following steps into account:

Ask for specific instructions	Approve Estimate	Request letter from RK	Receive 1st draft of letter	Approve mailing package	Data file to printer	Drop date
4 Weeks from drop date	TBA	4 weeks from drop date	3 weeks from drop date	2 weeks from drop date	1 week from drop date	Drop date

Tracking mailing costs

Keep a folder for each mailing. Include all correspondence with contractors as well as all the quotes and copies of invoices. Once the mailing has been "dropped" (put in the mail) and all outstanding costs have been accounted for, calculate the total cost of the mailing and enter it in Donor Perfect under a new mail code as explained earlier. Costs include the following: Art design (if done out of house), materials, processing, postage. Include postage costs for mailings samples, mailing cost of overruns, etc. Anything that costs money needs to be included if it is a part of the mailing.

When the invoice comes in, make sure to add the total cost of the mailing into the solicitation code in DonorPerfect. Also, look over the invoice to make sure that all of the charges match up with what you were quoted, and that the correct amount of people were mailed. It is important that we do NOT overpay for mailings, and any mistakes are quickly noticed.

In-House Mailings

Within the Development department, Thank You Mailings, Material Requests, and other smaller mailings are typically done in-house.

Advanced Prep

Make sure you have enough inventory for your mail package, which may include: stamps, letterhead, paper, cardstock, envelopes of the right size, label sheets, other enclosures
Ensure you have enough mail trays, sleeves and slips to finish your mailing.
Ensure you will have the staff, interns, or volunteers needed to assemble the mailing (typically 3-8 people, depending on your needs).
Inform, at least one day prior, every Director that you have a mailing to print in order to avoid printing conflicts.

Mail Merge Data Files into Forms

Mail Merges in Microsoft Office
Mail Merges in Open Office

Printing and Assembly Prep

Print letters and envelopes, if necessary.
Print any additional components of mail package that have not already been done (including enclosures). This may include, but is not limited to: brochures, VSDMs, reply cards.
For postcards printed on cardstock (such as "red cards", use a paper cutter to divide them (a great task for a volunteer)
For letters requiring hand-signing, have someone(s) go through and sign all the letters first; use blue ink only and make sure they are informed of signing policies

Set-Up Assembly Line

On the conference table, set up the stacks of materials in the order that they will be assembled, including stamps and envelope sealers/glue sticks. If there is quite a bit to mail, or you are pushing against a deadline, you may find it useful to establish two assembly lines, but make sure you closely monitor both. Typically three to four people per assembly line has been the standard. Put together the first recipient's mail package without sealing the envelope. Weigh it to make sure it meets the weight requirement for the postage you are using, and have your supervisor do one last check to ensure everything is right. Be sure to read the letter and make sure we're enclosing all that we say we are enclosing

Be especially careful to not mix letters, envelopes, and enclosures of different form letters (using part of a post-it note with the thank you # or other designation on it is the best way to separate letters and envelopes in the tray).

At this point, you should gather your volunteers and interns for assembly. Whenever possible, it is highly recommended to have at least one staff member per group, preferably checking labels against letters and checking that the correct enclosures are included. If you cannot spare a staff member, try to use interns who have worked on previous mailings. This will not prevent all such errors so regardless, experienced staff should check on the process frequently. Don't assume mailings are mindless and that anyone can do them. There are lots of things that can go wrong with them if they are not adequately supervised. The most common problem arising during mailings is errors will be made such as placing the wrong letters in envelopes, forgetting to include a key enclosure, and either not stamping or not labeling postcards.

To all people involved in the mailing, explain what they are doing and why

a. We cannot cut corners on thank you mailings because things are done for a reason.
b. Improvements and modifications to policy will likely be applied to the next thank you, not the current one, after a thoughtful and thorough discussion amongst those involved with the thank you process.

Keep in mind that different people go at different speeds, so you will need to be flexible. It is typically a good idea to use the assembly line so there can be checks performed in the process. You should have a staff member or very reliable intern check the name and address on the envelope/address label against those on the letter/red card and to make sure the appropriate enclosures are included. Errors with Development mailings will send both personal and sensitive information to the wrong person and will inevitably cost us money in lost donations from angry members.

If systematic errors are identified the mailing may need to be redone in it's entirety, salvaging previously-used materials if possible/expedient and if not damaged.

Nonprofit Bulk Rate Mailings

(Consult the USPS web site for complete bulk mailing practices.) Nearly all of the Vote Smart's in-house bulk mailings are letters. They may include VSDM's or brochures. But they'll still be considered a 'Basic Letter', and you must always have at least 200 pieces.

From time to time the US Postal Service changes their procedures for bulk mailing. It is recommended that the USPS web site be consulted routinely to ensure Vote Smart is doing things correctly and cheaply.

Count the number of total pieces to verify against the number your records show you have going out. A discrepancy of a piece or two is normal, if it is in the tens, you may have to recount.
Complete the proper USPS Postage Statement Form and make a copy for your records and a copy for the office manager to put with the check stub.
Put a cardboard sleeve on each of the trays.
Obtain a check from the Office Manager for the amount of the mailing.
Take trays and check to the post office

First class mail

For first class mail, you will simply put the mail in the outgoing mail bin, or take it to the Post Office.

PVSWiki : BulkMailAssembly