Here at PMG, we’re always paying attention to what the USPS is doing, how it’s being impacted by Congress, changes happening internally and of course postal rates. We do this to help our clients. After all, our business is direct mail and without the post office, where would we be?
More often than not, the commentary and reports about the postal service are negative. But, sometimes we need to look at the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. That’s what our friends at the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers have done in a recent post, Ten Reasons to be Optimistic About USPS in 2016.
Our favorite three reasons to be optimistic about the USPS are #1, #4 and #10.
#1 – USPS finances have stabilized. In the first two months of FY 2016 (October and November) the USPS’s net operating income was positive, breaking the two year trend of enduring operating losses.
#4 – USPS management is improving delivery service. This is certainly good news for mailers who have endured longer delivery times as a result of the January 2015 mail processing network consolidation. We’re happy to report that we’re seeing a return of quicker and more predictable delivery times for our clients who use mail tracking.
#10 – Print on paper continues to be an effective, important part of our society. This one is probably our favorite! People are always predicting the doom, gloom and death of direct mail; but we (and you) know that direct mail is an integral part of any organization’s fundraising strategy. Without direct mail fundraising, nonprofits would not be able to raise enough funds to complete their missions. Any organization that has chosen to drop or lessen direct mail has suffered debilitating loss of revenue and is quickly embracing the medium again.
With a new year ahead of us, it’s time to look at our industry with a half-full perspective and reinvest in the fundraising power of direct mail, let us know if we can help.
Read all ten reasons here. Drink up!
