If you’re sending out direct mail to announce the launch of your weekly services, save $530 and don’t open a church bulk mail permit (but still get all the benefits using this secret).

There are two permits required to get the lowest postage rate for your church plant’s mailing:

1. the church bulk mail permit
2. the nonprofit pricing classification

Any business or organization can open their own bulk mail permit (account), but it costs $265 to apply and another $265 each year (find current pricing here).

The secret trick is that the bulk mail permit doesn’t have to belong to you.

Pros of Not Having a Church Bulk Mail Permit

There are several direct mail vendors that specialize in helping churches. They each have their own bulk mail permit, so you just piggyback on theirs. You still need your own nonprofit pricing classification, but they’re already paying their own $225 a year so you don’t have to.

This is a no-brainer. You don’t want to print and prepare your own direct mail anyway. It requires way too much work and industry knowledge that you don’t have time to learn. The only thing the $530 really gets you is your own indicia (keep reading).

Let a vendor that specializes in church mailings do all the work. You’re already $530 ahead if you do, not to mention all the meetings you can have with people because you weren’t spending your ministry time preparing the mailing yourself. You have way more important things to be doing!

Cons of Not Having a Church Bulk Mail Permit

There is only one minor drawback that I’m aware of: the indicia (that non-stamp stamp thingy) has to be the vendor’s.

So instead of:

[your town] permit ##

…it would read:

[vendor’s town] permit ##

If you’re planting in Wisconsin but the vendor is in Hawaii, some recipients might get confused, but probably only the few detail-oriented people who will actually notice.

The good news is that the return address on the cards will be your church’s. In fact, it has to be.

If you can live with using their indicia to save $530, go this route. But remember, you still need to file for own nonprofit pricing classification.

More on Church Plant Postal Permits

• How Much Money CAN Church Plant Postal Permits Save You?
• How to Get a Church Nonprofit Authorization Number, including how to apply online
• If you’re going old school, Which USPS paper forms to file, plus filing tips