Lending a Hand: How Oregon Helps Nonprofits Send Smarter Campaigns

Helping out local nonprofits is Oregon’s way of giving back to Dayton—and it’s been part of our heritage since the start.

We do more than just offer discounts to nonprofit groups. In fact, our work is so customized that offering a flat price cut to everyone wouldn’t make sense. Instead, we offer guidance and advice these groups might not be able to get otherwise.

Campaigns that work

A top priority for many nonprofits is fundraising. We want to help charitable groups keep as much money in their pockets as possible. This means helping them save on mailing wherever we can.

So we ask questions about nonprofits’ objectives, and then design campaigns to meet their needs. We also determine the best way to handle a nonprofit’s mailing list. Lists often contain duplicate or out-of-date entries, so we help nonprofits clean them up (after all, a bigger list isn’t better if it doesn’t reach the right people).

Staying organized and efficient

But maximum savings are about more than a great-looking flyer or a clean mailing list. They also require some technical know-how.

 One suggestion we make to all nonprofits we work with is that they obtain—and keep track of—the ID numbers needed to send bulk mailings through the post office. This helps nonprofits save money—and ensures mailers make it to mailboxes on time.

Here are the digits nonprofits need to know:

• Nonprofit Authorization Number (NPAN). This number saves nonprofits money on postage, allowing them to pay less than the bulk rate and far less than traditional mail. Groups must apply specifically for this designation—not just to the USPS but also to the specific post office they plan to use. Post offices often won’t provide this number readily, so it’s important for nonprofits to record NPANs in a safe place.

• Customer Registration Identification Number (CRID). A CRID number is required for anyone who sends bulk mail, not just nonprofits. It’s like an account number that links a group to the USPS. This number isn’t office-specific, but is still required for bulk mailing. 

• Permit Imprint (Indicia) Number. Some groups may want to maintain a custom indicia, a printed label that goes on a piece of mail that indicates postage payment. For large mailings, this is far more convenient than sticking a stamp on every piece. Imprint indicia must display the permit holder’s number, and are paid for using a checking account managed by the post office.

A permit imprint costs roughly $200 per year to maintain. If a group can’t handle this cost, there’s another option: Oregon can “ghost-transfer” a nonprofit’s NPAN to our own indicia. This saves nonprofits money on both application and annual mailing fees.

It’s a lot to keep straight, we know. That’s why we’re here. If you have questions about where to find your CRID number or how to save on print, get in touch with Oregon.

We want to help all of Dayton’s worthy nonprofits succeed. Why? Because we understand that when the tide rises, all the ships rise.