Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers

09/28/2025

The government’s previous attempts at postal service cuts were politically unpopular, but Canada Post’s dire financial situation has expedited them.

09/28/2025

In the wake of renewed strike action by Canada Post workers, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Saturday morning that “significant changes” need to be made to make it “viable” as an organization.

Mail came to a halt on Thursday evening as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) walked off the job in response to the federal government’s proposed changes to Canada Post.

During a press conference in London, Carney stated that the Crown Corporation is hemorrhaging money, but plans have been put forward to reduce losses.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada Post is losing $10 million a day and must change to be viable. The post office's striking union says that demand will cripple the service.

09/26/2025

Nonprofit mailers can exhale when it comes to postal rates for 2026, but just for the first half of the year. Prices for Market Dominant products, which includes First-Class Mail, will remain at current rates for at least the first half of 2026, the U.S. Postal Service announced. The price of a stam...

09/26/2025

Canada Post workers go on nationwide strike after government calls for reform

09/25/2025

US Postal Service won’t raise stamp prices in January
Bulk mailers say decision will prevent defections, volume declines
Eric Kulisch
·
Thursday, September 25, 2025

Key Takeaways:

Direct mail advertisers and nonprofit organizations are welcoming the United States Postal Service’s decision Wednesday not to raise stamp prices in January, breaking a string of twice-yearly price hikes.

The Postal Service announced it won’t change the price of first-class mail at the start of 2026. In July, the agency increased stamp prices to 78 cents from 73 cents. Over the past five years, first-class mail and marketing mail prices have increased more than 50%, while periodicals went up 67%.

New Postmaster General David Steiner made the decision not to increase prices on monopoly mail products, which was approved by the organization’s board of governors. Large mailers urged Steiner when he took office last summer to stop raising stamp prices on a regular basis, saying direct mail was becoming unaffordable for some businesses and hurting USPS revenues.

“We continually strive to balance our pricing approach both to meet the revenue needs of the Postal Service and to deliver affordable offerings that reflect market conditions,” Steiner said in a news release. “We have therefore decided at this time to forgo a price change for First-Class Mail postage and other Market Dominant services until mid-year 2026.”

Under an inflation-based formula approved by the Postal Rate Commission the Postal Service had the authority to raise stamp prices in January by 1.3%.

“We appreciate the common-sense approach taken by Postmaster General David Steiner, which will help the agency retain some mail volume that has been eroding badly in recent years. The USPS is a network that relies on a critical mass of volume to fund its fixed costs. While rate moderation will not solve all its problems, we believe that it is a vital component of a comprehensive set of solutions for our nation’s indispensable mail service,” the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers said in a statement.

The Postal Service lost $9.5 billion last year and was on track to lose about $7 billion for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

The USPS began the practice of raising prices every six months after the Postal Regulatory Commission granted the agency supra-inflationary rate authority in late 2020. Management has viewed the revenue from higher stamp prices as necessary to deal with annual losses and invest in parcel operations to keep up with private competitors. Earlier this year, at the urging of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers and other groups, the PRC began a review of its administrative decision to allow the extra rate authority. Under consideration is whether to limit pricing increases to once a year.

Mailers say semi-annual rate increases are very disruptive and costly for the mailing industry, rate-paying mailers, the USPS and regulators.

Write to Eric Kulisch at [email protected].

Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.

The U.S. Postal Service is putting a pause on stamp price hikes for the first time in six years.

09/25/2025

The US Postal Service Is Going Broke
America’s Postal Service turned 250 years old this year. Does it have a future?

Policymakers on Capitol Hill should promptly start a conversation about the Post Office that centers on two questions: What, if anything, do Americans want from the USPS in the 21st century, and how will we pay for it? Legislators should make these inquiries outside of Washington, DC, where they can...

09/24/2025

Postal Rates Won’t Jump Until July 2026

Paul Clolery
The NonProfit Times
September 24, 2025

Postal Service Seeks $10 Billion From CARES Act

Nonprofit mailers can exhale when it comes to postal rates for 2026, but just for the first half of the year.

Prices for Market Dominant products, which includes First-Class Mail, will remain at current rates for at least the first half of 2026, the U.S. Postal Service announced. The price of a stamp to mail a one ounce, single-piece First-Class letter will not increase during the period.

This is a unique move for the USPS, which has had large price increases between January 2021 and January 2026. It was 51.5% for marketing mail, 52% for first class and 67.3% for periodicals.

That means the nonprofit rates will also remain at current levels, according to Stephen Kearney, executive director, the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

“This important decision by the new Postmaster General David Steiner, and the USPS Governors, will help many nonprofit organizations mail more than they would have been able to otherwise,” Kearney told The NonProfit Times. “As a result, many will raise more funds, sign up more members, and start more subscriptions. Of course, the goal of all this is to enhance the critical missions of nonprofits throughout the U.S.”

Kearney explained that the largest test will come in April 2026 when the USPS usually files its July rate plans. “Unless the Postal Regulatory Commission changes its rules, the USPS will have about 5% rate authority for letters and 7% plus for magazines and large envelopes. The estimated authority is based on a projected 3% Consumer Price Index, a 2% ‘mail density’ reward for lower volume, and a 2% surcharge for ‘non-compensatory’ postal products,” said Kearney.

The recommendation by Steiner to hold the rates steady was accepted by the USPS board of governors. “We continually strive to balance our pricing approach both to meet the revenue needs of the Postal Service and to deliver affordable offerings that reflect market conditions,” Steiner said via a statement. “We have therefore decided at this time to forgo a price change for First-Class Mail postage and other Market Dominant services until mid-year 2026.”

The Postal Service continues to work on its strategic 10-year plan, the so-called Delivering for America plan, and executing on its mission “to provide a nationwide, integrated network for the delivery of mail and packages at least six days a week in a cost-effective and financially sustainable manner over the long term, just as the U.S. Congress intended and the law requires,” according to the announcement from the USPS.

Nonprofit mailers can exhale when it comes to postal rates for 2026, but just for the first half of the year. Prices for Market Dominant products, which includes First-Class Mail, will remain at current rates for at least the first half of 2026, the U.S. Postal Service announced. The price of a stam...

09/23/2025

As Delivering for America proceeds, bipartisan lawmakers create caucus focused on improving postal operations

New Postmaster General David Steiner has previously said that he would continue his predecessor’s postal modernization plan, which members of both parties have criticized.

09/23/2025

Snowy Scenes Grace New USPS Forever Stamps

USPS debuts Winter Landscapes Forever stamps at INDYPEX, showcasing snowy scenes for Southern Maryland’s holiday mail.

09/22/2025

The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers Board of Directors greatly appreciates new Postmaster General David Steiner meeting with us at our September 18, 2025, meeting at Disabled American Veterans. We look forward to working with Mr. Steiner and his team!

L to R: Brian Horting, AARP, Tracey Burgoon, DAV, Jerry Mathis, St. Jude, Sandra Miao, National Wildlife Federation, Kathy Siviter, incoming Executive Director, David Steiner, Stephen Kearney, retiring Executive Director, James Asselmeyer, Guideposts, Eric Berman, General Counsel. Also attending remotely: Michelle Vargas, MBA, Wounded Warrior Project, Debra Visco, New England Journal of Medicine, and Steven Schiavone, Consumer Reports.

09/22/2025

Kathy will do a great job for Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers members, and indeed all nonprofits.

A leadership transition is underway at the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.

09/22/2025

A leadership transition is underway at the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.