Just about everybody knows that the postal rates went up recently, but it was only last week that I noticed that there’s a new 78-cent stamp featuring Mary Lasker, the pioneering philanthropist.  Last month, we used the 76-cent Edward Trudeau.  He was a phthisiologist, which I’m sure you all know is a physician who specializes in phthisiology.  (ok, ok, phthisiology is the care and treatment of tuberculoisis.  Sorry, Edward.)

But seriously, it’s good to see Mary Lasker on a stamp, and a nice coincidence that it’s the exact stamp we at Firstgiving use to send out welcome packets to our new NPO clients.  If that’s you and you haven’t received our little bundle of valuable info, tips, event planning worksheet, and success stories, get in touch with your account manager pronto.

But why, you ask, are we sending out paper packages when we’re the online fundraising company?  The simple answer is that when information is important, you might need to send it more than once or in more than one format.  Plus, different people digest information in different ways, so it’s always best to choose the right medium for each message and audience.

That said, with the price of postage going up and looking like it will keep doing so, we have to wonder what postal projects smart nonprofit fundraisers will put off or take online.  Can email fundraising ever completely replace paper fundraising, or will it just become the only cost-effective way?  Are you cutting back on postage by mailing less or mailing smarter?