July 12th USPS Postage Increase: How It Will Affect Your Church
- John Squiric
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Beginning July 12, 2026, USPS postage rates will increase by about 5% for most nonprofit church mailings.
While no one welcomes higher postage costs, the actual impact on most church direct mail campaigns is surprisingly small—and it doesn't change one important fact:
Direct mail remains one of the most effective ways to invite new families to your church.
In fact, because some organizations will reduce or eliminate their direct mail after the rate increase, your church's postcard may receive even more attention in the mailbox. Less competition often means greater visibility, more engagement, and better response rates for churches that continue to mail consistently.
The Good News
The average increase for Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail is about 5% when your mailing is prepared correctly and qualifies for every available USPS discount.
That means using:
USPS Nonprofit Authorization
CASS-certified saturation mailing lists
USPS automation barcodes
USPS Saturation Mail
Entry at the USPS Sectional Center Facility (SCF) nearest your mailing area
When these best practices are followed, churches continue to receive the lowest postage rates USPS offers.
What This Means for Your Church
If you're mailing 6" × 9" full-color postcards—the most popular church direct mail format—the increase is surprisingly modest.
Why This Could Actually Help Your Church
When postage rates increase, many organizations respond by reducing or eliminating their direct mail campaigns.
That means fewer postcards competing for attention in the mailbox.
Churches that continue mailing consistently often enjoy increased visibility because their invitation stands out. Instead of competing with dozens of advertisements, your postcard has a better chance of being noticed and remembered.
For churches committed to reaching their community, this can actually translate into better response rates and more first-time visitors.
How Truth Advertising Keeps Your Postage Costs Low
At Truth Advertising, we use every available USPS discount to help churches keep mailing costs as low as possible.
We:
Purchase the newest CASS-certified saturation mailing lists.
Help churches obtain and maintain USPS Nonprofit Authorization.
Barcode every postcard to qualify for USPS automation rates.
Sort every mailing according to USPS specifications.
Deliver your mailing directly to the USPS Sectional Center Facility (SCF) nearest your mailing area to maximize postage discounts.
Our goal is simple:
Get your church the lowest USPS postage rate possible while producing the highest-quality direct mail campaign.
8 Ways Churches Can Offset the USPS Rate Increase
1. Make Sure Your Church Has USPS Nonprofit Authorization
If your church isn't mailing at approved nonprofit rates, you're spending far more than necessary.
A mailing of 10,000 postcards can cost approximately $1,400 more in postage if your church is not authorized for nonprofit mailing.
2. Mail Smarter, Not Wider
Avoid mailing neighborhoods outside your church's ministry area.
Our Neighborhood Prospector™ helps identify the homes most likely to respond so you can build highly targeted saturation routes.
3. Use USPS Saturation Routes
Saturation mail remains the lowest-cost way to reach an entire community and continues to provide the best value for church outreach.
4. Eliminate Low-Performing Routes
You know your community better than anyone.
Remove neighborhoods that historically produce little response and invest those postage dollars where they are more likely to generate visitors.
5. Remove Businesses and PO Boxes
Business addresses and PO Boxes rarely produce first-time guests.
Eliminating them reduces wasted postage and improves your return on investment.
6. Mail Consistently
Churches that mail monthly or quarterly almost always experience stronger long-term visitor growth than churches that mail only once or twice each year.
Consistency builds familiarity, trust, and recognition within your community.
7. Promote Events That Give People a Reason to Visit
Feature invitations to events such as:
Back-to-School Events
Fall Kickoff
Christmas Services
Easter Services
Vacation Bible School
Family Fun Days
Community Festivals
Concerts or Special Guest Speakers
8. Measure Every Campaign
Track your results with:
QR Codes
Custom Landing Pages
Text-to-Visit Numbers
Dedicated Phone Numbers
Knowing what works helps make every future mailing even more successful.
Truth Advertising Does It All
For more than 30 years, Truth Advertising has helped churches across America connect with their communities through affordable, effective direct mail.
From graphic design and printing to mailing lists, nonprofit authorization, inkjet addressing, USPS sorting, and mail entry, we manage every step of your campaign from start to finish.
Spend more make more? Interesting theory.