Business Reply Mail Step-by-Step

Business Reply Mail can be a nonprofit’s lifesaver. You, a savvy nonprofiteer, want to make it as easy as possible for the donor to give, so you want to include a pre-stamped envelope. But physically stamping or running each reply envelope through your mail machine is time-consuming. And of course, it can be a waste of money. You’ll have to pay for every stamp or metered envelope regardless of whether a donor ever sends the envelope back. You could spend hundreds of dollars and tons of staff time on stamps and only get a handful returned. Not a very good investment.

Enter Business Reply Mail (BRM). With a special permit, you can send Business Reply Envelopes (BRE) with your appeal. Your organization only pays for the envelopes it receives back. That means that while you may have sent out hundreds of appeal letters, even if you only receive two replies (I hope that’s not the case!) you only pay for two envelopes. There is an annual fee in order to receive and maintain your BRM permit. It’s currently $225/year, so the idea is that you hope your investment, $225 plus the cost of every returned envelope, yields better results than providing an envelope that donors will have to stamp themselves.

That’s exactly what I’m hoping now that I’m a Development Director at a small nonprofit. One of my first orders of business was to invest in the BRM permit and get envelopes printed so that we can send donor surveys and appeal letters. But guess what? The USPS website is pretty confusing. There’s no real “How To.” I decided to create this list so that others can avoid some of the pains that I had to go through to obtain a BRM permit. I hope this helps!

How to Apply for a Business Reply Mail Permit

1.     First assess the investment in BRM. As of 2018, the annual permit cost is $225. The cost per letter returned is $1.31 (47 cents for the stamp and 84 cents for the service). The cost for a returned postcard is $1.19 and any parcel over 1 oz. (less than 4 oz.) is $4.34. You can pay for the returned mail by either setting up an account with your local post office from which they will deduct the costs or just paying on delivery. There are also different costs for high volume BRM accounts. Check out all the pricing here.

2.     Will you need BRM or QBRM? QBRM is Qualified Business Return Mail, and I was told that it was for companies expecting to receive 1,000 or mail envelopes back a year. There are different costs associated with QBRM accounts. Check out all the pricing here.

3.     Once you decide that you want a BRM account or QBRM account, you have to fill out two applications. You need the same two applications whether you want a BRM or QBRM account; you’ll just specify the type in the paperwork. The first application is Form 3615. Form 3615 is the application to obtain a BRM permit number. The section you’ll want to focus on is section 4, where you indicate that you’re applying for a BRM or QBRM permit number. The second application is PS Form 6805. 6805 is the application to receive a special code called BRM Zip +4. Every business is given this special code that consists of your Zip code+4 unique numbers. The 4 unique numbers are NOT your 9-digit zip code. For example, if you are in New York City, you may have 9-digit zip code of 10001-1810, but the special BRM Zip+4 code you’ll receive after filling out this form may be something like 10001-5920. The last 4 digits are seemingly random, but they are unique to your business.

4.     Once you complete both applications, you can head to the main post office in your city. Your local post office likely does not create BRM accounts. Make sure to bring both applications, two forms of ID, and a check made out to the US Postal Service for $225 (to cover your annual fee).

5.     Go early. I’ve found that many postal workers who can help with BRM leave by 1:30 p.m. I actually went once only to find out the woman who can help has left for the day.

6.     Be patient. This is another reason I suggest going as early as possible: it took over two hours to obtain my BRM permit number. I was helped almost immediately, but the wonderful postal worker who helped me took two hours to send and obtain the information I needed to secure a permit number. It wasn’t her fault; it’s just a lengthy process.

7.     Note that you only receive a BRM permit code at the post office. Once you receive your permit code, you can pay the $225 fee for the year. Your permit is good for one year from your starting date. I left the post office and began designing my BRE only to panic when I realized I didn’t have my BRM Zip+4 code. This is because the postal workers who helped you have to submit the application and the code is created by…well I’m not sure who, but some centralized, amorphous postal code creator, probably. In order to receive your BRM Zip+4 code, you can call the MDA Support Center by dialing 855-593-6093, or by sending a request via email to [email protected]. Note that it can take up to 48 hours to generate your code.

8.     Once you receive your permit number and unique BRM Zip+4 code, you can design your BREs. USPS actually has a very handy envelope design center that will create the envelope mockup for you to send to your printer. This is helpful because the BRE has a lot of specifications. You don’t want to mess any of them up, so I highly suggest you use the USPS Automated Business Reply Mail app. In order to use the application, you’ll need:

a.      A Business Customer Gateway account. The account is free to set up. Just create a username and password and provide your company’s address. Agree to all the terms of service and you’ll enter the Business Gateway Service Center.

b.     You’ll need a valid Mailer ID (MID) if your business doesn’t already have one. My company already had one, so I didn’t have to request one. In order to see if your company has one, click on the Mailing Services tab on the left hand of your screen, and then click on Mailer ID. You’ll be taken to the home screen where you can search. Just type in your company name and if your company already has a valid Mailer ID, it will show up. If your company doesn’t have a valid Mailer ID, you need to click “Request MID” at the top. You can request a 6- or 9-digit Mailer ID (or one of both). I’m not sure what the difference is – my company had a pre-existing 6-digit MID, therefore I didn’t have to do this step to request. Once you fill out each part, click request MID, and again, I didn’t do this so I’m not sure if it returns your MID immediately or if you have to wait to receive an MID via email or by calling the MDA support center.

c.      Make sure you have your BRM permit number and BRM Zip+4 code. You’ll also need your business address and regular 9-digit zip code.

9.     Once you establish your Gateway account and gather all your codes and numbers, etc. It’s time to start designing your envelope! In your Gateway account, click on the Mailing Services Tab on the left side of your screen. The first option is Automated Business Reply Mail. Click on this. Enter all of your info (Company Name, Address, MID, Permit #, BRM Zip+4 Code) and how you want the envelope to look. You can add your company logo and you have three font options (Arial, Arial Narrow, and Times New Roman) and 3 font size options (10, 11, or 12). You can choose which envelope size you prefer. I highly recommend a size 9 envelope. Size 9 envelopes can fit inside a size 10 (standard) envelope. You’ll likely be using size 10 envelopes to send out your annual appeal letters. A size 9 allows you to fit the reply envelope right inside.

10. Click through following all the prompts, and you’ll finally get to download your envelope design! Save the PDF and print the design. I took the extra step of going to my local post office to ensure that the BRM met the standards, even though I designed the envelope with a USPS tool. If the design does not meet the standards, you can be charged extra! It’s worth it to double check.

11. Send the PDF of the design to the printer who does all your envelopes and request whatever quantity you’d prefer. You’ll also need to specify envelope size (again, I recommend a size 9), color, and seal type (glue or self-seal).

After that, you’re done! Once you receive the envelopes from your printer, you can begin sending them out with your appeal letters or surveys. They are easy for donors since they don’t have to stamp the BREs to return them. They’re easy and cost-effective for non-profits. I should mention, though, that sometimes development folks like to opt for real stamps. It gives the envelope less of an industrial/business feel and makes it seem like a more personal touch. That’s the only downside to a BRE, but if it means the difference between paying a ton for unreturned stamps or getting less donations because folks have to supply their own stamp, I think it’s worth it. In addition, the post office usually waits until you have a critical mass of BREs before delivering them to you. Perhaps they will wait until you have 5 envelopes or will hold it for a week before delivering. If you’re crunched for time, BREs may not be your best option.

12. There’s an optional step 12. As I mentioned earlier, there are 2 ways to pay for the envelopes you receive back. You can either establish a BRM account with your local post office or pay upon receipt. The first option, establishing a BRM account, is probably a little easier. You pre-fill the account and for every BRE you have returned, the post office just deducts the price from your account. So if you have $500 in your account, and you get 6 BREs returned at a price of $1.31/each, the USPS will just take the money out of your account before delivering your envelopes and you’d have $494.14 remaining in your account. I believe there is a small fee associated with opening this account. If you opt for this payment type, you will have to open the account and pre-pay.

The second option is to just pay upon receipt. Likely the post office will call you to let you know you have some BREs. You can go to the post office and pay the price there in a transaction before they give you the envelopes. If you opt for this payment plan, there is no additional step you need to take.

So… it took me 11 steps, several days, and more than one trip to the post office in the rain to figure this all out. I hope this centralized list of To-Dos helps someone else as they realize their nonprofit can benefit from a BRM!