Without delving into too much of the minutia that should be left for most non profits legal council, some highlights of what is currently being discussed in the regulatory arena is as follows:

At the federal level Non Profits are being required to fill out a "new" IRS 4990 form. The substance of this form is not much different than its predecessor, but according to Robert Tigner, of the DMA Nonprofit Federation, it is just more structured.

Geoff Peters of CDR Fundraising Group testified in front of Congress the week of 1/14. Much of the testimony and related questions focused on the need for non profits to disclose to the consumers how their donations and money within the nonprofit are being spent. Congress is looking into "how donors are being misled".

It was hinted that if proper disclosure guidelines were not adhered to by organizations that they could potentially be disqualified from receiving non profit postage rates. This might impact costs of postage by as much as 30%. Mr. Peters recommends that Non Profits begin testing such disclosures ASAP.



On the postal front a new barcode with 31 digits will soon be required in order to qualify for postal discounts. Postal management, according to Carolyn Emigh (Principal of Nonprofit Services Group), has committed to giving the community 90 days notice of any price increases.

The bottom line is that Nonprofits are being asked to be provide info to consumers about how their money is spent and to be pro-active on the issue of giving consumers choices. For more info visit the DMA web site at www.the-dma.org or information on consumer choice www.dmaccc.org

Mike Kertelits, Account Executive, RMI Direct Marketing