Use outside service bureau for ward mailing?

[RossEvans]

Unless my math is off, you'd have to send 667 pieces to break even. That's a minimum annual budget of at least $280. I can see that may not be cost effective for once a year.

I understand. But the numbers make it thinkable to mail more than once, which was less thinkable at First Class rates. For our ward, a typical mailing to households would be more than 500 pieces, even after excluding the move-outs and invalid addresses.

[lajackson]

Return Service, if the piece is undeliverable, it is NOT FORWARDED but is returned to you immediately with the new address or reason for non-delivery. I've noticed that most Church envelopes have Return Service Requested printed on them for this reason (even though most may be unaware why).

This is the method we always used when a home or visiting teacher could not come up with a new address. I would caution, however, that the postal service does not always return the piece, so it is wise to put something inside the envelope that you would not mind having the member actually read if the postal service does not perform as instructed.

[jbh001]

The significant downside is cost. The database search itself is not prohibitively expensive, but it must accompany an actual mailing.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but our unit is looking at this option as a way to locate some members on our roster. Since you provided them the address list, I have a few questions.

1. I assume you provided the addresses electronically via spreadsheet or something. Did you also provide the "newsletter" electronically or as a hardcopy?

2. Did you also have to supply envelopes? I am hoping the answer is yes. When our bishop was called about 3.5 years ago, I ordered a new box of envelopes for him, and put corrected labels on the return address of all the envelopes from the previous bishop. Unfortunately, Distribution Services has a minimum 1000 envelope order, and we are still chugging through the manually corrected envelopes from the previous bishop. I am looking for a way to use up the existing envelope stock.