Distribution of local newsletters electronically or distribution of a newsletter less-frequently is happening more often as groups try and save money while still providing service to their members. Some groups are sending everyone possible an electronic newsletter and require members to actively ask for paper if they want more than a minimal and/or postcard version.
Per the ASIEs, groups do not have to send paper newsletters to everyone every month. The policy states that groups must send a quarterly calendar and notify members of meetings and elections. ASIE 1995-024 states: “Local groups must have both a membership and a business meeting in each quarter, notice for which must be communicated to the members of the Local Group, as well as publish a regular newsletter or calendar of activities at least quarterly.”
In order to better accommodate groups who wish to save money by sending an electronic newsletter to their members and in light of upcoming postal changes that will make print distribution difficult for some groups*, wording was included in the March agenda to facilitate this transition.
Note, though, that the motion only changes the “default” distribution for those members who have not selected print or electronic via their member profiles. The wording of the motion on the March agenda reads:
As of July 1, 2011, electronic delivery is the default release for members to receive Local Group newsletters. Members may, via their online profile or by contacting the National Office, select print delivery of their group newsletters.
Members who do not have email addresses on file, who do not release their email addresses within the organization, or who select to receive a print newsletter via their profile will receive a print newsletter. Local Groups must comply with their delivery requests.
“Default release” refers to the flag on your member profile that tells the National Office and groups that you do or do not want an electronic newsletter. Right now, if you haven’t specified print or electronic, the default is to send you a print newsletter. The proposed motion reverses this practice IF you have not specified print or electronic. If you have already selected either, your choice remains in effect until you change it.
* The upcoming postal transition to the Intelligent Mail Barcode and other toughening requirements will pose additional challenges for groups who take advantage of “automated discounts” with their mailings.
How will the data reflect those people who never updated their profile to choose paper or electronic?
There are three "states" currently to the epublications flag:* the member chose paper
* the member chose email
* the member hasn't chosen (currently assumes paper and a label prints)
If the motion passes, the "states" for that flag will be:
* the member chose paper
* the member chose email
* the member hasn't chosen (will assume electronic and include with the epubs members)
If at any time a member's email bounces and we remove it from the database, that member will flip to “print” and the group will receive a label for that month. When we receive a new email address, that member will revert back to epubs the next month.
If at any time a member restricts email within the organization, that member will flip to print and won't flip back until they indicate that we can send his or her email address internally.
Why change the default release if Groups can already send everyone electronic whether they ask for it or not?
The membership flag actually reads “I would like to receive my group newsletter electronically if available. I acknowledge that I will not receive it via regular mail.”
Groups do NOT have to send electronic newsletters to anyone, but if they wish to, flipping the “default” on the data will make it easier for groups to make this transition.
My Group feels strongly that all members should get paper newsletters every month and that they shouldn’t have to do anything in order to keep getting those paper newsletters.
Your Group can continue to send paper newsletters.
If too many people get the electronic version, the Group would no longer be eligible for the bulk mailing rate. So, depending on how many people opted for electronic delivery, efforts to save money could actually end up costing more.
Correct. This is one reason we did not try to design a one-process-fits-all solution to the newsletter puzzle. X-number of e-subscribers might force a Group to return to expensive First Class stamps, but enough e-subscribers will make that less expensive overall (printing costs go down, remember) than mailing paper to everyone at the cheaper Standard (bulk) rate. Each Group will need to do its own math to determine the best course of action.
Our members won’t know to update their information until it’s too late and they stop receiving a print publication.
Again, it’s a Group’s option to send electronic vs. print. But to ensure that members have the choice, the Communications team will implement a wide-spread information campaign to help members understand their options and to make their preferences known.
Will Groups get postal label data for all members, regardless of the epubs flags?
Yes, if Groups request labels via their monthly distribution.
This motion is taking away our Group’s autonomy.
Quite the opposite. The motion does not force Groups to send electronic newsletters and it eases the mandate that Groups send paper newsletters to everyone. It helps Groups who want to push for more electronic subscribers to do so more easily. The intention is to increase Groups’ autonomy by making it easier for them to implement their preferred process.
This flies in the face of many Local Groups' bylaws - at least in spirit - which state outright that the default for sending out the newsletters is hardcopy.
Yes and no. Groups must still send hardcopy newsletters to all members who are not eligible to receive electronic or who request paper. This motion does trump the statement in the Minimum Standard Bylaws, and if this passes and becomes an Action Still In Effect (ASIE), the next time the MSBs are updated, the change will be incorporated.
The National Office data is inaccurate.
Actually, it’s only as accurate as the information members provide them.
Any time a mailing address returns undeliverable, a staff member contacts the member to secure a new address; if the member is unreachable, the record is marked as undeliverable and reflects accordingly on your labels or data. Each address change from the USPS each month is reviewed, based on date and individual, before updating to the membership database.
When they do an emailing to members (renewal statements, InterLink, the Bulletin Update, et al) and email addresses bounce, those addresses are removed from the database.
When they do a call campaign for membership, bad phone numbers are removed. When a local officer contacts them to let them know that a directional in an address is missing or that a member's email has changed, those are updated, too.
Overall, the National Office updates some 800-2000 records each month, and that's only the current members and doesn't include their efforts with lapsed and potential members.
To ensure the most up-to-date information, groups should encourage their members to update their information with the National Office.
What happens if this motion doesn’t pass?
Not much. Groups that want to save money and frustration with the USPS challenges will just have to put in a bit more effort to get those members who have not selected electronic.
How do YOU feel about this, Robin?
I hate it. As a past Newsletter Editor and LocSec, I think every member should be able to get wonderful paper newsletters. In fact, I argued strongly against this three years ago. Times change.
And I accept the necessity of it—many Groups don’t have the funds to send First Class or the energy to jump through the USPS hoops necessary to send via cheaper rates. Printing prices keep rising. More and more Groups are finding that a combination of paper and electronic is the best way to keep their members connected and informed.
After nearly a year with a committee of in-the-trenches experts, after looking at every possible combination of solutions to the many issues and challenges facing Local Groups newsletters, we’ve come to the conclusion that there is not a single recipe that will work for every Group. Instead, what must be done is provide a menu of optional services from the National Office and than unfetter the Groups so they can make their own decisions.
In my ideal scenario, Groups will create wonderful newsletters and send them electronically to everyone they possibly can while still sending full-sized paper newsletters for a couple months, along with a local and national information campaign to encourage members to make their preferences clear. Then, this summer, there should be few enough members who request paper newsletters that Groups can continue to send them full-sized versions, even at easy-albeit-expensive postal rates, without busting their budgets.
Flipping the release flag to electronic is one of those steps and is the simplest method to enable Groups that choose to send electronic the ability to do so.
More choices for members and Groups; more funds available for Groups to do other good things for their members—it is the right thing to do.
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