Return Path Slashes Accreditation Fees for Nonprofits

E-mail deliverability-services firm Return Path today announced it has eliminated licensing fees for nonprofits on its Sender Score Certified e-mail accreditation service.

Qualifying nonprofits pay only a one-time application fee, which goes to privacy consultant TRUSTe, said George Bilbrey, general manager of Return Path’s Delivery Assurance unit.

“We aren’t making a dime on this,” said Bilbrey.

Sender Score Certified helps organizations get more of their e-mail delivered by certifying that they follow best e-mail hygiene practices, such as avoiding sending unsolicited e-mail.

The service admits clients after a privacy audit by TRUSTe, and monitors their behavior using Ironport’s Spam Cop system and Return Path’s own Sender Score Reputation Monitor database. Return Path claims it analyzes data from Internet service providers and spam filtering companies accounting for more than 60 million e-mail boxes.

Offering the service free to nonprofits will require some time from Return Path executives, said Bilbrey. However, nonprofits tend to be easier to work with than commercial e-mailers, he said.

To qualify for Sender Score Certified Nonprofit, organizations must be certified as nonprofits by the Internal Revenue Service, said Bilbrey.