Charities Exempted from AOL E-mail ‘Postage’

In response to a spate of negative media attention as of late in response to America Online (AOL) and Yahoo’s plan to charge bulk e-mail senders a fee for guaranteed delivery of their messages, AOL has announced that it will not charge charities or “qualified not-for-profit organizations,” according to the company’s recent release.

Over the past few weeks, both companies were blasted by users and critics alike for their plans to charge a fee for guaranteed delivery of messages.

A coalition of non-profits and small businesses was formed last week in protest of AOL and Yahoo’s proposed plan. For more, read E-Mail ‘Postage’ Plan Prompts Protest.

Not-for-profits will have two delivery options under the new plan. First, non-profits that adhere to AOL’s anti-spam and e-mail policies can qualify for the company’s “Enhanced White List,” which delivers e-mail “on a comparable basis” with its commercial offering through Goodmail, at no charge. Secondly, non-profits can employ a third-party e-mail accreditation service provider to authenticate their messages, and AOL will foot the bill.

“We want to make sure that not-for-profits that depend on timely communication with their members get all of the privileges of this powerful medium,” AOL’s Postmaster, Charles Stiles, said in the release. “Our announcement today guarantees that every certified not-for-profit will get the same benefits as private-sector companies that have decided to utilize Goodmail’s Certified E-mail System.”

AOL will test the no-charge program internally for a month or so, and it expects to have selected specific e-mail accreditation service providers within 90 days, at which time the service will be launched, according to the release.

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