Death of the Printed Letter...or are the Reports of its Death Greatly Exaggerated?
PostNord's red mailboxes are being removed from Denmark, where letter volumes have declined by 90 per cent in recent decades © Ronny Morgner/Alamy
“Less than two weeks before Christmas, Danes are sending their last Christmas cards. Not their last for this year, but the last ever to be delivered by the national postal service. From the year-end, PostNord — which traces its history in Denmark back to 1624 — will cease carrying letters and handle only packages. Denmark will surely not be the last country to end home letter deliveries by a national carrier. It is a step that portends something bigger: the twilight of the physical letter itself.” (Financial Times 12/12/25)
WASHINGTON, DC -- For those of us in the direct response mail industry, the Editorial in the Financial Times was something industry insiders have dreaded about for years. Yet it’s 2026 and the mail is still rocking and rolling—and in some cases more effectively than any other fundraising, communications, marketing medium available. (For full disclosure, F Street Partners uses direct mail almost exclusively for raising funds and generating a reliable revenue stream for non-profit organizations.)
So what makes direct mail in America different than other Western countries? First up is our Constitution.
POINT #1: DIRECT MAIL IS CONSTITUTIONAL
We are a Constitutional Republic and embedded in our founding document is Article I, Section 8, Clause 7—known as the Postal Clause—granting Congress the power "To establish Post Offices and post Roads.”
Before it landed in our Constitution, the Postal Clause first appeared in the original Articles of Confederation, and the Founding Fathers did not want to jettison it, as it was designed to ensure communication between the states, and mail was considered essential for national unity. So, the Constitution ends up authorizing the system, the actual postal service was created by Acts of Congress, starting with the Postal Act of 1792.
But that’s not the whole story. It must also be pointed out that Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first American Postmaster General by the Continental Congress on July 26, 1775. Franklin established the foundation for the U.S. postal system, having previously served as a colonial postmaster. Franklin served from 1775 to November 1776, managing the system during the critical Revolutionary War with England, which brings up the second reason why direct mail is in our constitution.
POINT #2: DIRECT MAIL IS A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY
Notice when Franklin was our Postmaster: during our Revolutionary War. Communications during a time of war relied upon direct mail, and I maintain it is no different today. Consider the recent war waged against medical freedom advocates and organizations—punished for having ideas and science and facts that proved the Biden White House was lying through their teeth. These organizations and media personalities —had their websites taken down or not appear on search at all; they had banks freeze their funds; PayPal refused service like White Southerners did to Blacks during Jim Crow. Yet, what broke through the Anthony “I am the Science” Fauci? Direct mail.
F Street Partners mailed millions of letters and raised millions of dollars from citizens who did not believe Fox News or CNN, or CVS or their personal doctor, or their elected Members of Congress, or “I am the Science” Fauci—and they certainly didn’t believe anything Big Pharma was telling them. It was not enough to have the science, the VAERS data, alarming cancer stats, or the sad testimony of millions hurt and even killed by the USA approved and mandated Covid jab. What these organizations had was one thing: paid direct mail.
That’s how they spread the truth about masks, vaccines, social distancing and fake science.
POINT #3: COME AND TAKE IT
You may remember the flag, “Come and Take It” with its relatively small Spanish 6-pounder sprawled across it, as a reminder to those who would attempt to take our freedom: there would be a steep price to pay.
Similarly, for those of us who believe in freedom, the ability to fight back against tyranny, and the right to keep and bear arms, etc., I move that we rally around a new flag emblazoned with a mailbox on it, calling us to standing firm for the right to maintain direct mail for our individual liberty. You game?
Mail is critical to national security, and a free people.
POINT #4: DIRECT MAIL IS WORKING
Definition of “working” is simply, “it raises money.” Think of how many emails you received today. Compare that to the number of letters in your snail mailbox. I would guess it is a huge big difference. One of those boxes is very hard to compete in. The other box? Your letter may be one of five that arrives today, and three of those are credit card offers. The direct response mail lane is wide open if you do it right.
Matt Waters is CEO of F Street Partners, a Washington DC-based fundraising firm assisting right of center non-profits and political organizations and candidate raise money.
https://www.ft.com/content/fecad9e1-5b32-420c-83ef-1c261241b352