No more letters from Danish post service: implications for charities

ISOBRO is monitoring developments after Denmark’s national postal service decided to stop delivering letters, to focus on its parcel business.

PostNord, which is jointly owned by the Danish and Swedish governments, confirmed at the start of March that it will deliver its last letters in Denmark on 30 December 2025, due to a 90% decline in letters since 2000.

An ISOBRO document says that 30% of members use PostNord for communication and fundraising. Meanwhile others use a private company, DAO/Bladkompagnie, which ISOBRO says is “subject to the same requirements as PostNord” and is cheaper for letter delivery.

ISOBRO’s document notes that while 10 other companies hold a license to distribute mail, DAO/Bladkompagnie is the only company currently offering this service, giving it an effective monopoly from 2026. It adds:

“ISOBRO will therefore keep an eye on whether other companies express their interest in distributing letters, and if not, we will engage in political dialogue about this.

“If more players start offering nationwide mail delivery, competition in the market may push prices down further.”

‘A personal approach’

Kim Lerborg, an expert in direct mail who has worked for charities including Dansk Flygtningehjælp (Danish Refugee Council) and SOS Børnebyerne (SOS Children’s Villages), is quoted on ISOBRO’s website reminding the sector that it can still be a valuable channel, even in a digital age.

“An email with a donation button drowns in the inbox, and if you don’t act on it right away, it disappears into the feed. The physical letter may be left out on the kitchen table, meaning you can return to the message several times. This strengthens the relationship with the organisation’s cause – and increases the likelihood of a donation.

Change across Europe

PostNord also delivers letters in Sweden and this service will remain unchanged, despite the change in Denmark. The company also has some operations in Norway and Finland.

Meanwhile, other European postal services are reducing services as they consider their future in a digital world.

The Guardian reported that Germany’s Deutsche Post will be cutting 8,000 jobs to reduce costs. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Mail service was privatised in 2015 and is now considering reduced frequency deliveries of second class post.

In Norway, letters are delivered on every other weekday, while in 2017 a rural post office in Spain was the focus of media attention when its opening hours were reduced to just 15 minutes a day during August.

European Union plans for mandatory electronic invoicing will further reduce postal volumes in the bloc and other countries when introduced over the coming years.

Photo by PostNord