Is the telephone in fundraising dead?
Howard Lake | 2 March 2016 | Blogs
The telephone is a wonderful tool for communicating with donors, and enhancing the donor experience.
A good caller will acknowledge the donor’s involvement with the charity. Stress that she is known. Thank her for the difference she has made to the beneficiaries of the charity. Inform her about work that she, and other donors, have made possible. Answer her questions. And, yes, from time to time, give her the opportunity to increase her direct debit, or give an additional gift. And feel good about it. She will feel better after the call than before it.
This level of personal engagement would not be possible in a letter, or an email. It is unique.
This good caller should be paid as much as any fundraiser working for the charity.
On Tuesday, Joel Voysey posted on ‘fundraising chat’ that he had received an:
“Outstanding DD upgrade call from Sarah at NTT on behalf of Amnesty International. Doubled my (modest) monthly gift.”
How good that some people are doing it right Joel is an excellent example of a delighted donor. Doubling his monthly gift. And feeling good about it.
On the same day, UK Fundraising announced that Jane Cunningham’s Personal Telephone Fundraising had ceased trading.
Because of some rogue operators, not given enough supervision by their charity employers, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater.
CEOs and trustees should be aware of this.
By the time things get back to normal, there won’t be any agencies, and we will have to start from scratch.
What a waste.
If only the Commission on the Donor Experience can get a hold on this.
Photo: scissors cutting telephone cord by Anaken2012 on Shutterstock.com
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.