For some this may be a bit controversial, but I think it’s time it’s written:
Why is that phone call coming into your living room?
Because TELEMARKETING WORKS!!
Especially when it comes to generating new monthly donors or reactivating lapsed donors or upgrading monthly donors, it’s an absolute MUST to include telemarketing into your communications plan.
Here are the top 6 reasons why:
1. Your donors LOVE to hear from you!
2. As a fundraiser, you should LOVE to find out more about them and a phone call is the greatest and cheapest way to contact them.
3. You can use the telephone to SAY THANK YOU and tell the donor the impact their gift is making, even before they receive their thank you letter in the mail.
4. You can use the telephone to ask WHY the donor specifically supports your organization and what motivates him or her to give as they do.
5. The phone offers a great way to find out why the donor stopped giving (in the case of lapsed) and bring him or her back.
6. (and this is perhaps the most important one): Once you have the donor on the line, you can have a CONVERSATION. Tell them a story. Tell them how joining as a monthly donor is truly a great way to support the organization. Or tell them how their ongoing monthly support makes such a difference, and then ask them if they’re able to upgrade their gift.
Yes, that phone call coming into the living room can be a nuisance sometimes. We’ve all been there. I’m no different!
But remember, especially older donors are much more comfortable with the phone and conversation than younger folks. They are not necessarily texting and tweeting all day. They’re not yet on overload with social media.
They really appreciate it if you call them to say thank you and tell them more about your organization.
It’s the closest to you actually sitting down in their living room with a cup of tea or coffee!
Phone calls are by far the most cost effective and most successful way to generate new monthly donors or reactivate lapsed donors.
I’ve managed telemarketing campaigns for many years. In fact, for some of those years, I even ran them in 6 countries at the same time. Using the same basic script and message but adapting it in the various countries as rules are different.
I’ve seen that the results of telemarketing campaigns over the years have been very consistent. They really have not wavered much.
- Generating new monthly donors typically runs between 5 and 10% response.
- Reactivating lapsed donors typically runs between 15 and 20% response.
- Upgrading monthly donors typically runs between 35 and 45% response.
What’s not to like about these numbers? Of course every organization is different but I’ve seen these response figures pretty consistently across different types of organizations.
But, what’s even more interesting: these are numbers generated by callers who are not even part of your organization. They just work with great telemarketing agencies who provide great training, to the point where the callers really sound just like your organization!
If they can do it, just imagine what response rates would be if you get some people to call who are totally passionate?
If you’re a smaller organization, you can start by testing some of these phone calls in house with a number of volunteers or board members. But, if you want to grow, you must look outside to find a telemarketing agency that fits with your organization.
If you’re a bigger organization and you’re doing face-to-face or street fundraising or direct response television, the phone has to become an integral part of the process as it’s a great way to continue the conversation. Your numbers just don’t warrant having an in-house call center so you must look elsewhere.
Note that thank you calls are a minimum that should be done by every organization, small or large! NO excuses!
Once your staff, volunteers and board members become more comfortable with those thank you calls, you can expand and have them actually ask.
I find that the key with any of this is that you and whomever is going to make these calls JOINS the program you’re talking to the donor about. That will really be a much easier conversation. “Will you please join me in becoming a member of the [name of program]?”
Your enthusiasm as a caller will really show and the results will follow.
Telemarketing is not a ‘dirty’ word. It’s not ‘scary’. It’s going to generate great results as long as you do it right, work with the right callers or telemarketing agencies. So, just think about how you can use the phone as part of your communication strategy to make sure your donors keep loving you and become even more loyal to your organization than ever before.
Sign up for my blog so you’ll receive future posts on monthly giving and tools as they’re developed. And if you’re interested in finding out how to start or grow your monthly giving program, or are looking for referrals to some great telemarketing agencies, specializing in nonprofits, just contact me!
