“Will You Puhleeeeze Take This Call?”
No mode of fundraising takes more hard knocks than telemarketing.
If telemarketers haven’t ruined your exquisitely timed dinner, then you’ve probably at least read the horror stories where 99.9% of the funds raised go to the telemarketer.
Roger keeps promising that he’ll write a post on the positive fundraising contribution of telemarketing.
Maybe this guest post from copywriter and donor communications specialist Lisa Sargent will spur him on.
From Lisa …
Telefundraising’s Most Important Script
8:43 pm: Phone rings. Daughter answers, rolls eyes. Cups receiver with hand. “DAAAAD,” daughter whispers loudly, “Will you puhleeeeeze take this call? They’ve called, like, a zillion times already. If you don’t answer they’ll just keep calling…”
8:44 pm: John Q. Donor heaves a weary sigh. Accepts the phone from his daughter. “Hello? Yes…” [Voice on other end can be heard announcing himself as a ‘paid fundraising solicitor’ in that I-won’t-take-a-breath-so-you-can’t-interrupt-me-speak.] “Yes, yes,” John Q. replies after a long minute. “I’m familiar with the issue.”
8:46 pm: [Mr. Paid Solicitor jumps back in. He talks at length about wanting to ask some ‘survey questions.’] “Look,” John Q. says as politely as possible, “As I said, I’m familiar with the issue. I already support what you guys do… I give by mail. It’s late. Could we please just cut to the chase? I have to wake up at 4:00 am.”
8:47 pm: [John Q. is quiet as Mr. Paid Solicitor tries again – clearly having missed the part about ‘cutting to the chase.’ John Q. sighs, less politely.] “Again, sir, it’s late. I’d prefer not to give by phone. I support the work you do. Could you please just send some literature on the topic by mail? That way I’ll have time to look it over.”
8:48 pm: [More silence from John Q. as Mr. Paid Solicitor tries for ‘the gift’ yet again.] John Q’s jaw flexes. He drums his fingers while waiting for Mr. Paid Solicitor to take a breath, then gives up. He interrupts, “Once more, I’m trying to tell you. Please, just send me something by mail. We need to conclude this call. Thanks and have a good night.”
Click.
8:49 pm: John Q. Donor hangs up the phone. Shakes his head. Then says, “You know, I was happy to support those guys. They do important work. We need them. But that call might have just killed it for me.”
Epilogue:
I know, I know. With the right script, telefundraising is effective for many organizations. This very blog has discussed it. But more recently, they have also pointed out the nonprofit industry’s growing, urgent and ugly public perception problem.
Your nonprofit may be transparent as spring water, thrifty as a native New Englander. Still, a script is playing out in the homes, hearts and heads of John (and Jane) Q. Donors everywhere. And you must take it seriously.
It might not be your (telefundraising, direct mail, email) script. It might be the script of organizations using tactics like Mr. Paid Solicitor.
So if you haven’t yet gotten serious about the business of trust-building with your donors, make no mistake: the train has left the station. The time to get serious is now.
Amen Lisa.
Tom
One response to ““Will You Puhleeeeze Take This Call?””
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An organization I worked for years ago had a very successful telemarketing team (in-house) that did a few months of fundraising for us each year. Several callers became long-time staffers, and were very, very good at building rapport with our donors. In fact, there were some donors who waited for a particular caller’s call every year to give – because they enjoyed the conversation so much! We also used a few of the callers to run a small capital campaign, and they brought in much more than we could have done without them.
The keys, I think were:
1. Callers were not outsiders with a limited knowledge of the organization’s work. They were staff members and kept in the loop by very good managers. 2. They cared about the mission. They were able to very naturally share donors’ enthusiasm.
3. They were carefully trained to LISTEN more than talk. Those breathless, don’t-interrupt-me-while-I-spout-my-spiel calls were not what we were after.
I’ll confess – I hate getting telemarketing calls. Most are crappy, and I don’t give over the phone, period. In fact, after many persistent calls from one very good organization during a time when my husband was badly injured, I stopped giving to them at all. Don’t call me means don’t call me, not wait a few days and try again.
But I’ve also seen how it can be done right. When telefunding is an extension of development efforts, when it’s in the same context as a development staffer’s call, then it can do a lot of good for an organization.
Mary