Molly Barker, Account Director In this section you will learn the basics of telefundraising for nonprofit organizations. You will know how to determine if telefundraising is right for your organization, how to pick vendors, and the pros and cons of telefundraising in the current environment. Molly will also share how to set up and manage an effective call, how to evaluate performance, and go over what you need to know about laws governing telefundraising campaigns.

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Avalon Consulting Group, Inc.
All rights reserved, 2014
Cover Page
Avalon Consulting Group
www.avalonconsulting.net
©2017 Avalon Consulting Group.
All Rights Reserved.April 11, 2017
Client Training Day
Direct Marketing 101: Telefundraising
September 7, 2017

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1) How many of you are using
telefundraising?
2) How many of you are calling cellphones
to contact your telefundraising
prospects?
3) How many of you recognize this image
to the left?
Some questions to get us started

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How to determine if
telefundraising is right
for your organization

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• TCPA law
• Size of your list
• Your data
• Reason to call
• Budget
• Leadership support
Factors

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• Definition: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act restricts telephone
solicitations and the use of automated telephone equipment
• Consult your organization’s lawyer/legal team
• Prior relationship is a rule of thumb
• Only applies to predictive dialers; can be done manually, but costs more
• Cell phone appends
• Email verification letters
• Ask for phone number, then verify phone number belongs to that individual
Factors: TCPA law

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Factors: Size of Your List
Universe selected
Phone matched (~80%)
Contacted (~35%)
Pledged (~17-25%)
Credit card (min. 35%)
Fulfilled
(~65%)

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• Look at full universe—huge list, can
you segment into renewal, lapsed,
major, TM responsive
• If not a large list, consolidate
groups to make enough volume
• Other data elements to consider:
RFM and HPC segmentation
• Recency, Frequency, Monetary
Value
• Highest Previous Contributions
Factors: Your Data
0-24 mo.
donors
HPC
<$100
$1-
$24.99
$25-
$49.99
$50-
$99.99
HPC
>$100
$100-
$249.99
$250-
$499.99
$500+

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• Always have a reason to call
• Test messaging
• Raise additional revenue
• Inform about upcoming events/activities
• Respond to emergency
• Renew and reactivate donors
• Recruit and retain monthly donors
• Cultivate supporters
Factors: Reason to Call

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• Telefundraising can be seen as expensive
• Contact costs range from $2.95 - $18
• Hourly rates range from $20 - $65
• BUT—it is an efficient way to raise
funds quickly, especially with credit
card fulfillment
• Reviewing results by channel
helps determine whether TM
will get you the most bang for
your buck
Factors: Budget

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• You can’t do anything without leadership on board
• Find out why leadership is opposed to combat those concerns
• “Donors don’t like to be called/give over the phone”
• “It’s expensive”
• Find ways to show leadership the effectiveness of telefundraising
• Share results
• Share feedback from briefings and monitoring
Factors: Leadership Support

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Telefundraising: Opportunities
• Have a conversation with donor
• Test messaging in real time
• Increase lifetime value when contacting supporters by phone, even if they
do not give
• Multi-channel donors are your best donors
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
$120
DM, TM
and Web
DM and
Online
Online
Only
DM and
TM
DM Only
Income/Member Average Gift Retention

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• TM has a negative connotation in the
industry
• Net revenue not as high as other
channels
• TCPA law and Do Not Call Registry
• Getting harder to reach people
• Fewer firms doing effective calling
Telefundraising: Challenges

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How to set up
an effective call

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• Collect phone numbers
• Select the right partner
• Develop the script
• Manage fulfillment
• Integrate
Steps to setting up the call

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• Collect phone numbers on all forms—online donation,
email sign up, events, etc.
• Make “phone number” a required field on all your forms
• Add necessary disclaimer line item to all your forms
(check with your legal counsel first)
• Integrate with other channels (e.g. text messaging,
emails)
Collect phone numbers

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Integrate with other channels to maximize
overall effort
• Call online activist/petition signers with multiple actions
• “Free” pool of prospects
• Call offline-acquired leads/donors
• Canvass, DRTV donors are receptive to personal
conversation via phone
• Telemarketing can complement other channels, raising
more revenue
• Direct mail, email and other communications

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Identify call purpose
Call Type Description
Appeals (phone responsive) Ask existing donors for an additional gift
Renewal Ask donors to renew their annual support
Reinstatement Ask lapsed donors to reinstate their giving
Sustainer Invite donors and prospects to give monthly or upgrade their
monthly giving
Major Donor Use high-touch techniques to appeal to higher-dollar donors
Prospect Call prospects associated with your organization
NOTE: Cold prospects can NEVER be contacted by cell phone.

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Identify call universe
• After evaluating data, determine pool of donors you
want to call
• What kind of call are you making?
• Appeal (TM-responsive), Renewal, Reinstatement,
Sustainer, Major Donor, Prospect
• This determines the types of donors you want to
contact
• Budget—revenue AND costs
• Review RFM segmentation and previous performance

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• Find out what the
prospective TM firms
excel in (e.g. boutique
firms that specialize in
sustainer calling, etc.)
• Test firms—competition
breeds success
Select the right partner

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• Greeting, identification, and notice of recording
• Intro should take only about 15-20 seconds
• Read this aloud before calling to make sure it flows easily
Develop the script: Introduction
Hello, may I speak with Mr./Ms. (first name,last name)? This is
(first name/last name) calling from PIC on behalf of
[ORGANIZATION] in Washington D.C. Thank you for your
past support. I'm calling because of a very urgent situation.

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• Three-ask structures allows callers to negotiate with donor/member and
allows donor/member to feel like they can negotiate, too
• The first ask is usually longer than subsequent asks and should contain a
topical subject affecting your organization, since this is the ask read most
often during a call
• Always end with a dollar ask
• Read the ask out loud to make sure it is easy to read and flows smoothly
Develop the script: First Ask
We’re barely into Donald Trump's presidency, and his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, is already causing
major concerns. Sessions met privately with Russian officials during the campaign and lied about it under
oath. This is unacceptable behavior, and Congress needs to hold him accountable immediately for his
actions.
That’s where (Org’s Name) comes in. With our project, (Org’s name) members are holding the Attorney
General’s feet to the fire when it comes to protecting our democracy, from civil liberties to voting rights. We
are on the ground in every state and we will keep calling for his resignation. But we can’t do this work
without you. Can you help us defend our democracy with a special contribution of $2xHPC?

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• Slightly shorter than the first ask
• Cover a separate topic from your first ask because different subjects
resonate with different members/donors
• Always end with a dollar ask, but the second ask should be less than the
first
• Read the ask aloud before calling to make sure it is easy to read and
flows smoothly
Develop the script: Second Ask
I understand, Mr./Ms. __. But if you heard President Trump’s speech to Congress, you know
that it was riddled with plans to deconstruct our democracy. His lobbying ban is riddled with
loopholes. His Supreme Court nominee will likely gut our campaign finance laws. And his
budget plan aims to cut agencies that protect access to the polls. Mr./Ms. __, our
grassroots are even more important as we fight to hold President Trump and Congress
accountable. Will you help with a special gift of $1.5xHPC?

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• The third ask gives the final reason to donate
• It is the shortest ask and should be on a different topic
• Always end with a dollar ask; this will be the lowest ask of all three
• Read the ask aloud before calling to make sure it is easy to read
and flows smoothly
Develop the script: Third Ask
I see, Mr./Ms. __. But just look at what happened in January. In the dark of night, the House proposed to
weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics. (Org’s name) members inundated House offices with phone
calls and emails. Thanks in large part to our organizing, House leadership backed down. Can we count
on you to support our efforts with a special contribution of the same amount you've done before,
$HPC?

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• Assumptive credit card ask
Develop the script: Check or Credit Card?
(If yes) Great! We're processing renewal contributions by credit or debit card.
Will you be using your MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover?
(If no to credit card) I understand why you might feel that way, Mr./Ms. __, and
your check is always welcome. But credit card contributions can be put into the
field ALMOST immediately. Will you reconsider and put your $__ pledge on a
credit or debit card tonight, so we can put it to work right away? (If yes, use
above confirmation)
(If person still doesn't want to use credit card) All right, is your address still
______? (If yes) You'll be receiving a renewal mailing in the next few days with
a blue telephone on it. It will contain a confirmation notice and return envelope
within the next few days. It'll help with the record keeping, if you wait and use
this renewal notice. Is that alright? (If yes) I've one final request. Can we expect
your check within ten days after you receive this notice?

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• Email verification and SMS ask
• While on the phone, confirm or collect email address
• Also ask if they would like to receive text messaging updates
about your organization, which allows you to collect mobile
numbers
Develop the script: Collect other information
(If no) “I understand and I hope you'll consider supporting us in the
future. So that we can keep you up to date on all our important
issues, (if you have email address) I'd like to confirm your email
address, is it ___? (if no email address) may we have your email
address? (if yes, take information) Thank you again for your time.”

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• Prepared objection responses and talking points should bring the caller
back to an ask
• These should cover typical objections that come up on the phone and
suggested responses for your callers
• Provide talking points on different topics that may or may not come up
Develop the script: Responses
Q: I cannot give, but I do want to help—what can I do?
A: We understand, and we encourage you to get involved on the (Org’s name) website with your local chapter. There are
many ways to take actions online right now, such as our Activist Toolkit at URL. But the best thing you can do to support our
vital work is to make a contribution, so we can continue this fight at all levels of government and around the country. Can
(Org’s name) count on your support today with a gift of $HPC?
Q: I support Donald Trump—I don’t want to give to (Org’s name) if you do not support the President.
A: We understand. (Org’s Name) is a nonpartisan organization, but it is our goal to hold power accountable on both sides of
the aisle and at all levels of government. Right now, there is a lot for us to be concerned about when it comes to questions of
ethics and transparency in Congress. And that’s why it is so important to support (Org’s name) right now. We are working to
make sure that Congress keeps up ethical standards while maintaining our system of checks and balances, and to do that
crucial work, we need your help. Can (Org’s Name) count on your support today with a gift of $HPC?

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• Credit cards
• Processed right away—preferred
method
• Check pledges
• “I’ll donate $50, can you
send me something and
I’ll pay by check?”
• Hedges
• “Send me something in the mail and I’ll respond”
• Other channels
• Email, SMS
Fulfillment: Types

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• Send credit card fulfillment thank-you letters/slips ASAP
• Initial credit card receipt + thank-you from firm
• Cadence of mailed pledge letters
First: Send 24 hours after phone pledge
Second: 14 days after pledge if not yet fulfilled
Third: 28 days after pledge if not yet fulfilled
Fulfillment: Pledge Letters

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Fulfillment: Other ways to boost
SMS follow up
Email before a call Email after a call Refusal/no contact emails
Thank you so much for
speaking with our
representative on the phone
recently and for your generous
one-time pledge of $50 as part
of our campaign to save [fill in
cause].
If you would like to fulfill your
pledge online, simply do so
by clicking here. Completing
your pledge online will put your
donation to work right away, as
we work to [fill in work].
Since I know how much you
care about [fill in cause], we
will be reaching out to you with
a phone call. If there is a
reason you have not yet
renewed your annual support,
please let us know during that
call. Otherwise, you make take
that opportunity to renew your
membership.
Your can also renew online
right now if that’s easier for
you.
Thank you for speaking with
our representative on the
phone recently. I understand
that you were not ready to
give over the phone, but
wanted to follow up with you on
our campaign to save [fill in
cause].
“We recently tried calling you
as part of our X campaign,
but were unable to reach
you. I wanted to make sure
you were aware that…”
“Thanks for your phone pledge. Fulfill
quickly and easily today!”

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How to manage
an effective call

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• Start up
• Training and incentives
• Monitoring progress
• Manage fulfillment
• Evaluation
Managing the call

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• Always send a startup guide for callers
• Purpose/topic of call
• Universe size
• Campaign goals: Contact % (including caps), pledge %, credit
card %, penetration %, fulfillment, etc.
• Objection responses or other special instructions
• Time frame—start/end dates and acceptable calling times
Start up

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Training and incentives
• Initiate a kick-off call with the firm and callers
• If you can, always try to be there in person
• Offer caller incentives for credit card rate, pledge rate, overall
motivation
• Leftover tchotchkes
• Organization calendars/books/swag
• Bumper stickers

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• Monitor regularly—but NOT during first two days
• Seed yourself on the call so you can put the callers through their
paces
• Are the callers sticking to your script/objection responses?
• Are the callers making all three asks and an assumptive credit
card ask?
• Ensure all notes and comments, especially do-not-call
requests, are included in end-of-campaign file and loaded back
into your database
Monitoring call progress

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• Review daily stats—evaluate in real time whether to adjust script and call
strategy
• Check pledge rate, $/contact, average gift, credit card rate, fulfillment BY
SEGMENT
• Determine whether to suspend calling or call deeper on certain segments
Evaluate!

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Evaluate!
• Determine whether
firm(s) are meeting
expectations in terms of
performance and contact
rates
• Look at callers,
segments, etc., and
make sure they are all
working to your benefit

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Evaluate!
• Review fulfillment weekly
• Analyze telefundraising with other channels

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QUESTIONS?

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Thank you!
Molly Barker
Account Director
Avalon Consulting Group
202-627-6506
mollyb@avalonconsulting.net