For many in higher education fundraising, we are about to enter the home stretch, the 4th quarter. April, May and June are the last 3 months you have to get results in before the fiscal year is over. You need to develop a plan now to maximize your phonathon results for this year. The game is not over yet. You can reach your goals, get the highest fulfillment rate possible and thank your loyal donors so they are ready for the fall campaign.

1. Your webinar
“4th Quarter Phonathon:
Planning to Finish Strong”
will begin in a few moments.

2. 4th Quarter Phonathon:
Planning to Finish
Strong
By: Jessica Cloud, CFRE
REALDEALFUNDRAISING.COM

3. Jessica Cloud, CFRE
REALDEALFUNDRAISING.COM
Who am I?

4. This is a critical point in
the annual cycle of
phonathon
There are 2 dangers:

5. 1) Doing well
2) Falling behind

6. So What?
• Hit Dollar and Donor Goals
• Spend your budget wisely
• You need to make your students and your boss successful
• If it doesn’t fulfill, it doesn’t matter
• A strong fall semester starts now
• Your future career prospects hang in the balance
• Most importantly, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how
you finish!

7. Agenda
• Reaching Goals
• Finishing Strong
• Preparing for Next Year

8. Reaching Goals
• What’s (im)possible?
• Run extra shifts
• Weekends, late night West Coast calling, day shifts, Friday “blitzes”
• Hire more students
• Summer hours sometimes attract a different crowd of students
• Reopen calling pools
• Combine calling pools
• Focus on credit cards
• Find any new prospects possible

9. Finishing Strong
• Reminder Calling
• Start with $100+ pledges
• Laser focus on getting credit cards
• LOTS of different credit card pitches
• Push online fulfillment
• Thank You Calls
• Tracking (measure the impact of these calls)
• Begin with First Time Donors (Then $100+ donors)
• Leave messages
• Emails and other ideas for stewardship and fulfillment

10. Preparing for Next Year
• Benchmarking
• Peer institution and aspirant institutions
• Modeling
• Where would your results be if….?
• Data Research and Integrity
• Strategic Planning
• Package it together with a bow
• Lobbying for future resources
• Make your case and soon!

11. Question Break

12. Takeaways
• Whether you are doing well or falling behind you are in danger
of stagnating at this time of year.
• Work harder and smarter to reach year end goals if behind.
• If you are doing well, focus on maximizing impact with a strong
stewardship and fulfillment campaign.
• No matter how this year is going, now is the time to plan for
next year’s success.

13. So What?
• Hit Dollar and Donor Goals
• Spend your budget wisely
• You need to make your students and your boss successful
• If it doesn’t fulfill, it doesn’t matter
• A strong fall semester starts now
• Your future career prospects hang in the balance
• Most importantly, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how
you finish!

14. ACTION ITEMS
______ Hire more callers and run more shifts if needed
______ Identify calling pools to re-open and/or combine
______ Identify new calling campaigns to launch (2nd ask, parents, etc.)
______ Shift all motivation to reward for credit cards
______ Consider moving to a 15/45/60 day reminder cycle on April 1
______ Design your reminder campaign for credit cards (start with $100+)
______ Design your thank you campaign (tracking, First Time donors)
______ Make your stewardship and fulfillment campaigns multi-channel
______ Conduct a benchmarking study and do some statistical modeling
______ Compose this into a Phonathon Strategic Plan and lobby for budget

15. How to Staff Your Phonathon Super-Fast:
Seven Secrets to Fill the Seats
An e-book to revolutionize your call center operation by starting
at the beginning. Staffing.
• Find your staffing targets, including needed number of callers to hire
and number of applications to generate so you have data to drive your
staffing efforts
• Brand your phonathon as the best job on campus so that word of
mouth will work for you and make it easiest to staff up semester after
semester.
• Generate lots of applications fast so you can be selective and hire only
the best candidates.

16. How to Staff Your Phonathon Super-Fast:
Seven Secrets to Fill the Seats
• Design an interview process that makes it easy to hire callers who will
fit with your culture and stay employed for longer.
• Interview all those applicants in one evening and get them hired fast so
that you can quit staffing and start raising serious money.
• Love your job and grow your career in philanthropy.
• Dozens of samples and templates to get you staffed up quickly and
easily.
You can’t afford to spend another year spinning your wheels with
staffing. Break the cycle of caller turnover for good and begin
loving your job now!

17. SPECIAL OFFER
Coupon Code 20% off
WEBINAR1736
Price with coupon: $40
www.realdealfundraising.com/store

18. Final Questions?

19. SPECIAL OFFER
Coupon Code 20% off
WEBINAR1736
Price with coupon: $40
www.realdealfundraising.com/store