Blue strike the magic of thank you calls - may 27, 2014

Blue Strike Webinar: The Magic of Thank You Calls
May 27, 2014 bluestrike.org
THE MAGIC OF THANK YOU CALLS
Join the webinar online. http://fuze.me/23906979
Enter the meeting number: 23906979
To join from a phone: +1-201-479-4595
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Thanks and welcome to the webinar!

The Magic
of Thank
You Calls
BLUE STRIKE

WELCOME
At Blue Strike, we look at fundraising
through the lens of advocacy
organizations and other groups engaged
in civic action, public interest law,
policy-oriented work, and similar
activities.

INSPIRING
SUPPORT FOR
CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
BLUE
STRIKE

 “I’m going to be in Atlanta next month.
Are there donors I can meet with while
I’m there?”
 “My college roommate just sold her
successful company. How should we
connect with her?”
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF YOUR
BOARD MEMBER SAID . . .

 “Maybe I should write thank you notes
to the some of our donors. Can you
send me a few of their addresses?”
 “My brother might be interested in
giving. Would you send him a letter
from me?”
OR THIS . . .

YOU CAN HELP GET THEM THERE

In the first part of the webinar, we will
focus on how to initiate and operationalize
a thank you call program.
Then we will discuss a case study of one
organization and review additional
resources.
We will wrap up by 2:00 PM.
WEBINAR AGENDA

Personal thank you calls from board
members to individual donors can help
build meaningful relationships with
donors and also engage your board in
outreach on behalf of your organization.
THANK YOU AND OUTREACH

The first step in
getting the program
off the ground is to
have at least one
board member
willing to take the
plunge by making a
first round of initial
calls.
ASK YOUR BOARD FOR HELP

Recruit a “champion,” someone on the
board -- perhaps your board chair or
other well-regarded member -- to make
these initial calls. Decide on a time,
preferably a weekday evening or a
weekend afternoon. Set aside one hour.
FIND ONE OR TWO CHAMPIONS

Pull together a list of 15 to 20 names of
donors who have recently given. Provide
those names to your board member along
with just a few other key pieces of
information: location, most recent gift
amount and date; date of first gift and
cumulative giving.
PROVIDE AN ORIENTATION
AND A CALL LIST

ID: 1002003
Kelly Miller
Chicago; member since 2009
Most recent: $250 Mar. 7, 2014
Cumulative: $825
(312) 555-1212
SAMPLE CONTACT ITEM

133569
Elmer Herschel
Almond, WI; new member
Most recent: $500 on Dec. 22, 2013
eh13@xxx.com
(607) 555-1212
1446855
Jane Pearson
Santa Barbara, CA; member since 1983
Most recent: $1,000 Dec. 2013
Cumulative: $13,850
jpearson@xxx.net
(415) 555-1212
11114031
Robert Cain
Atlanta, GA; member since 2007
Most recent: $1,000 Dec. 2013
rcain@xxx.com
(421) 555-1212
11813201
Anisha Gupta
Cheverly, MD; member since 1988
Most recent: $325 on 12/28/2013
Cumulative: $1,125
agxx@xxx.com
(410) 555-1212
1077784
Kathy Talent, MD
TAKOMA PARK, MD; member since 1998
Most recent: $250 on 12/4/2013
Cumulative: $1,775
kxxxxxxx@xxx.edu
(301) 555-1212
1177700
Edward Islee
Fairfax, VA; member since 2011
Most recent: $200 on 12/5/2013 7:56:11 AM
Cumulative: $1,000
exxxx@xxx.com
(703) 555-1212
SAMPLE CALL LIST

Rather than simply
handing off the list
and asking your
board member to
make the calls, you
are going to assist
in placing those
calls.
CONFERENCE CALL

Using a three-way
conference call,
you and your
board member will
contact the donor
together.
CONFERENCE CALL

Call your board member first and review
the call list.
“We are going to call Kelly Miller
first. She gave $250 on March 7 of this
year. She lives in Chicago and has been
a donor for five years.”
CHECK IN BEFORE PLACING CALL

“Ms. Miller, this is Mary Dillon Kerwin
from Advocates in Action, I have on the
line with me our board chair who is
making calls today to thank our
supporters. If you have just a minute,
may I conference her in?”
PLACE THE CALL

GETTING SIGN UPS
The most effective time to enlist more
volunteers for making calls is during a
board meeting. Mark your day-timer
with blocks of available time and send it
around the room during the meeting to
have them pencil in a time they are
available.

 13 board members
 27 call sessions
 362 calls
ACTUAL YEAR END PROGRAM

1. direct contact-positive conversation;
2. direct contact-busy;
3. direct contact-do not call;
4. left message;
5. email only; or
6. no contact
CODING CALL OUTCOMES

No. of calls Call outcome Percent
174 voice mail message left 48.07%
105 no contact 29.01%
44 direct contact-positive conversation 12.15%
9 direct contact-busy 2.49%
9 direct contact-no calls please 2.49%
21 emails only 5.80%
362 Total
ACTUAL CALL RESULTS

48.07%
29.01%
12.15%
2.49%
2.49% 5.80%
voice mail message left
no contact
direct contact-positive
conversation
direct contact-busy
direct contact-no calls
please
emails only
DIRECT CONTACT = 12.5 PERCENT

After making lots of these calls, board
members reach a comfort level:
 Talking to semi-strangers on the phone
 Using the phone to cultivate donors
 Working with you!
THE COMFORT ZONE

 “I’m going to be in Atlanta next month.
Are there people I can meet with while
I’m there?”
 “There’s a college roommate of mine
who just sold her company. How
should we connect with her?”
THIS IS WHAT STARTS TO HAPPEN

 “Maybe I should write notes to the
people we didn’t reach. Can you send
me their addresses?”
 “My brother might be interested in
giving. Can you send him a letter from
me?”
AND THIS . . .

 “When are we going back to major
donor x? I had a good conversation
with her last time.”
 “Did so-and-so give yet this year?
Because I could call him if he hasn’t.”
AND THIS . . .

Cohesive board committed to fundraising
and outreach and knowledgeable about
programs.
 Long-term commitment to the program.
 Organization membership dedicated to
mission.
SUCCESS INDICATORS

 Take into consideration location,
tenure, and professional occupation.
 Provide script and opportunity to
practice.
 Offer new board members a chance to
listen in.
WHEN ASSIGNING CALLS

MORE
INFO
ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
Blue Strike Webinar: The Magic ofThank You Calls

Engaging Your Board in Fundraising, A Staff’s Guide by Kathy
Hedge https://www.boardsource.org/eweb/blf-
2013/sessions.htm#FUNDRAISING BoardSource $24.00
Urban Institute Special Report Engaging Board Members in
Fundraising, Sept. 2012
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412673-The-Nonprofit-
Research-Collaborative-Special-Report.pdf
Seven Tips for Making Better Donor Thank You Calls April
2012 blog Lori L. Jacobwith
http://www.askingmatters.com/blog/seven-tips-for-making-
better-donor-thank-you-calls/
RESOURCES

4 Elements of a Great Thank You Call, Philanthropy for All
blog by Vanessa Chase
http://pfa-blog.com/home/4-elements-of-a-great-thank-you-
phone-call/
The Incredible Power The Phone: 3 Case Studies by Sumac
blog http://sumac.com/the-incredible-power-the-phone-3-
nonprofit-case-studies-and-a-400-increase-in-donations/
RESOURCES

Charity Watchdogs: Managing Your Organization's
Profile and Ranking
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Better Business Bureau, Guidestar, Charity Navigator. Learn
where the “watchdogs” get their info and how to improve your
profile and ranking.
Five Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Donors
Tuesday, July 29, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Take your individual giving program to the next level with five
tried and true, low cost methods.
BLUE STRIKE WEBINARS

Benchmark Studies: Which ones are most relevant for
advocacy groups?
Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at 01:15 PM
It seems like everyone is benchmarking. Which ones should
you use to gauge your organization's performance?
Year End Boot Camp
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 01:15 PM
On average, organizations receive 40 percent of their
donations in December. Make sure you are primed to take
advantage of this important time of year.

Raising Money for Advocacy: How it's different
Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Inspiring support for issues and causes requires its own area
of expertise. What set of skills do you need? What are the
unique challenges and opportunities we face?
Board Engagement for Year End
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at 01:15 PM
Tried and true methods for enlisting your board’s help during
this crucial period of the year.

Thank you for
participating today!
From Mary Dillon Kerwin
President of Blue Strike
Check out our new Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/bluestrike.org
Blue Strike Webinar: bluestrike.org
BLUESTRIKE.ORG

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