Telefundraising

What if instead of viewing the telephone as an outdated direct response tool, we dust off the cobwebs, take a chance and use it?

A cadre of Hollywood celebrities gave passionate speeches, moving performances and hit the phones on Tuesday at a live televised telethon to raise funds for the survivors and victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Celebrities including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Hanks, Beyonce, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato came together at…

In July of 1979, I had my first article published in CASE Currents titled “Mini-Phonathon: Many Benefits.” The basic premise of the article was that you can use the telephone to inform, as well solicit funds. I worked at Florida International University in Miami and was the first alumni/development director for the university...

The No. 1 strategy for sustaining good-standing relationships with donors is by engaging with them on a personal level—not just the major donors, but all donors. And yes, this includes your mid-level donors, too...

This old dog challenges you to think about that old fundraising standby, the telephone, in a new way. Just maybe there’s a stronger donor relationship that will result from a telephone call and a genuine word of appreciation...

Stanford University has shut down its annual fund telephone fundraising program. You can visit the university’s official web page announcing the decision by clicking here. It’s all over the blog-a-sphere. It’s made headlines in publications for the nonprofit sector. For example, here’s a headline from The Chronicle of Philanthropy: "Stanford Hangs Up on Telemarketing—Will Others…

As anyone with experience in telefundraising for nonprofits will tell you, the donor conversations are typically 
engaging, inspiring and positive. Results are real-time and exciting. And the channel is dynamic, on the front-lines of fundraising. Even aside from the dollars and positive donor cultivation, telefundraising is also an immediate, laser-focused marketing research vehicle. But can it survive the age of the cellphone?...

Earlier this week, Stanford University sent ripples though the fundraising community. Except this time it wasn't for a multimillion dollar gift announcement, it was to declare the end of its phonathon program. It sent communications to its alumni and friends that were clever and witty, grasping what many of our donors already feel about fundraising…

According to a Pew Research Center report from April 2015, 64 percent of American adults own a smartphone, and 46 percent believe they cannot live without them. But, are nonprofit organizations paying enough attention to these important statistics, and are they applying them to their brand outreach and fundraising? One nonprofit in California recently started using…

If you walked into a Walgreens pharmacy in the month of May, there’s a good chance your trip to the checkout counter involved more than just the usual assortment of two-for-$3 candy specials and glossy magazine covers. That’s because Red Nose Day—a premier celebrity telefunding event in the U.K.—was readying its May 21 U.S. debut,…