3 Ways Fundraisers Can Leverage Telemarketing

Telemarketing could be considered the Rodney Dangerfield of the nonprofit fundraising industry — it gets no respect. As digital channels continue to grow and evolve, more tried-and-true fundraising methods can sometimes take a backseat, leading many organizations to dismiss telemarketing and its effectiveness in donation and support generation.

Every nonprofit should take a closer look at telemarketing and the measurable results this "old-fashioned" channel continues to deliver. Telemarketing remains one of the most effective means of communications when attempting to convert supporters to donors. The practice enables a dialogue between nonprofits and their perspective donors, which can lay the foundation for engaged activists and consistent support and engagement.

Telemarketing is a critical piece of the multichannel fundraising puzzle. It plays a vital role in helping organizations break through the chaos and communicate with donors. By engaging in a phone conversation with a supporter, the success story isn't just the fundraising numbers. These interactions also can provide qualitative feedback about an organization and its message. The telemarketing channel can provide a powerful learning opportunity that pays off across all channels.

So, how can an organization leverage telemarketing to remind its donors why its work is so important? Here are three things to remember:

1. Message matters. Telemarketing is made for urgency. Nothing says "this is really important right now" quite like calling someone and saying those very words. Be specific, be timely and update the script as many times as it takes to keep the pitch as urgent as possible.
2. Listen to the donors. A phone call can be a mini-focus group, giving an organization the opportunity to make the message work in the most compelling way possible. Take what you learn on the phone and apply it to other channels.
3. No channel is an island. The value of telemarketing goes beyond the revenue raised on the phone. Receiving a phone call increases a donor's likelihood to give a gift via mail or online by 20 percent over the next 30 days, even if the call results in a refusal. Bolster a call's performance by integrating a pre-call email or a post-call pledge follow-up, making the approach truly multichannel.

By embracing a much maligned channel like the phone, organizations can reinforce their fundraising efforts and deliver major results. Telemarketing strategies continue to evolve, even as adoption of the digital channel grows, and adding phone outreach to direct-marketing fundraising efforts can dramatically improve performance and enable a true dialogue with supporters. So don't hesitate to pick up the phone and reap the benefits.

Gabe Raff is director of telemarketing strategies, interactive department, at Chapman Cubine Adams + Hussey. Reach him graff@ccah.com