Fundraising is one of the most important parts of running a charity. All charitable organisations are reliant on donations to some degree, whether they receive them from a small number of dedicated supporters or a very large number of smaller donors. Raising funds can prove to be a challenge, and has caused many charities to struggle over the years. The bright side is there are now more opportunities to reach out to potential donors than ever before thanks to telephones and the internet.
The biggest obstacle to fundraising is getting your message out to the right people. Your charity will strike a chord with a number of people, but only a fraction of these will show their support with donations. To improve the efficiency of your system and save on costs from targeting the wrong people, you should select your target market very carefully and find the right way to reach them. Telephone fundraising can be an excellent tool in this regard as long as you can contact people at the right times.
Failing to build relationships with donors is another mistake that charities regularly make. When people donate it is up to you to engage with them and follow up. Keeping the lines of communication open is important and can turn a one-time donor into a regular. If you encounter someone passionate about your cause and willing to give, the last thing you should do is put them off through lack of contact. Something as simple as a newsletter to show them what good their money is doing will help. Telephones are useful in this regard too, because they are one of the most personal and convenient ways to get in touch with supporters.
If you do choose telephone fundraising you must ensure call handlers are courteous and behave in the most ethical way. Having the right telephone manner is important because one bad call can put a supporter off and reflects poorly on the organisation.
A good way to get a response for your efforts on the telephone is to choose a reliable specialist to handle it for you. This will give you the opportunity to benefit from their experience and utilise a trained team of call handlers with a proven record in the field. It will also free up your time to focus on other areas. We are highly experienced in telephone fundraising, and can provide the polite, engaging and professional services you need to keep donors happy and attract new ones. Just get in touch to find out more about what we can do for your cause.
