Telephone Fundraising in the Arts: A Practical Guide

Barry Ferguson & Adam James

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Introduction What is telephone fundraising?

• Not cold-calling

• Nothing like selling double-glazing!

• Cost-effective way to build personal relationships and raise funds

• To learn more about your audience on an individual basis

• Create or extend a community amongst ticket buyers

• To convey a complex message – e.g. Re-launch of friends scheme, capital appeal

This session will cover:

1. Telephone Fundraising Really Works! - Some Facts & Figures

2. Overcoming Internal Resistance – How to Get Your Board Onboard!

3. Ideas for Funding Your Campaign 4. Who Makes the Calls? – Choosing the Right Agency 5. Getting your Data Sorted 6. The Pre-Call Letter 7. The Call 8. Follow-up & Fulfilment 9. Other Factors to Consider

Telephone Fundraising Really Works! – Some Facts & Figures

• Used extensively in Higher Education and other charity sectors

• Recent arts campaigns include:

Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Ulster Orchestra

Plymouth Theatre Royal

National Museums Scotland

Scottish Opera

And us, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

• Many arts organisations use telephone fundraising as part of a one-off campaign, such as refurbishments and rebuilds

• SCO is rare in that we raise money for operational costs and long-term realtionship building. Many campaigns form part of strategy for capital appeal.

SCO Campaign Stats

• 8000 questionnaires to ticket buyers • 3000 individuals in calling pool • 2000 individuals contacted • 700 gifts pledged • 600 gifts made (of which 80 were previous donors) • Average length of call 15-20 minutes - SCO calls lasted

30-40 minutes • £180,000 raised (over 4 year period) • £70,000 raised in year 1 – even split between one-off

donations and regular direct debits • Part of long term strategy

Overcoming Internal Resistance – How to Get Your Board Onboard!

Concerns

• Concern about perception – danger of alienating loyal ticket-buyers/supporters

• “Is this like selling double-glazing?”

• Concern over financial outlay/risk

What you can do?

• Study other campaigns and their results/response

• Speak to CEOs in other organisations who have run campaigns

• Advice from external fundraising consultant

• Emphasise importance of pre-call work

questionnaire/survey

pre-call letter offering opt-out

opportunity for quality feedback on work of organisation, not just fundraising

• Telephone fundraising offers excellent return on investment. Better than 4 to 1.

Funding a Campaign

Costs can be significant – typically around

£12 per individual in calling pool

Topslice from overall money raised –

remember the 4 to 1 ratio!

Can you get an existing

donor/sponsor/supporter to underwrite or

pay for some or all costs?

Who Makes the Call? Choosing the right agency for your organisation

• Many companies provide telephone

fundraising services for charities – some have more experience of arts organisations than others

• Do your research. Visit campaigns being run by colleagues in the sector

• Tender exercise

Who Makes the Call? continued

• Understand your audience. Think about what kind of person you want talking to them. Students? Professional calling staff? Your own performers/staff?

• The agency must “get” your organisation

• Cost is a factor

• How much time does the agency take over the process and calls

• Compliance issues – Does agency adhere to IoF Codes, Data Protection etc

Who Makes the Call? continued

What you should demand/expect from your agency

• At least a 60% contact rate (unless your data is rubbish) • A pledge rate of at least 25% (specified and unspecified combined) • That the income is at least as much as the pledges • Good practice re fulfilment • Direct and regular access to your financial information, stats, etc. • Good orientation of the callers – visiting your theatre/seeing a

performance, etc and meeting key staff. Refresher sessions before successive campaigns.

• That they reach the target you have agreed.

Over to Adam

Getting your Data in Order Who ya gonna call?

Who ya gonna call?

• Segmentation is important

• Is your database big enough?

• Do you have a good knowledge of your data? – is it clean and up to date? Who are your best prospects? (Campaign can highlight weaknesses)

• Consider wealth screening as part of process

• Send out a questionnaire – ask questions you’d like to know the answers to and improve data quality!

Who ya gonna call?

• Create calling pool from questionnaire responders if possible and regular ticket-buyers, attendees, members and donors etc

• Remove any likely major donor prospects. A phone call may not be the best way to approach them.

• Consider data protection and Telephone Preference Service (TPS) issues

• Follow the Institute of Fundraising Code of Practice relating to telephone fundraising – copies available

The Pre-Call Letter

• Informs individuals to expect a call and what will happen during it (i.e. seek marketing feedback and ask for a donation)

• Gives individuals a chance to opt-out of receiving a call – consider how easy you make this.

• Puts forward your Case for Support

• May include “the ask”. Consider carefully.

• Asks should be tailored where possible.

• Consider who “signs” the letter. eg Chair, CEO, Artistic Director, Performer etc

The Call

• Callers are representing your organisation

• Callers must be well trained and briefed – ideally they should have experienced a performance/exhibition

• Script. You’ll need one, but good callers won’t sound like they are using it

• The call should spend time asking for the individual’s views on the organisation

The Call continued

• Provide interesting snippets of news or “sneak previews” of forthcoming programmes

• Confirm “the ask”

• Deal effectively with the response and understand clearly what has been agreed.

• Important to end the call positively regardless of fundraising outcome.

Follow-up and Fulfilment

• What happens immediately after call? e.g. handwritten card, confirmation letter regardless of fundraising outcome

• Processing of donations – one-off gifts likely to be made by credit card, cheque of CAF cheque. Regular gifts by direct debit or standing order.

Follow-up and Fulfilment Continued

• Make sure to say thank you!

• Pledge-chasing may be required for those who don’t fulfil their pledge within a certain time period. Not everyone who pledges will fulfil but you should try your best to get them to do so

• Appropriate acknowledgment and stewardship

Other factors to consider

Can you cope with?:

• increased administration

• a greatly increased number of donors

• volume of donations – processing donations can be a full-time job when in full swing

• stewardship – events, comms etc

• reporting internally

Thank you for listening

Any Questions?