“The phone exists for the owner’s convenience, not yours, right? When we call somebody, we are asking to be let into their busy day. We’re asking to be let into their world for a minute. Everything that we can do to ease the invitation and to make that a pleasant and positive experience is going to serve to our advantage.”
T. Clay Buck
Few nonprofits are using the phone to talk to their donors and raise funds. It might seem old school. It takes time, and it can feel awkward to call somebody up on the phone and ask for their support.
But phone fundraising can be a very effective tool to not only raise funds, but also deepen your connection with your donors. And get to know them for who they are.
Today is a masterclass on how to structure a call and how to write a phone script that you can use to guide a donor toward making a gift. To help us do that, we’re welcoming back to the podcast T. Clay Buck from TCB fundraising.
Clay is a fundraiser’s fundraiser, who has written hundreds of effective phone scripts and has deep expertise in using the phone to connect with donors.
Today we’ll cover:
[03:03] – The business case for using the phone as a fundraising channel
[12:40] – Introducing yourself and your organization to the donor
[16:56] – Building relationships over the phone
[23:39] – Making the case for support
[28:27] – Being transparent and respecting donors’ time
[30:00] – Handling objections from the donor
[36:05] – How to end the call after a refusal
[37:55] – Ending the call with a pledge
[45:12] – Adopting the attitude that you and the donor are working together
[48:05] – Clay’s encouragement for nonprofits leaders and fundraisers
Get connected:
Clay would love to connect with you. You can find him at tcbfundraising.com or LinkedIn.
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