Fundraising calls have a success rate of 25%, compared to cold calling, which lands 2% of the time. For every four donors, you call, at least one will happily support your cause and donate money.
You may be a volunteer working within a not-for-profit and need to learn about sales or outreach. How do you ask for donations over the phone? The winning formula for fundraising call success is a fantastic fundraising call centre script with a sprinkle of self-assurance. This blog post will help you to formulate a fundraising phone call script that will target the hearts and minds of your donors, encouraging them to give money to your worthy cause.
What is a fundraising call script, and when do you use it?
Donation scripts are critical to the success of your nonprofit organisation because they give volunteers, board directors and employees the power to raise money.
Many nonprofits must rely on their board of directors and other volunteers to make fundraising calls since they do not usually have a designated outreach team. Fundraising call centre scripts allow anyone within your team to anticipate and efficiently respond to the questions thrown at them by prospective donors. Aside from giving everyone in the group the confidence to make fundraising calls, they steer the conversation to ensure that it is both constructive and fruitful.
Fundraising call scripts are a great way to train volunteers who need outreach experience. Employees may use the scripts to encourage individuals to attend events and raise funds for organisations.
Fundraising Call Script Templates
Now you have some background on what fundraising call centre scripts are and when to use them, you might be itching to write your own.
Below we have outlined two templates for two scenarios where a fundraising call script would be used.
Writing these scripts independently for multiple scenarios may be overwhelming and time-consuming. Fortunately, we have created a call centre scripting software at Max Contact to simplify this process. Our software includes call recordings, an in-built calculator and email and SMS, allowing you to update potential donors with the result of the call.
Script for Fundraising Event
Hello, 'insert their name', my name is 'insert your name, and I am calling from 'insert your nonprofit organisation'. How are you today?
I want to thank you for all you have done and continue to do for our organisation. You are a good person for helping us. We appreciate it more than you know.
'Insert their name', I am calling today to ask for your support/help with 'insert the name of a fundraising event. Fundraising events are invaluable to 'insert organisation' as they help us raise awareness and money. By donating to or agreeing to attend our 'insert the name of fundraising event', you will be 'insert an example of how the donor's money will be used. So, 'insert name', can we rely on your 'attendance or donation'?
Nonprofit Donation Script
Hello, 'insert their name', this is 'insert your name' calling from 'insert your organisation's name. How are you today?
I want to begin by thanking you for your continued monetary support of our nonprofit organisation. It is invaluable and has helped us to achieve 'insert achievements of the organisation'.
We want to be able to continue 'insert achievements of the organisation'. To do this, we need to raise more funds and monetary support. Would you be able to help us with this?
How to Ask for Donations Over the Phone Script Examples
There are three core types of fundraising call centre scripts. The kind of script you choose depends on who you call - is it a new prospective donor or an existing one?
Example 1: Acquisition Calls
Acquisition calls are essentially cold calls. Use these when you know the basic details about an individual, such as their address or first name. Often, people are hostile towards cold callers, so the more information you can collect to personalise your call, the better! Let's look at an example, for reference we are calling from a charity looking for funding to purchase University textbooks:
Introductions
Hello Michael, this is Asha calling from Textbooks4All. How are you today?
The Problem (a call to action)
Look, Michael, I am calling because we need your help. The pandemic and its ensuing economic effects have hit University students hard, and we are concerned. Many students cannot afford to pay their rent, let alone buy the expensive textbooks required for their studies. We are worried that medical students will drop out, leaving the country in a difficult situation.
The Ask
Whilst the University supports the students where they can, there is a limit to the funding they can provide. With just one contribution from yourself of 'insert sum,' we can ensure that all students on campus have the necessary textbooks for the next three years.
Example 2: Reactivation Calls
The reactivation call is self-explanatory - it is reactivating someone who has already donated to your organisation. These calls can be a little easier because you have more information on the individual, and you know that they sympathise with your cause. Let's use the same example as before of Textbooks4All:
Introduction
Hello Michael, this is Asha calling from Melbourne University. How are you today?
Before we get into the details, thank you for your previous donation. It had a significant positive impact on the lives of many students. One student, Astrid, has increased her grade significantly with the help of the textbooks your donation purchased.
The Problem (this acts as a call to action)
This year we have brought textbooks for 500 students. However, with a further 3500 struggling students attending Melbourne University, this work is still ongoing. These students receive no governmental or parental support and rely solely on the generosity of donors such as yourself to excel in their University careers.
The Ask
Michael, could you help another student like Astrid to excel at University by donating 'insert donation sum'?
Example 3: Major Donor Calls
The major donor call does what it says on the tin - it is a call to a major donor asking them for a significant sum of money. Usually, you will have a plethora of information about the donor, and you may have even had discussions with them previously. Use this information to build rapport! Let's use the University example again:
Introduction
Hi Michael, it's Asha from Textbooks4U - long time no speak. How have you been keeping? Are your children well?
Look, Michael, we both know how generous you have been in the past. I can't begin to explain how transformative these donations have been. To date, your donations have helped over 1000 students through University. Over half of those students got top marks in their degrees thanks to your continued dedication to our cause.
Problem
However, since you last donated, the world has taken a further economic downturn thanks to COVID-19. We now have more students than ever in desperate need of financial support to purchase their textbooks. It is estimated that over 100 students might drop out this year due to financial burdens.
Ask
A donation from yourself of 'insert amount' could help those 100 students, keeping them in school where they deserve to be. So, Michael, will you help them today?
Using Your Fundraising Phone Call Script
Now we have established how to ask for donations, you might wonder how to use them in practice. If you are a little more anxious, you can use the scripts word-by-word to guide and control the conversation. Alternatively, if you have been doing outreach for years, you might use the script as a guideline but allow the conversation to flow naturally.
How to Write Your Own Script to Ask for Donations
It would help if you remembered several vital things when writing your fundraising script sample. These include:
- Building a rapport with the potential donor through being personal in your approach.
- Being transparent about the issue you are trying to solve.
- Using statistics to quantify the Problem.
- And - most notably, asking the critical question - can you help us?
What to Do When Donors Object to Your Request
A fantastic fundraising call centre script is good, but you need to objection-handle to ensure you can secure donations. Good objection handling could take a potential donor from saying "NO" outright to "let me think about it". Below are the essential factors for handling objections and closing the deal:
- Anticipating objections to your request before you pick up the phone is critical. Proactively seek out possible objections so that you can address them effectively during the phone call.
- It would help if you validated the potential donor's concern with your request. You can do this by mirroring their tone of voice or by telling them you understand their concern.
- Lastly, show them the statistics. Facts help you address objections before they arise and make those uncertain donors confident that they should donate to your cause.
Having Trouble? Get in Touch for Call Centre Scripting Solutions
Now you know what a fundraising call script is, how they can be used and how to write your own. Get in touch with our team, who will help you with all your software script-writing needs.
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