A non-profit dialing campaign helps raise awareness and attract donors to your good cause. However, setting up a new campaign can be daunting. You need to train agents, use the right software tools, and create relationships with potential supporters. This blog post will help you prepare for your next non-profit dialing campaign and achieve your marketing goals.
Plan for Your Non-Profit Campaign
You need to develop a strategy for your campaign that covers all bases. Even if you have previously organized telemarketing campaigns, non-profit marketing requires a specific skill set that moves potential donors and supporters through your funnels.
1. Acquire Good Leads for Your Campaign
Your non-profit outbound marketing campaign is only as good as the leads on your contact lists. Find potential donors and supporters interested in your good cause who are aware of the issues you are trying to highlight. You can segment contact lists by demographic information such as age and location and appeal to leads likely to champion your non-profit. A good customer relationship management (CRM) can help you achieve this goal, but more on that later.
2. Scrub Your Leads Effectively
Don’t let sales agents waste time on poor-quality leads. Review your contact lists before every campaign and remove (‘scrub’) any non-legitimate leads that will slow down agents. For example, scrub leads with invalid or outdated contact information or remove duplicate accounts from your CRM.
3. Write Effective But Flexible Scripts
Call scripts should be persuasive—agents don’t have much time to tell prospects about your good cause—but never coercive. Remember, hard selling techniques can turn leads off, making it harder to recruit donors and supporters.
Create a script that explains the nature of your call and the incredible work your non-profit does, but don’t make it restrictive for agents. Marketers should be able to go ‘off-script’ and develop a rapport with prospects over the phone.
Select the Right Tools
The right software tools can help agents connect with more prospects and drum up support for your good cause:
Dialing Software
Dialing software (or ‘dialers’) can make or break your outbound campaign. The best dialing tools reduce the idle time between calls by connecting agents with prospects:
- Preview dialers let an agent see the next call on their list; they can skip that contact or connect the call.
- Progressive dialers automatically dial the next call on an agent’s list, helping your non-profit reach more contacts.
- Predictive dialers assign the next available agent to a call.
You should analyze your lead data to determine which dialers will be the most effective for your outbound campaign. If you have a large and generalized list of contacts, a predictive dialer can help you reach leads more effectively. Also, consider your outbound team. If agents prefer a more ‘hands-on’ approach to marketing, perhaps a preview dialer is the best choice.
CRM Systems
Your CRM system is the foundation of your outbound non-profit campaign. It contains all the lead information agents need to raise awareness about your good cause, including names, addresses, email addresses, interests, and previous behaviors. A good CRM will eliminate manual work for your agents, allowing them to spend more time nurturing prospects.
You can always integrate your CRM with a dialer for better call management. That will help agents connect with high-value leads likely to support or donate to your good cause. Also, consider an analytical CRM that generates real-time analytics about agent performance, helping you identify the employees who convert the most prospects into donors.
Analytical Tools
You can use a third-party tool over an analytical CRM to gain insights into your non-profit dialing campaign. The best tools let you analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) about dialing practices and marketing processes, helping you identify patterns and trends in day-to-day tasks. Always select a reliable analytical tool that integrates with your CRM and dialing software.
Phone Number Monitoring Tools
Monitoring every outbound call is critical for successful non-profit marketing. If a call doesn’t connect, it could be because the recipient’s cell phone network operator has flagged your number as ‘spam.’ That’s why it’s essential to invest in a tool that lets managers audit outbound phone numbers for flags and ensure agents properly connect with prospects.
New technologies such as the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN make it harder for non-profits to engage with donors and supporters over the phone. However, you can solve this problem by regularly monitoring your numbers and changing numbers if providers incorrectly mark them as spam.
Call Monitoring Tools
Call monitoring software ensures agents abide by ethical dialing practices during outbound calls. The best software records outgoing calls for quality assurance purposes, letting you evaluate agent performance and prevent poor communications. If you identify bad practices while monitoring calls, you can invest in training for agents and fine-tune your call scripts. That can reduce the number of leads flagging your calls as spam.
Tips for Agents to Follow
Here are some quick tips for agents to follow during outbound calls:
- Don’t stick to a rigid script. Create a connection with the person on the other end of the phone.
- Ask leads about their lives and establish a rapport.
- Explain the objective of your non-profit campaign. Why should people support or donate to it?
- Make it clear how people can donate to your campaign.
- Thank people for their time at the end of the call.
Final Word
Creating a new non-profit dialing campaign doesn’t have to be challenging. Follow the tips above and provide agents with the software and training resources required for more effective communications. That way, you can turn more leads into donors and supporters and make your good cause more successful.
