General Tips For Conducting Phone Calls
- DO sound confident, courteous and committed to the ORT program.
- DO smile when talking. It comes through at the other end.
- DO review all information on the contributor that has been sent to you (giving history, etc.) before you pick up the telephone to make the call.
- DO rehearse your presentation ahead of time and consider how your audience may respond. It helps to look into a mirror while you practice.
- DO be familiar with WAO’s major contributor giving levels and the type of recognition available at various levels. For more information on these levels, click here.
- DO make yourself familiar with the variety of programs that WAO is supporting this year. For more information on our special projects, click here.
- DO identify yourself and your affiliation as a Women's American ORT volunteer as soon as you reach the contributor.
- DO thank the contributor immediately for her/his past generosity to WAO and support of the ORT program.
- DO try to get the contributor to increase her/his gift to ORT. Unless otherwise requested, try to get the contributor to increase the gift by at least 20 percent.
- DO offer to call back if someone presents you with a question that you cannot answer. Get the response from a lay leader or staff person and DO call the contributor back with information.
- DO thank the contributor if she/he tells you that the gift has already been sent in the mail. Confirm the amount with her/him. If the amount is not above that of the prior year, ask if the donor would consider an upgrade to the next level (mention the amount). You may find by the response that you need to negotiate the amount. Try for at least the 10 percent upgrade to help with the especially critical needs of the program at this time.
- DO always end the call by thanking the contributor, again, for her/his time and support.
- DO NOT call on Friday night after sundown or before sundown on Saturday (Shabbat).
- DO NOT call before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m. on weekdays. On Sundays it is best to call in the afternoon or early evening.
- DO NOT ask the contributor if this is “a good time to talk” when you reach her/him or you will find calls ending immediately. If it truly is not a good time to talk, the contributor will tell you so.
- DO NOT ask the contributor to call you back if you reach an answering machine, as that usually does not happen. Just leave your name and a message that you are sorry to have missed her/him and you will call back at another time.
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