We have been running a telefunding campaign, via leads printed from Tessitura, for a number of seasons now. Last year proved to be a particularly difficult one (which should come as no surprise) for telefunding. Our annual giving campaign is comprised of a fall appeal letter followed by numerous weeks of telefunding in the winter/spring. We are toying with the idea of getting rid of telefunding and going to a strictly letter/email campaign (letting folks know of course that we will not be calling them) but before we go down that road I'm trying to find some information on what other folks have done.
We have been running a telefunding campaign, via leads printed from Tessitura, for a number of seasons now. Last year proved to be a particularly difficult one (which should come as no surprise) for telefunding.
Our annual giving campaign is comprised of a fall appeal letter followed by numerous weeks of telefunding in the winter/spring. We are toying with the idea of getting rid of telefunding and going to a strictly letter/email campaign (letting folks know of course that we will not be calling them) but before we go down that road I'm trying to find some information on what other folks have done.
Anything insight provided would be greatly appreciated.
Amanda,
Our experience this past year was the exact oppositive, with our telefunding doing far better than direct mail, so I wouldn't discount telefunding on the whole.
I would agree that an analysis of the channels through which people previously donated would be wise. Some donors are always going to be more likely to contribute through direct mail, some through personal phone calls, so slicing and dicing your data this way might be a good way to go. A balance of both methods might still be necessary.