Hi all,
My telefunding campaign has realized some precipitous drops in revenue over the last two years and I'm reaching out to ask what others are experiencing. At the outset it seemed like it was related to the election in fall 2016, which was the moment of highest decline, but since that time we haven't only not bounced back, but overall telefunding revenue continued to decline. A notable change is that it's taking quite a few more calling attempts to catch people on the phone. Once we do talk to them, metrics are actually pretty good, but the time spent dialing is notable.
I'd really appreciate any info you can share about how your calling campaigns are performing. Have you also seen decline, and what level of it? Have you changed the format of your campaign as a result (fewer weeks of calling, etc)? Does anyone have a campaign that's not in decline, and can you share strategies that have kept calling viable?
I am curious what others' business practices are around do not call requests. Once a patron requests to not be called, does that restriction remain on their account for good, or do you have a designated duration when you would try to call them once again? What is the waiting period to resume calling?
Thanks in advance for any info you can share.
Best,Megan
Megan,
We also have noticed more difficulty in getting people on the phone. Not sure what Washington's calendar is, but during primary season here in March it was particularly bad (a big chunk of our patrons live in one of the hotly contested swing districts), and it feels a little like we're in permanent political campaigning, at least until the fall, which I'm sure has an effect.
-Zach