As part of my plan to be fully self-supporting, I have been working some nights and weekends for a political organization doing fundraising phonebanks.
Having now been on the other end of these calls, I humbly submit these suggestions on how to handle these calls.
Note: this applies primarily to political/charitable phone calls. If someone is trying to sell you something, these points might still apply, but I'm really not as concerned.
First, some things to remember:
- Your name did not come out of nowhere. Chance are you donated before, or donated to a similar organization.
- The person you are talking to is not the head of the organization. They may not be able to answer all your questions. They are certainly not responsible for your name on the list.
- The person you are talking to has a script that they must follow. This means that they have a pitch they're trying to get through, and that they must continue to ask you for money (probably a few times) after you've refused.
Some suggestions for talking to us:
*If you don't want to be called, say "please remove me from your call list." Don't yell at us. Don't hang up on us. The only way to get removed is to ask straight out. If you've asked to be removed before, please remember #2 above- the fact that you are on their list is NOT the caller's fault.
*If you're not going to donate, no matter how many times we ask, say "thank you, I cannot donate at this time" and then hang up. It's wasting your time and ours to stay on the phone (and we're required to try to persuade you). I'm never angry at a polite hang up, because then I can call the next person.
*If you are going to donate, tell us how much upfront. Don't wait for us to suggest the amount, just say "I can donate/pledge $_ tonight." Again, it's so much faster that way.
*If you don't know the amount you are going to give, pledge us a number anyway. Make it small, you can always give more than you pledged. Callers are usually paid by the amount of money they make for the organization, so refusing to give an amount just screws us over. (to the organizations: sorry if this would screw up your accounting, but I'm trying to help us callers here)
*Feel free to interrupt my pitch. Ask me to get to the point. Say you'll donate, or that you can't before I finish. No one wants this call to last forever.
*If you don't want to be interrupted during dinner, don't pick up the phone. Same thing for if you're talking on the phone with someone else. I didn't know you were eating/talking. You're being rude to your companions, not me.
*BE NICE. I can't emphasize this one enough. I've had such great conversations with people who refused to give, and I've been yelled at by pretty much everyone. I'm not a robot. I'm not trying to ruin your day. I'm just trying to help an organization that I agree with, and make a living doing so. It really won't kill you to be nice to me.
EDIT: again (not that anyone is still reading this diary, but) I am referring to political or charitable fundraising calls.