Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Nonprofit Call Center

Did you know? First-time donors who receive a thank-you call within 48 hours are four times more likely to give again. That’s why nonprofits call their supporters. It helps build relationships, express gratitude, and encourage ongoing engagement. However, managing these calls efficiently requires the right tools. That’s where a nonprofit call center makes all the difference. How? Let’s explore.

Benefits of a nonprofit call center

• Donor engagement – Personalized outreach via calls, texts, and email boosts giving. Donors contacted through these channels showed a 58% overall giving rate, highlighting the power of multi-channel engagement with a nonprofit call center. 
• Personalized communication – Personalized communication significantly boosts donor contributions. Segmented campaigns have seen donation increases of up to 760%
• Insight gathering – Insights include data on giving frequency, donation size, preferred channels, and cause interests, which help tailor personalized communication. By using these insights, organizations can refine their strategies, increasing donor retention. 
• Surveys & feedback – Collects valuable input to shape future campaigns through text or call surveys.
• Donor retention – Donor Retention – Timely, personalized communication is key to building lasting relationships. A study found that first-time donor retention rates increased from 33% to 41% with just one thank-you call and up to 58% with multiple calls within 90 days
• Cost efficiency – Automates tasks, saving time and resources.
• Scalability – Handles high call volumes, ensuring consistent support.
• Multi-channel outreach – Integrates calls, texts, and emails for broader engagement.

With these benefits in mind, let’s explore how you can choose the best nonprofit call center platform.

How to choose the best nonprofit call center solution

You need to have a well-informed checklist to choose the best nonprofit call center solution. We have listed key features and tools that will differentiate the best call center solution from the others.

Ideally, the call center should be able to:

1. Help you segment data

Segmentation is a critical aspect of any nonprofit campaign, allowing you to connect with your contacts in a more personalized, meaningful way. 

By using a nonprofit call center, you can segment your contact lists based on various important factors like: 

• Demographic data: Segment contacts based on key demographic details such as age, gender, income level, or job title. This helps tailor your message for specific groups, making your outreach more relevant to each individual’s unique profile.
• Geography: Organize your contacts by their location to run more localized campaigns. Whether you are hosting events or focusing on regional fundraising efforts, geographic segmentation ensures that your message reaches the right audience in their area.
• Donor motivations: Understand your donors’ motivations for giving and categorize them accordingly. Some may donate due to personal passion for a cause, while others may be motivated by tax benefits, etc. Segmenting donors based on these motivations enables you to craft messages that speak to their core interests.
• Engagement history: Segment contacts based on past interactions, such as previous donations, event attendance, or volunteer participation. Tailor your outreach to specific levels of engagement to increase the likelihood of a positive response.
• Engagement preferences: Some contacts prefer text messages, while others prefer phone calls or emails. By segmenting based on communication preferences, you ensure your message is received in the most effective format for each individual.

You can easily implement these segmentation strategies by utilizing CallHub’s nonprofit call center. With features like automated tagging, dynamic list segmentation, custom fields, and suppression lists, you can seamlessly create targeted campaigns that speak directly to your audience’s needs and motivations.

2. Blended inbound and outbound call center

Call center software is not just about doing outbound calls. What if a vital donor did not pick up your call and wants to call back? This is where inbound calls come into the picture. Having a blend of both inbound and outbound calls is crucial. Some important features like: 

• Eliminate the need for separate inbound agents: Incoming calls can be routed automatically to the next available agent in a campaign instead of having donors wait. 
• Welcome message for incoming calls: If a donor is waiting, a nonprofit call center should allow you to create custom greeting messages for callers waiting to connect with an available agent. You can either upload an audio file or type out the message, which will be converted into speech, ensuring callers stay engaged while waiting. This is especially important during busy phone-a-thons or retention calls to prevent callers from hanging up. 

• Incoming call tagging: When agents receive inbound calls, tagging them helps prioritize calls that may have been missed. This ensures agents can quickly follow up with essential calls not answered initially. CallHub provides this feature so agents can identify that it was a previously dialed call. 

3. Text from call center

Apart from calling people, text messages provide an efficient way to keep donors informed and engaged. With texting, nonprofits can reach supporters instantly, share important updates, and maintain consistent communication. A nonprofit call center should provide the following essential features for texting:

• Automated texting: A nonprofit call center should be able to send automated text messages, allowing organizations to quickly reach large groups of contacts with updates, donation requests, or thank-you messages. CallHub sends automated text messages based on the call disposition marked(like busy, unanswered, call back, etc.) you add.

• Manual texting: While automated messages are great for mass communication, sometimes a personal touch is needed. A nonprofit software must be able to save multiple customizable templates as per the conversation. Here is an example of how CallHub provides it

• URL shortener: Including URLs in text messages is common, but long, unmanageable links will cost you more and might not get any clicks. A nonprofit call center should offer a built-in URL shortener so links can be condensed and presented more cleanly in text messages. This is especially useful for donation pages or event registration links. 

4. Compliant software

When managing calls to donors, ensuring compliance with various regulations is essential to avoid legal issues and protect your organization’s reputation. Nonprofit call centers should include the following compliance features to ensure smooth and lawful operations:

• TCPA compliance: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) mandates that calls to cell phones must be made with prior consent from the recipients. A compliant call center software will scrub all phone numbers for compliance, offering features like opt-in consent tracking and safe calling practices.
• Do not call (DNC) list: Call centers must avoid contacting numbers on the national or internal Do Not Call (DNC) list. A compliant software will automatically scrub your contact lists against these databases, ensuring you don’t call individuals who have opted out. Additionally, you can create and maintain your suppression list to block specific numbers, including DNC. 
• Litigator blocking: Litigators may pursue legal action against unsolicited calls. A compliant call center software like CallHub can automatically identify and block these numbers to prevent contact, minimizing legal risks. As shown below, CallHub helps to block both DNC and litigators.

• Time zone calling: Calling people at inappropriate times can result in heavy fines and lawsuits. A good call center software should be capable of detecting a contact’s time zone and scheduling calls accordingly, ensuring that calls are only made within legally acceptable hours. While planning the campaign, CallHub allows you to call people during the timezone.

• SOC2 compliance: System and Organization Controls (SOC2) certification ensures that the software follows strict data security protocols and is committed to safeguarding customer data. This is crucial for any nonprofit handling sensitive donor information and building trust with its supporters.
• ISO 2007 certification: The ISO 2007 certification standard demonstrates that the software adheres to internationally recognized best practices for quality management systems. This is vital for maintaining high standards in operational efficiency and donor communications.
• SHAKEN/STIR compliance: SHAKEN/STIR is a framework to combat illegal robocalls by verifying the authenticity of the calling party’s number. By enabling SHAKEN/STIR, nonprofits can ensure that their outbound calls are not flagged as fraudulent, reducing the chances of your calls being blocked or labeled as spam.

CallHub ensures compliant and secure outreach with features like consent-based dialing, DNC filtering, time-zone calling, and robust data security. These safeguards help nonprofits maintain trust, avoid legal risks, and streamline engagement while adhering to industry regulations.

5. Improves answer rates

A major challenge for nonprofits is getting calls answered, as 74% of consumers ignore numbers flagged as ‘SPAM.’ A reliable call center solution should prevent this to maintain engagement and trust.

• Spam label shield: This helps protect your numbers from being marked as ‘spam’ by monitoring call reputation, rotating numbers, and using SHAKEN/STIR compliance. 

Learn more about how CallHub prevents spam labeling in this video.

6. Helps multi-channel communications

Nonprofit call center software shouldn’t rely solely on calls. Research shows that multi-channel donors give over three times more than single-channel donors, yet only 3% of nonprofits use multi-channel outreach. Expanding to calls, SMS, and email ensures nonprofits connect with supporters on their preferred platforms, improving engagement and donations.

• Calls: Phone calls enable nonprofits to build trust, have real-time conversations, and gather immediate feedback. Calls create a personal connection, increasing the likelihood of donations and deepening supporter relationships.
• SMS: With 90% of text messages read within three minutes, SMS is highly effective for urgent updates, event reminders, and donation requests. Its direct, non-intrusive nature allows for quick responses, increasing engagement and conversions.
• Email: Studies show 48% of donors say regular emails keep them engaged and inspire repeat donations. Email allows nonprofits to share detailed updates, personalize appeals, and segment outreach to improve donor retention and long-term support.

CallHub offers multi-channel communication, including calls, SMS, and email, as well as voice broadcasting, enabling nonprofits to engage supporters effectively, boost donor conversions, and maximize outreach—all from one platform.

7. Seamless CRM integrations

Integrating a nonprofit call center with a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is essential for efficient donor management and engagement. It ensures that all donor interactions and information are consistently updated across platforms, providing a comprehensive view of each supporter.

CallHub offers seamless integration with various CRM systems to streamline your nonprofit’s operations. Popular integrations include Salesforce, NGP VAN, NationBuilder, and Zoho CRM, enabling nonprofits to optimize donor outreach and improve retention efforts through real-time data syncing.

8. Helps manage distributed volunteer teams

Nonprofit call centers can significantly benefit from robust volunteer and agent management solutions, ensuring smoother operations, enhanced communication, and more effective outreach. Here are several ways a nonprofit call center can assist in managing distributed volunteer teams: 

• Remote calling: Regardless of location, volunteers can join campaigns directly through their mobile phones. 
• Volunteer training & support: Effective training is crucial for nonprofit call center volunteers. Structured onboarding with scripts and guides ensures nonprofit call center volunteers are prepared.

Also read: Volunteer management best practices

CallHub simplifies volunteer management with remote training, live monitoring, and easy access to scripts and templates. Both android and apple apps are available.

• Team selection for volunteers: Allowing volunteers to choose their own teams streamlines participation and improves engagement. A web form can simplify sign-ups, letting volunteers register for specific campaigns and automatically join their chosen teams.

Watch how to set up your nonprofit call center campaign with our step-by-step video guide.

Looking for a nonprofit call center? We have a solution…

At CallHub, we’re dedicated to developing features that simplify your work, helping you achieve tremendous success. With over 8,000+ organizations trusting us, we’re committed to providing exceptional service and support.

With features like multi-channel communication, CRM integrations, compliance assurance, and tools for managing distributed volunteer teams, it’s clear why CallHub is the go-to solution for nonprofits looking to elevate their outreach. 

Sign up to CallHub today.

Divyashree BR

A marketer passionate about sharing insights on nonprofits, politics, and advocacies, with a keen focus on how these domains can be effectively digitalized and communicated to reach broader audiences.