If you call your entire donor base, 25% of them would agree to donate more than their previous donation!
A pleasant surprise, right?
Not just that. You may be surprised at how many of your board members are eager to contribute to your fundraising efforts, and all they probably need is some resources and direction.
This guide will share four fundraising phone call script samples your board members can use.
Fundraising phone scripts for board members
Here are four fundraising call script samples for talking to donors from different stages:
- Fundraising script for asking for donations from past/lapsed donors
- Fundraising script for asking for donations from existing donors
- Fundraising script to ask for donations from potential donors
- Thank you script
Let’s get started.
Script for calling past donors to ask for donations
| Script for when you reach the person |
| Hello, I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. I gather that you’re one of our high-impact donors. Your last donation to <organization_name> for <cause> helped us <share the impact>, and we are so grateful to you. <donor_name>, I’m calling you today to ask for your help to accomplish <campaign_goal>. It’s the fastest way to achieve <your_mission>. Many of our donors have contributed to this cause, with some also signing up to be members. By donating even <donation_amount>, you will be helping <impact>. You may also choose to become a member of our organization, where you’ll be paying a small monthly fee. As a member, you’d avail of benefits like <member_benefits>. Can we count on your support through this small donation? If they say yes, We’re so grateful for your continued support, <donor_name>. Thanks to you, we will be able to <impact>. If they seem hesitant, Please know that <donation_amount> is what it takes to feed one child for a year. We have <number_of_children> such kids across our childcare centers. However, I completely understand that it can seem like a big ask. How about a smaller contribution of <new_donation_amount> instead? This would be enough for a child’s monthly health checkup. If they refuse, No worries, <donor_name>. Thank you for your time, have a great day ahead. |
| Script for when you reach the voicemail |
| Hello, <donor_name>. I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. I want to thank you personally for your support in the past years. You have been a valuable member of <organization_name>, and right now, we need your help while we focus on expanding our childcare centers across the state. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions. You can reach me at <phone_number>. Thank you so much, and have a great day ahead. |
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Important reminder: If the donor you’re contacting has been inactive for a long time, your call may sound different. The purpose of the call, in that case, should be to draw their attention to the impact you’re creating while understanding their reason for being inactive.
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Script for calling existing members to ask for donations
| Script for when you reach the person |
| Hello, <donor_name>. I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. I’m calling to follow up on the renewal reminder we sent you a week ago. I gather you’ve been with us for <number_of_years_with_you> years. I genuinely appreciate your support, and thank you so much for that. This year, we will focus on <upcoming_plan>, and we are excited for you to be a part of these plans. Please take a moment to renew your membership. Your ongoing support is critical to us while we focus on expanding our childcare centers across the state. I’m sending you a text with a membership renewal link. Could you please let me know once you’ve renewed it? Please let me know if you need more help. <Once donor confirms renewal>Thank you, <donor_name>. I really appreciate your contribution. Have a great day ahead. |
| Script for when you reach the voicemail |
| Hello, <donor_name>. I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. I’m calling to follow up on the renewal reminder we sent you a week ago. I’d like to personally thank you for your support in these <number_of_years_with_you> years. You have been a valuable member of <organization_name>, and right now, we need your help the most while we focus on expanding our childcare centers across the state. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions. You can reach me at <phone_number>. Thank you so much, and have a great day ahead. |
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Important reminder: Make sure you know the following about your donor before making the call: 71% of consumers anticipate personalized interactions from companies and 76% experience frustration when this expectation is not met. Your calling tool needs to let you have all these details as a part of the contact’s profile details and access them during the call. |
Script for calling potential donors to ask for donations
| Script for when you reach the person |
| Hello! I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. Am I speaking to <donor_name>? Once you’re connected with the right person, I feel that a lot of people aren’t aware of the impact they can create with the smallest gesture possible. We are raising funds to expand childcare service centers across the state so people who can’t afford a good quality of life for their children can take our help. Today, I’d like to share one small example of such an impact <organization_name> created. Share the example. This shows that every donation makes a difference. Would you consider donating <donation_ask> so a child can take a step closer to being the best version of themselves? If they say yes, We’re so grateful for your continued support, <donor_name>. Thanks to you, we will be able to <impact>. If they seem hesitant, Please know that <donation_amount> is what it takes to feed one child for a year. We have <number_of_children> such kids across our childcare centers. However, I completely understand that it can seem like a big ask. How about a smaller contribution of <new_donation_amount> instead? This would be enough for a child’s monthly health checkup. If they refuse, No worries, <donor_name>. Thank you for your time, have a great day ahead. |
| Script for when you reach the voicemail |
| Hello, <donor_name>. I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. I’m calling some of our high-impact supporters to discuss one major issue the children in <area_name> are facing. I’d also like to personally thank you for your support in these <number_of_years_with_you> years. You have been amazing, and right now, we need your help the most while we focus on expanding our childcare centers across the state. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions. You can reach me at <phone_number>. Thank you so much and have a great day ahead. |
| Important reminder: Not everybody will donate right away. Some donations come in through the follow-up efforts. This follow-up can be through another call with the impact update, a text sharing a donor’s testimonial, or an email sending an invite to an event. |
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Pro tip: Go for a calling tool that facilitates texting too. CallHub’s ‘Text from Call Center’ feature combines the power of calls and text messages. You can share details like donation page links while on the call, which increases your chances of receiving a donation.
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Script for thanking donors after they’ve donated
| Script for when you reach the person |
| Hello! I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. Am I speaking to <donor_name>? Once you’re connected with the right person, My staff told me you recently made a generous gift of <donation_amount>. I’m calling to let you know that your donation of <amount> has reached <organization_name>’s account. I wanted to personally thank you for your generous donation and update you on how we used your donation to <impact_created>. Donors like you make me realize the world is filled with amazing people. As a token of respect, we are updating them on the impact they’ve created this year. Also, as a board member, it’s crucial that I know what our donors think of <organization_name>. May I ask you what inspired you to make this donation? Make a note of the donor’s reason to contribute. That’s great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’ll surely share this with the other board members. To tell you a little about the impact you’ve created, we have set up <number_of_new_branches> childcare centers across the state. I’m proud to say that we are now making a difference in the quality of life of <number_of_children_enrolled> children with these new centers. We’re making good progress, and it wouldn’t be possible without donors like you. Is there anything else you’d like to know? Note the comments and requests. Thank you for your time and valuable input, <donor_name>. I’ll call you with more updates in the coming months and try to understand if we’re meeting your expectations. Have a great day ahead! |
| Script for when you reach the voicemail |
| Hello, <donor_name>. I’m <board_member_name>, a board member of <organization_name>. My staff told me you recently made a generous gift of <donation_amount>. I wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your support for our organization. Donors like you make me realize the world is filled with amazing people. As a token of respect, this year, we are focusing on learning our donors’ opinions on our work and updating them on the impact they’ve created. Also, as a board member, it’s important that I know what our donors think of <organization_name>. I’ll call you again soon. I’d like to know your thoughts and personally thank you for making this change happen. You can also reach me at <phone_number>. Have a great day ahead! |
There you go, full-fledged fundraising script samples to make calls for your board members.
Now, what do you do in case your board members are not very keen on being a part of fundraising?
Then, you have some convincing to do.
A phone call is one of the most effective ways to do that, and when you do so, here are a few points to consider:
- Introduce yourself by mentioning your role in the organization.
- Thank them for their support.
- Share the details of the fundraising campaign: goals, timeline, channels being used, current status, etc.
- Address their questions, if any.
- Share the details required to get started.
Calling tips for board members
Follow these fundraising call script tips for a successful campaign.
- Introduce yourself, which organization you represent, and why you’re calling at the beginning.
- Smile when you’re talking as if you would in person. People can sense a smile even through the phone.
- Take notes while you’re on the call. CallHub lets you add notes that get synced with your CRM while you’re on the call. Check out all the tools we integrate with.
- If you don’t have the answer to a question, tell them you’d need some time and that you would follow up. To ensure you don’t miss out on following up with them, mark your call with a ‘follow-up’ label. CallHub offers a feature called ‘Call Disposition’, which is specifically designed to help you label the outcome of a call.
- Address your donor by their name and let them know how grateful you are for their ongoing support. Personalizing your conversation like this helps you achieve good response rates. In 2020, a substantial 97% of organizations reported experiencing a measurable positive impact from their personalization efforts. CallHub enables you to personalize your scripts with the help of ‘Merge Tags’.
Adding a script on CallHub with merge tags for personalization. The merge tags get replaced by real values when your agent places each call.
- Share a story of impact where you’ve seen the impact first-hand, or spoken to the beneficiaries.
- Know the ask amount by doing thorough research on each donor’s past contributions. On CallHub, your agents get access to each donor’s data collected from past interactions and activities during the call.
Putting it all together
Fundraising is all about connecting with people to create change. CallHub’s advanced features focus on helping you develop a relationship with your donors while raising money.
Check out our Call Center Software and all the features that help your board members raise funds for you efficiently.
CallHub also offers ‘Branching Scripts’ on our platform.
Branching Scripts will help you add different script sections that can be shown based on the direction conversations are flowing in. For instance, say your potential donor is interested in donating. Then, your agent can jump to a specific part of the script written for this scenario. This will help you address multiple scenarios in your script and allow your agents to have detailed conversations smoothly.
Featured image: Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels
