Having the right messaging is crucial for any fundraising campaign, and crafting a fundraising script is far from easy. There are multiple factors to consider, which needs a significant amount of attention.
So, to reduce your efforts on that front, in this guide, we have covered three phone scripts for ministry fundraising:
- Phone script for calling potential donors.
- Phone script for calling existing donors.
- Phone script for calling past donors.
Tailoring your fundraising ask scripts like this increases your chance of getting a positive response. Before we get to the fundraising script samples for each, let’s see how you can write a phone script for ministry fundraising.
How to write an excellent phone script for ministry fundraising
When making a fundraising call, there are multiple factors to consider, and it can be challenging to know what exactly needs to be included. This guide will help you get started.
Give the right intro
The most basic principle of starting a fundraising ask is giving the right intro. Make sure you do the following:
- Address the contact by their name.
- Introduce yourself by your name and what you do.
- Introduce the church you’re calling on behalf of.
- Mention the reason for calling.
Sharing these details right at the beginning helps your contact know that your call is legitimate. The intro sets the stage for the rest of the conversation, and a bad intro can result in your contact hanging up on you.
Treat it like a conversation
Although it’s important to state the reason behind your call and make a persuasive ask, avoid treating your call like a pitch.
Focus on building a rapport with the contact based on their past interactions with you before you make the ask.
Here are some ideas to engage with your prospect:
- Thank them for their previous donation or involvement and discuss their thoughts on the same.
- Ask them what piqued their interest in your church.
- Share an impact story that you relate to.
Keep the donor as the focus
Think about the donor’s position in your marketing funnel.
What is their level of interaction with you? When was the last time they donated or got involved with the church?
Get as specific as possible by knowing all these when discussing their needs and opinions.
Show both the problem and the solution
There are three things to keep in mind when you show them the problem:
- Focus on the exact reason you need funds for. Show your contact the need to donate.
- Introduce a sense of urgency. Show your contact how their donation is put to use immediately and the impact it’s creating.
- State the solution. Show them how your organization is solving the problem.
This helps the donor see why their support is necessary and needed immediately.
In addition, show them the satisfaction of contributing to a cause. One way to do this is by helping them visualize the impact they’ll create when they donate.
Consider objections and address them
After you explain the problem and make the ask, there could be a few objections coming up. Make sure your agents are well prepared to handle them. This will help keep the conversation flowing smoothly.
Try to have different branches in your fundraising call script based on the common objections that can come up. A good rule of thumb is to factor in three most common objections.
Some of the common objections are:
- The ask is too high.
- I don’t feel optimistic about your organization.
- I support other nonprofits.
- I don’t think I can be of much help.
- I’ve never heard of your organization.
| Pro tip: Go for a calling tool that facilitates branching scripts so your agents can easily flow through the conversation. |
Phone script for ministry fundraising: Examples and tips
In this section, let’s see the three phone scripts for ministry fundraising targeted toward the most common categories of your supporters: Potential donors, existing donors, and past donors.
Phone script for ministry fundraising: Calling potential donors
This fundraising phone call script is an excellent example of a donor acquisition script. You can use this fundraising script sample when you have nurtured your lead into becoming a potential donor.
| Intro |
| Hi! Am I speaking to <contact_name>? After you confirm you’ve connected with the right person, Hey, this is <volunteer_name> calling from <church_name>. We’re reaching out to some of our strongest supporters today because there’s something we really need your help with. |
| The problem |
| Introduce the cause you’re raising funds for. Winter is approaching, and many orphan kids are living on the streets. These kids deserve a roof over their heads, and they are not mature enough to earn their bread. Because of this, most of them fall sick and malnourished. <church_name> collaborates with <nonprofit_name> to find a forever home for these children. Last year, we found loving foster parents for over 100 kids within <area_name>. |
| The ask |
| This year too, we are doing everything we can to ensure there’s no kid left on the roads. Until these kids find a home, we look after them at our childcare facilities. To ensure they eat and sleep well and get warm clothing, we seek help from supporters like you. Would you be willing to contribute a donation of <ask_amount> today? |
| Dealing with objections |
| If they say the ask is too high, Please know that <ask_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_ask_amount> instead? This would be enough for one child’s food for a month. |
| If they say they support other churches, I really appreciate your contribution to society. Please know that we make our donation request calls only <number_of_times_the_calls_are_made> times a year. We rely entirely on our supporters to fund the work we are doing. We see more and more children being abandoned, and we need your help now more than ever. |
| If they say they are not interested, I know you might have gotten a lot of calls asking for donations. Please know that we make our donation request calls only <number_of_times_the_calls_are_made> times a year. I’d like to take a couple of minutes to explain why I’m calling with an ask now. Many children who live on the streets end up starving to death during spring as there are not many people roaming around. When we bring them in, we help them get back in shape and find them a home, aggressively putting up requests on all possible platforms. With your help, we can bring in all these kids and do everything to ensure they don’t starve to death and live a good life ahead. Please help us get there? |
| Closing |
| If the contact says yes,Excellent; thank you so much for your support. Proceed to collect the payment from them. Once the payment is successful, Thank you, <contact_name>. Your support will go a long way in helping us save these children. |
| If the contact says no,No worries, <contact_name>. Thank you for your time. |
| Pro tip: CallHub lets you send a text with the link to your donation page while you’re on the call. Check out how our texting from call center feature can help you maximize conversions. |
| Important reminder: Take notes on how the call went after each call to understand what went well and what didn’t. Also, this helps you know each contact’s preferences and interests. Use a calling tool that facilitates adding notes that get synced with your contact’s profile details while you are on the call. |
Phone script for ministry fundraising: Calling existing donors
If a contact has contributed to your church recently, this is the script you should be using to ask them for donations.
| Intro |
| Hi, <donor_name>! This is <volunteer_name> calling from <church_name>. Share an example of the impact based on your donor’s interests. I’m calling on behalf of <beneficiary_name>, a kid we found a new home for recently. Your contributions helped us make this happen, and we are incredibly grateful… |
| The problem |
| Introduce the specific problem you’re raising funds for. I’m reaching out to give you a quick update on our team’s work. So far this year, we have found loving parents for over 200 kids within <area_name>. This would be impossible without donors like you. However, we still have a lot of work to do. Spring is approaching, and like every year, many orphan kids have nowhere to go. We rely entirely on our supporters to fund the work we are doing. |
| The ask |
| Our childcare centers are running because of donors like you. Without this support, we wouldn’t be able to save these children from starving to death. This year, we are doing everything to ensure no kids are left on the roads. Until these kids find a home, we look after them at our childcare facilities. To ensure they eat and sleep well and get warm clothing, we seek help from supporters like you. Would you be willing to contribute a donation of <ask_amount> today? |
| Dealing with objections |
| The objections can be handled the same way as mentioned in the previous script. However, when calling existing donors, you can also consider the objections brought up in the past. |
| Closing |
| If the contact says yes,Excellent; thank you so much for your support. Proceed to collect the payment from them. Once the payment is successful, Thank you, <contact_name>. Your support will go a long way in helping us save these children. |
| If the contact says no,No worries, <contact_name>. Thank you for your time. |
| Important reminder: After each call, follow up with your donors with a donation reminder through a text or a call. This will increase your chances of acquiring the donation. |
Phone script for ministry fundraising: Calling past donors
While calling a past donor, the call will need to start with small talk before jumping to the fundraising ask.
| Intro |
| Hi, <donor_name>! This is <volunteer_name> calling from <church_name>. I’m calling today to reconnect and update you on our programs. <beneficiary_name>, a kid we recently found a new home for, has personally thanked you for your generous contributions in the past. Could you tell us why you decided to stop contributing to <organization_name>? Try and understand the reason behind their inactivity and address any concerns before you make the ask. |
| The problem |
| Introduce the specific problem you’re raising funds for. So far this year, we found loving parents for over 200 kids within <area_name>. A lot of our donors have made very generous contributions. However, we still have a lot of work to do. Spring is approaching, and like every year, many orphan kids have nowhere to go. We rely entirely on our supporters to fund the work we are doing. |
| The ask |
| Our childcare centers are running because of donors like you. Without this support, we wouldn’t be able to save these children from starving to death. Like all those past years, this year too, we are doing everything we can to ensure no kids are left on the roads. Donors like you have helped us give these kids what they deserve, and now, more than ever, we need your support for the same. Would you be willing to contribute a donation of <ask_amount> today? |
| Dealing with objections |
| If they say they have donated in the past, I know, and we are very grateful to you. However, this year there are <number_of_kids> children that we need to take care of, and this number will only increase. How about a smaller contribution of <new_ask_amount> instead? This would be enough for one child’s food for a month. |
| If they say they don’t see the impact, Your smallest donation can go a long way, even though it seems like a drop in the bucket. So many of our kids have gotten their daily bread with donations as little as <donation_amount>. In the past, you’ve made generous contributions that helped us stand where we are today. Please help us feed a few more lives? |
| Pro tip: As an alternative to texting the donation page link while you’re on the call, you can set up a ‘text-to-donate’ campaign. This is a very easy method to make and collect donations. All your congregants need to do is send a keyword to indicate their interest in donating and they’ll receive the link to your donation page. See how you can set it up on CallHub. |
Follow-up script for fundraising
Your follow-up can be through text, email, or even a call.
Hey, <contact_name>! It was very kind of you to speak with me yesterday about <your_cause>. Here’s the link to our donation page: <link>. Even a small donation can help us reach our goal.
Thanks!
How to use your ministry fundraising phone script on CallHub
We saw different phone scripts for ministry fundraising. Now, let’s see how to use them on our calling tool.
How do you add scripts so your agents can use them for the calls?
After you log in to CallHub and create a ‘Call Center’ campaign, you will be able to add your script for your agents to use.
How do you customize the scripts for each contact?
CallHub replaces merge tags with the real values to personalize the script for each contact. Personalizing your conversations like this helps you achieve good response rates.
Merge tags can be used to add dynamic fields like your supporters’ first name, their previous donation, the number of years they’ve been a member of your church, and more.
When your agents place the call, these tags get replaced by their real values, helping your agents to have effective conversations.
How do you ensure that the calls are engaging?
- Break the script into chunks and indicate where your agents need to pause or wait for the contact’s response.
- Use bullet points and essential elements, so it doesn’t sound like your agent is reading from the script.
- Rehearse the script with your peers before placing the call.
- Smile while you talk; people can sense it even through the phone.
CallHub offers a pay-as-you-use model, so you can try out the tool by running tests or real campaigns for as long as you need. We are also launching a new feature called ‘Branching Scripts‘. Branching Scripts will help you add different script sections that can be shown based on the direction conversations are flowing in.
Make your calling process go as smoothly as possible by using these phone scripts to ask for donations on CallHub in your next fundraising call.
Featured image: Photo by Yan Krukov from Pexels
