This article has been created to give a high-level overview of exactly what Welcome, Activation and Stewardship calls are, why they are required, what needs to be considered, and how this essential task can be priced if outsourced.
Of course, we’d be happy to speak with you about your brief in more detail so we can give you a proposal. Our office telephone number is 01604 21 66 55 or there’s a contact form on the website to complete to arrange a callback.
We hope you find this comprehensive document useful and look forward to discussing your brief with you.
Further information can be found on our website:
https://www.vstvenues.co.uk/our-services/welcome-calls/
Or you can download our PDF version by signing up here:
https://virtualsalesteam.co.uk/welcome-call-guide
The importance of welcome, activation and stewardship calling for charities
Welcome, activation and stewardship calling is crucial for charities to effectively engage new supporters, making them feel valued and connected to the cause. A personalised welcome call not only acknowledges their support but also helps establish a positive first impression. It offers an opportunity to thank supporters, provide an overview of the charity’s work, and inform them about how their contribution will make a difference.
This initial interaction can significantly impact donor retention, as supporters are more likely to continue their involvement when they feel recognised and appreciated from the beginning.
Additionally, welcome calls serve as a platform to gather valuable feedback, helping charities understand their supporters’ motivations and expectations, which in turn allows for more tailored and effective future communication strategies.
What to consider when outsourcing
When outsourcing this operation, charities should ensure the provider demonstrates:
- Personalisation Skills – Ability to create a genuine connection with each supporter.
- Mission Alignment – Understanding of the charity’s values and goals.
- Excellent Communication – Clear, empathetic, and engaging phone interactions.
- Feedback Integration – Capability to gather and relay supporter insights effectively.
- Data Security – Adherence to privacy standards and secure handling of supporter information.
What Makes a Good Call?
A good call goes beyond compliance; it’s about creating a positive and meaningful experience.
Calls should be engaging, personalised, and reflect the charity’s values. Our callers are encouraged to listen actively, respond to feedback, and build rapport. Effective calls should be planned and executed with a clear understanding of the rules, including the importance of obtaining consent and handling data responsibly.
Continuous monitoring of calls is crucial to ensure compliance with legal standards and organisational values.
We welcome our clients to listen to live or recorded calls, to document their findings, and provide feedback to improve performance. Regular assessments help identify areas for improvement and ensure that campaigns meet ethical and professional standards. The responsibility for monitoring also extends to third-party partners, ensuring they align with the charity’s values and comply with regulations.
Typical KPI’s to consider
In addition to these standards, it’s important to track key call metrics to assess the effectiveness of welcome and activation calls:
– Contact Rate: Percentage of successful connections with new supporters.
– Call Completion Rate: Percentage of calls where the full message is delivered.
– Engagement Rate: Number of supporters expressing interest in further involvement.
– Conversion Rate: Percentage of supporters committing to additional actions, such as recurring donations or volunteering.
– Average Call Duration: Ensures calls are comprehensive yet respectful of the supporter’s time.
– Feedback Quality: Insights gathered that can inform future strategies.
Monitoring these metrics helps charities optimise their engagement efforts and maintain a strong, loyal supporter base.
Addressing Complaints and Feedback
A robust complaints process is essential for handling issues effectively and learning from them. The charity should have a clear, publicly available complaints procedure and ensure that any third-party partners adhere to the same standards. We will work with you to replicate and accommodate your charity’s procedures.
Feedback, both positive and negative, is a valuable tool for refining fundraising strategies and enhancing supporter relationships.
Commercials
There are many different commercial models available for Welcome and Activation calling including:
– Cost per Call (most common)
– Hourly rate
– Day rate
– Cost per Outcome
– Shared Risk
Additional benefits of Outsourcing your Welcome, Activation and Stewardship Calls to VST
1) All calls will be made from our all-female call centre based in Northamptonshire, UK and the calls are made by our fabulous award-winning workforce whose average age is 42.
This means your donors/supporters will be called by accent-neutral ladies with high empathy and fantastic communication skills.
2) All of our callers are hybrid workers, where most of their hours are within our office.
Being hybrid, however, allows us to easily flex the hours to suit your specific activity/campaign, this could be Saturdays or evenings for example.
3) We have been operating as a call centre since 2007
This means that we are a well-established and settled team that knows how to manage and motivate calling teams to the highest of standards. We have all the latest cloud and AI quality control technology but have still managed to create an environment that doesn’t feel like a robotic call centre.
4) We book venues too!
This means that we understand how fundraising raising works, how privileged it is to get a new supporter, and therefore how professionally and sensitively each new donor needs to be treated and communicated with.
5) We won The Sunday Times Best Places to Work Award for small business in 2023 and again in 2024
This should reassure you that when you outsource to us, the staff making your calls for your charity, are well-paid, happy and supported employees. We even have a waiting list for new team members so ramping up the activity is never a problem, even at short notice.
6) We have an open-door policy for our clients
We’re very big on building partnerships with our clients as opposed to becoming ‘a supplier’. This means that we welcome you into our office to meet and work with our team to really become an extension of your charity that you can trust and rely on.
Our mantra is to “consider it done”, we look forward to demonstrating this to you 😊
