With the end of the fiscal year approaching, advancement teams are looking to make a big push for donor gifts and participation in the upcoming weeks. If you think it’s too late for your team to get on track to meet—or exceed—this year’s goals, take a look at how Gustavus Adolphus College increased their gifts received by 59% at the end of one fiscal year by adding a simple Phonecast to their schedule.
In the spring of 2013, Gustavus Adolphus College was approaching the end of its fiscal year and the staff was looking to inspire giving from supporters who had yet to make a gift. Staff members wanted to invite gifts in a personal way, engaging the growing community of alumni, parents, and friends.
Gustavus decided to host a Phonecast, where participants could listen and participate in a 45-minute conversation with college leadership. In early May, the annual fund team invited 13,000 members of the Gustavus community using emails and personal, pre-recorded voice messages from the president.
On the night of the event, May 23, 4,000 community members picked up the call from Gustavus and participated from the comfort of their own homes. Sixteen people from across the United States were given the opportunity to directly ask college leaders a question; those who didn’t get a chance to ask a question were invited to leave a voice message at the end of the call. Annual fund staff used the opportunity to ask participants how they would like to receive information from the college.
The next day, a thank you email was sent to everyone who was invited to participate. The email also included an end-of-the-year ask for the Gustavus annual fund. College leaders also followed up on questions left by voice message after the call.
Adding a Phonecast to the standard end-of-the-year tactics helped the annual fund exceed the college’s $2.1 million goal. In the eleven days prior to the Phonecast, Gustavus Adolphus averaged 69 gifts per day; in the nine days after the Phonecast, Gustavus received an average of 110 gifts per day.
To achieve your fiscal year-end goals, add a Phonecast to your strategy. Communicate with members of your institution’s community with a radio-quality phone call that happens in real time, with real people, asking real questions. Sign up for a demo today.
To read more about how Gustavus Adolphus used a Phonecast, read the case study here.