Catholic Family Sharing Appeal
|
Preparing for Success
Telephone Follow up Phase
Telephone follow-up is the most effective
method of reaching parishioners who have not responded to the
appeal. This method offers the opportunity for personal contact.
It provides nearly all the advantages of face-to-face
communication and the response rate is usually very high. It is
also an excellent way to keep in contact with parishioners.
Since most phone calls are local, this can also be the most
cost-effective way of follow-up. Reasons for using telephone follow-up: • It is personal and
people give to people. • It is easy to organize. • It is an opportunity to
evangelize with fellow parishioners. • It costs less than mail
follow-up. Set up and Planning Procedures • Recruit as many
volunteers as possible early in the campaign. The more
volunteers, the more successful your campaign will be. Always
Remember to.... Be considerate Avoid calling
at mealtime or late at night. When calling,
let the phone ring at least five times before hanging up
(most answering machines
will pick up after four). If you reach an answering machine
leave a short message with your name and the fact that you were
calling for (name of parish or pastor/pastoral coordinator) on
parish business. Indicate that you will call back later. Be cheerful - a smile can be heard in your voice A friendly
appeal is the key to being an effective phone caller. Your
prospect is a person... not a phone number. These are members of
your parish and they should be treated as friends. Your prospect
will listen more attentively to what you have to say if you have
a smile in your voice. You can never be too courteous, and you
can never say "Thank you" too much. Especially remember to thank
your prospect at the end of your call, regardless of whether or
not a gift was made. Be accurate It is always
best to stick to the truth. An untrue, misleading or exaggerated
statement casts doubt on everything you say. Be familiar with
CFSA by reviewing the information included in this manual, as
well as the CFSA promotional materials. If a prospect asks you a
question and you don’t know the answer for, do not hesitate to
say, "I don’t know - but let me find out." Be proud Remember that you are doing much more than just calling for money. You are informing your fellow parish members about the important services provided by the diocese. You are helping make good things happen, especially for many who cannot do without this help. You are setting an example that others will follow.
Things to Keep in Mind as You Call Remember that
many parishioners will be aware of the CFSA from the Bishop’s
letter they received in the mail, the posters, pastor’s letter,
parish bulletins, pulpit talks, etc. These people will usually
respond best to by using the phone call as a gentle reminder.
Let them know that Mar/April/May/June is time for the CFSA, and
your calling for __________ parish to see if they will
consider a gift to CFSA . However, there may also be the occasional parish member who hasn’t got a clue what CFSA is all about or even what the letters CFSA stand for! You will need to be a little more patient, and explain the program in a little greater detail. Click here to see CFSA Question and Answer Page If you have questions you can't answer let the caller know you will find an answer for you. No one should
be asked to give to an appeal until they have had a chance to
learn something about how the money will be used. It is your job
to convince people, without pressure, that the appeal is
worthwhile and that their support is needed.
Click here to Check out
the CFSA Allocation Page Others may tell you that they can’t afford to give to both the parish and CFSA. Obviously, no one is required to give to CFSA. Make it clear that they are the only person who can determine what is an appropriate gift for their current situation. What we would like them to do is look at their charitable giving and see if there is a role for CFSA. We are challenging them to do the best they can. Remember that EVERY gift is important. When you talk
to people about making a gift tell them that you can, if they
wish, take their gift right over the phone. No down payment is
required, and they will receive payment reminders from the
Parish. Finally, always keep in mind that the people you are calling are human beings. Sometimes they have bad days. Occasionally, they are upset with a decision made by "THE CHURCH", and feel that they need to protest by not participating in CFSA. Don’t ever argue with someone over CFSA. When you argue, you force a person into defending his/her position. You might be able to win an argument, but you’ll also risk losing the person as a donor and a parishioner. Realize that if a prospect voices a concern, it’s not directed at you, but rather, at the campaign. Listen to their concern. You can usually be sympathetic, even if you don’t agree with that person’s position. Let the prospect know that you will pass their concerns on to your pastor, and then make a note to remind yourself to do that.
Hello ( parishioners name), this is (your name). Father ______ has asked me to call you as part of our follow-up for the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal CFSA. I’m part of the follow-up committee, and the committee is now in the process of calling those parishioners who have not yet responded to the 2008 appeal. I am calling to invite you to consider helping support the ministries and services provided by the Diocese throughout eastern South Dakota. We need your support to help us reach our parish goal of $______ for this years appeal. If you would like, you can make a gift right over the phone and I can record it. Your gift can be paid in a single payment, or you can choose to make up to 4 monthly payments. The parish office will send pledge reminder, directly to you. It may be helpful for me to tell you that the average pledge within our parish so far has been $______. If you can give a similar amount, that would be great. But, no matter what amount you choose, your gift is important. I know that Father __________ will greatly appreciate it. Would you be able to help us with a gift this year?" If prospect responds "yes" ... "That’s great. Let me review your intention to be certain I have it correct (restate the pledge and payment reminder schedule). Thank you very much on behalf of Father __________ and the Parish Council" If prospect’s reply is "no" ... "Thank you for
your time. Perhaps you will be able to consider supporting CFSA
in the future." Hello is Mr./Mrs.____________________ available? Hello, (Mr./Mrs/First name), this is _________ and I am calling on behalf of Monsignor/Father__________about the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. Do you have a few minutes? A group of parish volunteers are contacting parishioners asking for their support to the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. Do you remember receiving a letter from Bishop Swain in January? We want to give everyone an opportunity to participate. Our CFSA supports over 30 Diocesan and Parish ministry needs like Catholic Family Services, Respect Life, The Bishop's Bulletin and the education of our youth. These ministries impact thousands of people in our diocese every year. --- Previous Donor--- Last year you gave a very generous gift of $____ to CFSA. Would you be able to match or perhaps increase your gift this year? ---Non-Donor--- We noticed you have not responded to CFSA this year and we are hoping we can count on your support. We want to hear from everyone in the parish and exceed our parish goal. Can we count on your support to this year’s CFSA? ---If Gift is secured--- Thank you for your generosity. I will record your gift and forward it to the parish office. Please bring your pledge card this weekend at Mass, or, you can mail it directly to the parish office. Thank you again for your time and your support of the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. ---Unable to Give--- I am sorry you are not able to give at this time. I ask that you say a prayer for the success of the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. Please indicate this on your pledge card and if possible, indicate if you would be able to give of your time or talents on a volunteer basis. Thank you for your time and it was nice visiting with you.
|
|
w
www.sfcatholic.org
w
Office of Stewardship and Annual
Appeals
523 N Duluth Ave
Sioux Falls SD 57103
kmiles@sfcatholic.org
605-988-3787