chpt 1 staffing

7/31/2019 Chpt 1 Staffing

1/41


2/41

8 The Phonathon Managers Planning Handbook

Capacity and Need

When a phonathon program is falling short of goals, management should

consider several factors when determining the best methods to turn

around the results. In addition to understanding all productivity input

components, such as participation, average pledge, record counts, and

data quality, the capacity of the phone center should be taken into consid-

eration. The prime culprit of not achieving expectations often lies with

not having the proper number of callers on staff to complete the work.

Your ability to keep all of the seats filled with quality callers should be

one of the first things you consider when addressing program shortfalls

to reach the maximum capacity of your phonathon. The more seats youhave filled with quality callers in your call center, the more calls you can

make. This ultimately increases your chances of reaching the above-

mentioned goals set forth for your program.

Like any other production business, it is important that you recog-

nize the basic economic concept of supply and demand in the management

of your phonathon. Proper staffing requires a keen focus on understand-

ing the value of each employee hired from both a quantity and a quality

perspective. We discuss quality in this book in our section on caller train-

ing. For quantity purposes, we must know how to identify and hire the

necessary number of people to finish the work on time.

To illustrate this point, imagine for a minute that you own a companythat makes widgets. You would need to know two key factors to better

understand how to run your widget business. First, you should know the

maximum number of widgets you can supplyover a certain period of time.

Consider this number your total capacity. Next, you would need to under-

stand how many widgets are in demand for the same period. This figure

would be your need. To satisfy your customers and effectively run your

operation, you could then determine if your widget supply would meet

the demand.

This same concept applies to phonathon programs. We outline exactly

how to understand and calculate phonathon capacity in the forecasting

chapter in this book, but in a nutshell there are three key concepts thatyou should always keep in mind when determining recruiting needs in

your phonathon program:


3/41

The Importance of Good Staffing 9

1. Maximum Capacity. How many total records will your program beable to complete (see definition of a completed call in the chapter

on caller training) if all your seats are full for the maximum amount

of time during your calling calendar? Given certain historical per-

formance parameters such as completed calls averaged per calling

hour, management needs to understand what the total productivity

potential is and how much work could be done at 100 percent of

the phonathons capability, within your allotted budget. This is

your supply.

2. Expected Need. How many callers do you need on staff to complete

the necessary number of records to reach the goal established for

the program? Given expected performance that considers database

completion percentage, participation, contact percentage, and aver-

age pledge, it is important to understand the number of available

records you will need to achieve the overall objective for the pro-

gram. This is your demand.

3. Result. Will the supply meet the demand? Do you have enough

callers on staff to complete the projected amount of records needed

to achieve the overall goal? The primary mistake many phonathons

make regarding recruiting is that capacity is never reached. Many

calling stations go unused during the week because scheduling and

hiring is never methodically planned, and the need for 100 percentattendance is never emphasized. Avoid making the assumption

that you have enough callers hired unless you absolutely know for

certain that you can finish your program on time with the staff you

currently have in place. Always prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Overstaff If Possible

In reality, your staffing projections will never be 100 percent accurate.

There are too many moving parts to ensure a perfect outcome. Most

phonathon programs do not achieve 100 percent seat capacity every night,although that should always be the goal for phonathons needing to maxi-

mize calling output to finish the program on time. Instead, anticipate


4/41


potential issues you will face and get ahead of the problem. As a generalrule of thumb, we recommend that you recruit at least ten percent more

callers than you needfor each shift to offset turnover, absences, and poten-

tial recruiting challenges. For example, if your call center has thirty seats,

then you should always recruit to fill thirty-three seats. With this method,

you essentially prepare for the worst-case scenario and avoid the unenvi-

able position of falling behind the pace you need to finish the program

on time. Remember, it is always easier to let off the gas pedal and coast

to the finish line than to accelerate at the end and hope you can catch

up. Time always has a way of working against you as the final days of

your phonathon approach.

In the event that your overstaffing plan works too well and you havemore callers who show up than you can handle, there are several options

you can consider that are reasonable and fair alternatives for both you and

the staff.

Use a lottery system to pick names out of a hat to send the additional

callers home. This is the most random and fair way to choose who

gets to leave. Avoid making callers go home who need the hours

or want to work. Instead, only place those callers names into the

hat who request a night off. And, do not count it against their

attendance if they are chosen.

Pair up callers to split calling time, coach each others calls, andoffer suggestions to each other on presentation techniques. Take

advantage of the opportunity to improve and refine negotiation

skills, especially with your lowest statistical producers. This is an

excellent opportunity for them to listen and learn as they will not

be needed for that night of calling.

Find additional administrative work that needs to be managed, such

as envelope stuffing, filing, documentation, report/spreadsheet

updates, and the like. Full calling shifts usually mean plenty of

pledge cards and other tasks that support the work on the phones.

Use this as an opportunity to catch up on the little things that needto be done around the office, budget permitting.

Have extra callers assist with special projects such as recruiting, staff

event planning, and so on. Posting flyers around campus and running


5/41


errands will free up management time to concentrate on statisticalanalysis, revising scripts, and training callers.

Again, the goal is to achieve 100 percent occupation of your calling stations,

so avoid implementing these options unless you have a completely full shift.

Timing

Many phonathon managers will argue that there are only certain times of

year when you should recruit, and therefore they make no effort to recruit

staff during other times. To some degree, this statement is true. There aremany peak periods throughout the year when recruiting is more successful

because the labor force and the demand for employment is higher. How-

ever, the approach that we have seen work in most successful programs

is one in which recruiting never ends. In April 2006, the Association of

Fundraising Professionals reported the national turnover rate for fundrais-

ing professionals in 2005 was twenty-seven percent in the United States,

up from twenty-three percent in 2004. In Canada, turnover was thirty-

six percent in 2005, up from thirty-two percent in 2004. These numbers

are likely even higher when looking only at on-campus phonathon pro-

grams as student callers have a history of switching jobs more often. The

reality of this industry is that turnover is high, so most call centers are inconstant need of new employees.

There are two main factors to consider with timing. First, it is critical

that you maintain a constant presence on campus and in other areas where

potential employees are likely to reside or populate. Staying visible and

engaged is important in attracting new talent to the phonathon, even in

times you may not need to hire. Second, avoid appearing desperate for

employees in your recruiting efforts. This tends to give an impression that

your organization may not be a desirable place to work. While it is impor-

tant to be creative in your approach to recruiting, avoid gimmicks that

only attract employees looking to make a quick buck. Earning money is

an attractive factor but not the only focus your recruiting should have.Instead, concentrate equally as hard on educating the student population

regarding the type of employees you want at the phone center and keep

a professional reputation in your efforts to find new talent.


6/41


A healthy balance of recruiting methods built around key events andimportant calendar dates can be managed in a way that addresses both of

these issues. For example, during your peak recruiting times you could

take advantage of more intense and direct methods, often referred to as

hard recruiting. During nonpeak times, you could focus efforts on more

low-budget and subtle indirect recruiting methods, which we refer to as

soft recruiting. These are discussed in greater detail in this chapter.

Peak Recruiting Season

There are generally six key peak times per year that need to be consideredwhen determining your recruiting plans:

1. Summer. For those programs that call throughout the year, be pre-

pared to recruit students who will be on campus during the summer.

In addition, making contacts and building relationships with faculty,

staff, and administrative officials on campus can help prepare for the

busiest recruiting time of the yearthe first week of classes.

2. First Week of Classes. Students who have just returned to campus

are eager to find jobs to fit their school schedules. This is the

heaviest recruiting time for any on-campus employer as well as

many businesses off campus that use student workers as part of

their staff. You will be competing with all other sources of employ-

ment for these students, so it extremely important to be thorough

in your approach and leave no stone unturned.

3. Midfall. By midfall, students will have settled into their classes and

become comfortable being on campus, particularly underclassmen.

Caller turnover at the phonathon tends to happen around this time

as students begin realizing the challenges of balancing school,

work, and social activities. Freshmen will experience the results of

their first exams and in many cases will come to the conclusion

that they cannot juggle multiple assignments at once. Therefore,be careful when hiring those students who may have significant

distractions in their schedule.


7/41


4. Immediately Before Finals. Stress levels typically peak immediatelybefore finals due to the students concern for performing well on

them. In many cases, term papers are due, and the anticipation of

going home for the break causes the employees to readjust their

top priorities. Unfortunately, the phonathon is often the recipient

of this adjustment. Be prepared to recruit and hire employees

around the time of finals, particularly the holiday season as you

know these students will be needed after returning from break in

January.

5. Before Spring Break. The weather is getting nicer in spring, stu-

dents are eager to have a little fun before the grind of the last

stretch of the year, and they have saved up enough money (after

having spent holiday money) to take some time away from work.

This is also a traditionally high-turnover time for seniors, who have

developed senioritis and just want to enjoy the final few months

of their college career without being bogged down with work. Be

prepared to lose a few callers going into the spring break period.

Few programs are immune to this season of caller turnover.

6. After Spring Break. Conventional wisdom tells us the time after

spring break may not be a good time to recruit because there are

only a few weeks in the calling campaign left. However, in reality

this is a great time to recruit new callers if you have the rightapproach. Students need money coming off spring break, the

phonathon is often in desperate need of calling hours to finish on

a good note, and the groundwork can be laid for next years cam-

paign by identifying returning students who wish to secure a job

for next year. And, if your program calls during the summer, this

time between spring break and finals is even more important.

Calendar of Events

In addition to these standard peak recruiting times, it is important tokeep a calendar of events at your institution so that you are aware of

those moments that may affect staffing, such as institutional days off,


8/41


midsemester holiday breaks, test dates, athletic events, registration dates,dorm move-in days, and so on. Your goal is to anticipate peak periods of

turnover, understand labor force trends, and be proactive about your

recruiting plans.

Methods

There are several different methods of recruiting callers for your program.

Depending on your budget and human and technical resources available,

phonathon recruiting methods vary from basic plans with a few marketing

avenues to more comprehensive plans that use several strategies. Keep inmind that when deciding on recruiting methods, more expensive does not

always mean more effective. There are many calling programs with lim-

ited resources that have effective recruiting plans not because they cost a

lot of money, but because they are consistent, creative, and take advantage

of key opportunities on campus. Throwing money at the problem is only

a small part of the solution. The best programs in the country operate

efficiently by using a blend of hard and soft recruiting, which we explain

in the following paragraphs.

Hard Recruiting

Hard-recruiting methods are usually more intense and direct in nature.

They typically present more opportunities for direct personal communica-

tion with potential candidates, using approaches that would allow you to

avoid third-party filters that can dilute your recruiting pitch. There are

several hard-recruiting methods listed next that can help you identify the

necessary number of employees.

Open House. The best way to show prospective employees the bene-

fits of working at the call center is to open the doors and let them

see the exciting atmosphere for themselves. If you have a conve-nient campus location, post signs around the phonathon and dis-

tribute flyers, send e-mails, and use other communication methods


9/41


to increase the foot traffic. In addition to helping recruit new call-ers, this method also helps you retain them once they are hired as

they are more likely to know what they are signing up for after

seeing it in person.

Job Fair. Many campuses have job fairs that promote openings for

graduates as well as current students. Recruiting tables or booths

are usually fairly inexpensive as the goal for the school is not to make

money from vendors but to identify employers willing to hire their

students. Bring applications, business cards, and even fellow student

callers to make it easier for prospective employees to sign up.

Class Announcements. All phonathon programs play a crucial role inthe financial well-being of the institution, and professors usually

understand the importance of a successful annual fund campaign.

Many faculty members will help the phonathon manager by making

a one- or two-minute announcement themselves or will let the

phonathon manager make the announcement at the beginning or

end of class. Communications and business classes in particular are

good targeting opportunities because the same skills that the phon-

athon utilizes are being taught and promoted in these classes.

Greek Presentations. The same class presentation approach men-

tioned can also be used in fraternities and sororities by asking thechapter president or leader of the house for a couple of minutes of

time during an upcoming meeting. This is an opportunity to talk

about the job, answer questions those attending may have, and pass

out applications.

Move-in Day Assistance. Efforts such as helping students move into

dorms and handing out flyers, bottles of water, open house invita-

tions, and applications are great ways to have immediate contact

with student job seekers. This keeps with the principle of staying

visible on campus and recruiting during the first week of classes.

Parents Weekend. Parents weekend events provide an excellentopportunity not only to network with students who are settling in

to campus but also to make contact with parents who are spending


10/41


time with their kids. Setting up an informational station at eventswhere both parents and students are present allows potential

employees the opportunity to hear about your organization while

increasing interest with parents who would like their children to

learn a sense of responsibility (and help pay the bills!) by supporting

themselves in school.

Soft Recruiting

Soft-recruiting methods are subtler in their approach, often relying onindirect communication between employer and prospective employee. They

are generally used as a way to maintain constant program visibility in

the campus community and to augment hard-recruiting methods. Soft

recruiting can often be more creative and marketing driven as well as mass

produced and distributed. The following are common soft-recruiting

methods:

E-mails. The use of e-mail is one of the most effective ways to

reach a large number of students without incurring great expense.

Despite being categorized as a soft-recruiting method, e-mailsallow for direct communication with an opportunity for direct reply,

unlike classified ads or online job searches. With e-mails, you have

the ability to initiate one-on-one contact to literally thousands of

students and drive them to your organization via your online Web

site or a phone number to call for more information. Most impor-

tant, the use of e-technology has become a staple communica-

tion method with todays college students. Be creative with your

approach but be certain that your strategy will not end up being

deleted before it is viewed. E-mails are most effective when sent at

the beginning of the academic year when more students are looking

for jobs, especially considering that management has the ability tocontact students instantly before they even arrive on campus, thus

getting a jump start on your efforts.


11/41


There are many tips to ensure you send an effective e-mail mes-sage. First, be sure that you have a powerful subject line, ensuring

your institution name is mentioned or recognizable. For example,

Join the Cougar Call Center has both brand identity and a cre-

ative approach. As with any marketing piece, the e-mail first has to

be read for it to be effective. Be certain to avoid common tricks

in the message such as excessive use of exclamation points, smiley

faces, or other characters or words that Internet service providers

could categorize as spam. Second, craft your message to be short,

powerful, and concise to keep the reader interested. Avoid using

words in all capital letters and stay with proper, professional gram-

mar to promote the phonathon as a good place to work. Finally,include an opt-out option as a courtesy for those students who do

not wish to receive your message in the future.

Flyers. Even in todays world of fast-paced technology, it is a proven

fact that flyers still remain as one of the most common and effective

forms of advertising on college campuses. They are old school,

but they work! Flyers are like newspapers and books in that they

offer the average person an opportunity to read physically from

paper and not a Web site. While technology continues to make

inroads into the daily lives of students, there will likely always be a

benefit from paper communication. Even as most college studentsin todays world are using technology to enhance their job searches,

it is safe to say that nearly all students also make a regular habit of

glancing at informational boards on campus, whether intentional or

not. Flyers are very visual and allow for colorful ways to market

your program.

Perhaps most important, flyers give management the ability to

be creative while specifically targeting your audience by varying

messages based on location. Online communication requires a com-

puter and Internet access. Flyers can be posted anywhere and are

great compliments to an electronic recruiting strategy. Use flyers

to deliver specific messages to specific groups of people, such ascommunications and business majors or underclassmen living in

nearby dorms. Cost-efficient and effective, placement of recruiting


12/41


flyers on campus remains a universal approach of nearly all phona-thon programs.

See Appendices 14 for examples of common recruiting flyers.

Employee Referrals. Your current employees, particularly your veter-

ans, understand your operation and the value of their work. So,

why not include them in your marketing plan? Potential employees

will hear the benefits of the job from current employees, which

strengthens your reputation on campus and promotes the phona-

thon as a good place to work. Best of all, it literally takes no leg-

work to start a referral program. It can be as simple as offering

employees a certain dollar amount for every candidate they refer to

the phonathon, provided important criteria are met. For the caller

who is referring the new employee, this can include having a good

attendance record, completion of caller training, good disciplinary

standing, and so on. You might also consider a bonus for the caller

who is being referred, especially once they successfully complete

training and a predetermined number of weeks of calling.

Referral programs are a win-win proposition for everyone

because they reward current employees via the incentives offered,

future employees with a job and incentives, while at the same time

contributing to a fun atmosphere that comes with working with

friends. And, of tremendous importance, it reduces the burden on

management for having to find and recruit quality employees.

A key point to keep in mind with a referral plan is to be very

clear about your expectations and selection process. If you assume

that every referral is a good candidate, you could be setting your

plan up for failure by having poor callers referring like-minded can-

didates. In addition, be aware that while callers will often join the

phonathon because their friends work there, they can also resign

their position with the phonathon when their friends quit. Antici-

pate and prepare for that possibility to avoid being caught off guard.

See Appendix 5 for an example of a recruiting flyer for employee refer-rals.


13/41


Online Job Web Sites. Job Web sites are used in conjunction withother recruiting methods to give applicants an easy way to learn

more about your phonathon and apply instantly at their conve-

nience. Your online site can include important information, sched-

uling policies, wage information, and applications. In todays

electronic world, these Web site locations are almost a requirement

for transparent and convenient recruiting.

Giveaways. T-shirts, bookmarks, cups with the phonathon logo and

information printed on them, hats, pens, and other items are some-

times used as incentives and as marketing pieces to promote the

phonathon. Give a few away to current staff and ask them to wear

or use them around campus. If used in conjunction with the referral

program, these can help the callers promote the phonathon in a

very convenient and less-intrusive manner.

Table Tents. Used in lunchrooms and study areas, table tents pro-

vide a great way to promote the phonathon without having to be

present physically. Students can look at the information while

eating, surfing the Web, or doing homework. Table tents are a

great compliment to flyers on campus, housing valuable recruiting

information that a student discovers while sitting down rather than

standing up or walking.

Social Marketing Web Sites. As the technological revolution contin-

ues full steam ahead, the use of social marketing communication in

the phonathon world continues to blossom. One of the more inno-

vative recruiting methods that has evolved in the recent past is the

use of online communities to reach out to students. Organizations

such as MySpace and Facebook are now being used as recruiting

tools on college campuses for a variety of positions and events,

including the phonathon. The ability to tap into a students online

world is invaluable in recruiting new talent.

One of the potential downsides of this method that fundraising pro-fessionals continue to debate is the concern for privacy and the potential


14/41


for predators to gain access to college students whereabouts and otherinformation. This is a particular concern for female students. Neverthe-

less, it is a creative option to consider, and many institutions are working

hard to modify these approaches to address these issues. In the future,

phonathons will almost assuredly need to use social marketing to keep

pace with other organizations searching and recruiting in the same

employment base on campus.

Roadblocks

As the saying goes, Plan your work, and work your plan. A recruiting

plan is only as good as your ability to execute it. That ability is sometimes

limited or even impossible due to a number of issues, some of them

within your control and others not. Regardless, what is important as a

manager is that you recognize those obstacles and then develop a plan for

how you will attempt to overcome them. Here are some of the more

common roadblocks we have observed when programs attempt to imple-

ment a full recruiting strategy: financial resources, human resources, and

competition.

Financial Resources

We have worked with several institutions that face the common challenge

of needing to do more with less. They are placed in a position in which

they must recruit more creatively and consistently, but because of budget

reasons they are restricted from initiating an all-out effort. Managers

faced with predicaments like this will sometimes have to make sacri-

fices that they would otherwise not consider. The key in this situation is

to ensure you have an understanding of the effectiveness of your meth-

ods.

To overcome the challenges of a limited budget, we recommend plac-ing all of your recruiting mediums into a spreadsheet or other program

that allows you to track various key components of your efforts (e.g.,


15/41


timing, number of applicants by source, frequency of use, number of hiredemployees from a source, expense, dates, etc.). Armed with this informa-

tion, you can then prioritize which will be most effective within the con-

fines of your budget and begin to build a more focused recruiting plan to

maximize your resources.

See Appendix 6 for an example of a recruiting tracker.

Human Resources

It is vital that you have staff members who are willing to commit thetime and effort necessary for effective recruiting and who understand how

important it is to remain focused on this area of the phonathon operation.

The manager may not have the time to recruit, interview, and hire each

employee, although their input is necessary to make sure the process stays

on track and promotes quality.

In the event that human resources are limited (especially in extremely

large programs), we suggest that management assign the role of recruit-

ment to one or two of your student supervisors. The manager coordinates

the development of the plan but encourages student leaders to offer input

and empowers them to make decisions and determine what role they can

play in its implementation. The final hiring decisions should alwaysbelong to the manager, but the student supervisors or lead callers can play

an important role in finding the talent. After all, students know the stu-

dent population better than does the manager.

Competition

Your phonathon operation is like running any other business when it

comes to hiring. You will compete with other companies or organizations

in your area that are hiring from the same labor force. As a manager, it

is important that you have an understanding of the job market in yourarea because the success of your recruiting and retention effort is affected

by how you vie with those organizations for the available talent. While a


16/41


phonathon job offers many great benefits, there are some offered by othercompanies that prohibit phone programs from competing. These include

the ability to offer day hours (our core fundraising time is in the evening),

unlimited hours, higher pay (in some cases), and the ability to work off

campus and do something non-school related in their temporary home-

town. With a solid recruiting plan, you can improve your chances of mar-

keting the unique benefits of your phonathon program and position your

program to compete well on its own merit.

Hiring

Hiring the best possible callers from the pool of recruited applicants is

among the most important responsibilities of a phonathon manager. As

with any other job, it is important to hire the right personnel to ensure

the success of your phonathon program. There is usually a plethora of

jobs for students on or near college campuses, typically at local establish-

ments such as restaurants and bars, department stores, the book store,

libraries, coffee shops, the dining hall, and the like. However, with the

exception of internships and research assistant opportunities, there are not

many college jobs on a par with a student phonathon fundraiser. In fact,

we strongly believe that the job of a phonathon caller is the most impor-

tant student position on campus. The challenges of raising significantfunds for the institution, promoting stewardship and good feelings with

prospective donors, and updating massive amounts of demographic infor-

mation are not a set of responsibilities to be taken lightly. In return for

their hard work and dedication, students can expect the benefit of learn-

ing a set of skills that will transfer to just about any profession upon

graduation. The position of phonathon caller is simply a unique and valu-

able opportunity for most college students.

Finding students whose demeanor and communication skills match

the importance of the position is no easy task. It is not good enough

simply to identify students who are willing to sit at a station and make

phone calls. The job is too important and the ramifications for failuretoo great to take the easy road. Under the pressure to meet the expecta-

tions established at the executive level, many phonathon managers find


17/41


themselves traveling down this dangerous path of simply filling seats.Unfortunately, not having the ability to select the quality as well as the

quantity of applicants is one of the biggest factors that contribute to the

poor performance of a phonathon program.

Good Caller Characteristics

If your management team is committed to a consistent, aggressive recruit-

ing plan, and you have established a very clear understanding of the type

of caller you are seeking, then the ability to accomplish the best of both

worlds, qualityand quantity, is not impossible. The first step in this pro-

cess is building a profile of the ideal caller for your program. Fortunately,the size or type of college or university does not much matter when it

comes to selecting these employees. Good callers can be found anywhere

if you know what to characteristics are needed. What is most important

is that you recognize the key characteristics that make up a top-notch

caller. This process is paramount to selecting a winning group of student

representatives who will be the voice of your institution. In the following

paragraphs, we outline several major traits to consider when recruiting

the right staff.

Good Personality

Students with an outgoing, reflective personality often make great callers.

Those who are not shy around others and have demonstrated a penchant

for teamwork usually fit well inside a structured, group effort. They enjoy

humor with coworkers, even at their own expense. They are not afraid to

speak during meetings, yet know when to listen and take direction. Most

important, they reach out to others who they do not know well, seeking

to spread a positive rather than negative message.

Good Character

It can be difficult to judge character from a resume or an interview. How-

ever, to the extent it can be done, management should pursue questions


18/41


that illuminate development in this area. Callers should demonstrateintegrity and honesty in all aspects of their job. High levels of good char-

acter reduce the likelihood of pledge falsification, deliberately giving inac-

curate information to prospects, cherry-picking the best donor prospects,

hiding refusals, or intentionally miscoding calls.

Confidence

Often an underappreciated trait, confidence is extremely important in

fundraising. Callers should sound confident in their tone, and manage-

ment should be able to see it in their body language while on calls andwhen they are communicating with coworkers. They look for ways to

learn the details of the program, which allows them to quickly respond

to objections and trust their information. Most important, confident call-

ers are not afraid to be assertive and persistent, crucial to good negotiation

skills. They take constructive criticism well because they know it helps

them improve their skills and will make them better callers.

Sincerity

Callers who believe in what they say can effectively convince a prospectto give because there is a sense of honesty in their tone. This is especially

important at the larger, leadership ask levels of the script. Their program

knowledge and sense of confidence allows them to relax during their pre-

sentation and understand which points to emphasize to maximize their

chances for receiving a pledge.

Quick Thinking

A script and list of techniques are just guides to help callers understand

the flow of a presentation, the key points to cover, and the commonobjections they will encounter. However, no two calls are the same, and

management cannot predetermine responses for every objection a caller


19/41


may hear. The best callers understand how to think quickly on their feetand rapidly respond to uncommon objections and other unique situations

that arise during their presentation. Slow, ineffective responses greatly

diminish the ability of the caller to maintain control of the conversation,

thereby hurting their chances to receive a pledge.

Persistence

If every prospect were willing to say yes the first time you ask them for

money, everyone would be a great caller! The reality is that nearly all

phonathon pledges are received after the second or third ask (hence, ourrecommendation for a three-ask structure, which is discussed in the

scripting chapter). The best callers understand this reality and know that

it is their job to prepare for multiple asks on each and every call.

Maturity

While you want your call center environment to be lively with lots of

positive energy, enthusiasm, and buzz during a shift, you also have to

balance this with the serious work you do in raising money for the institu-

tion. The more mature callers do not have to be reminded of this fact.They understand the job at hand, have great time management skills

during their shift, and have a clear focus for the need to balance work

with play. Some schools even gear their recruiting toward juniors and

seniors because they want more mature employees who need jobs for rea-

sons beyond fun money. No matter what the class year, consider matu-

rity as an important factor in your hiring decisions.

Dependability/Flexibility

Your best callers are as good as they are because they show up for everyshift, which means they have more practice honing their presentation

skills and understanding the expectations of the job. They have adjusted


20/41


well to campus life and know how to balance school and work. Programstrategies may change throughout the year for many schools, but the best

callers are flexible and able to adjust as needed. You can often depend on

these callers for additional special projects as well, such as recruiting,

assisting during training class, filing, or other administrative duties.

Management on the Same Page

Consider having brainstorming sessions with your key personnel in the

fundraising organization. Review the traits just listed along with other

qualities you consider important for your program. Discuss each of thesequalities in detail and document your expectations. This will ensure every-

one is on the same page about the type of caller you want to hire, and

these qualities then become the core foundation by which your team

judges candidates.

Interviewing

In addition to the quality of callers hired for a phonathon program, man-

agers must not forget that, at the end of the day, this is just a college job

for most of the students, not necessarily a career path. With this thoughtin mind, managers must establish a delicate balance between a profes-

sional, goal-oriented atmosphere and a fun, motivating college atmo-

sphere. This component is crucial to the retention of staff and the overall

productivity of the phone center.

The type of employees you hire will ultimately determine the type of

work atmosphere you maintain, and selecting those employees begins

with the interview. Being honest about expectations and sharing the

vision for what you want applicants to accomplish if they are hired will

help them have a clear understanding of the job before they accept the

offer. At the same time, the interview is a time to share with applicants

your thoughts about the fun they should expect to have when making thecalls and the positive experiences they will have as your team reaches

milestones. With this approach, applicants can see right away that there


21/41


are expectations andrewards with such a position. In addition, applicantslooking for an easy job often take themselves out of the hiring process

before you extend an offer, resulting in better quality employees for the

phonathon culture you are trying to create.

When establishing your application and interview process, you should

keep two things in mind: ensure the process is thorough and efficient. If

your recruiting process is working at its full potential, you will have many

applicants to consider. Each objective is explained in detail next, with our

thoughts on key components of the interview process.

Ensuring the Process Is Thorough

Rushing applicants through your hiring process while not asking the right

questions and listening for the quality indicators that you seek will have

significant long-term damage to the quality of your staff and ultimately

the performance of the program. Revisit the qualities of your ideal

employee and then review your application and interview questions to

ensure you are addressing each of those qualities. In addition, make sure

your interview questions are as open ended as possible. Asking yes-or-no

questions is acceptable for basic factual information, but you need to

ensure your applicants are able to promote their abilities in a way that

allows them to speak at length and articulate their answer. After all, theywill be using these same skills on the phones if they are hired for the job.

Following are some examples of effective versus ineffective ways to

question your applicants as you gauge the qualities you seek.

Dependability

Ineffective: Can you effectively balance school and work? It is impor-

tant that we can depend on you to work each and every shift.

Effective: Working every shift is important to the overall development

of you as a caller and to our ability to reach team goals. Tell mehow you have balanced school and work in the past or how you

plan to manage it for this job given the schedules we work?


22/41


Confidence

Ineffective: Do you like working in competitive environments?

Effective: Tell me why I should hire you before other applicants?

Persistence

Ineffective: Are you willing to ask for money more than once if a

prospect refuses the first time you ask?

Effective: Give me an example in your personal or work life when you

did not get what you wanted the first time you asked, and whatyou did to overcome the refusal and ultimately succeed?

Ensuring the Process Is Efficient

While it is best to have a thorough interview and hiring process, some

programs do not have the luxury of a long time frame to hire students.

However, the most effective phonathon programs not only have consis-

tent recruiting efforts but also have an efficient application/interviewing

process. Efficiency allows management to move through the pool of

applicants in an orderly fashion, taking the time to see quality but avoid-ing unnecessary breaks in the process. We next outline a basic three-

step process that can be implemented by management in most phonathon

environments.

Three-Step Interview Process

1. Application Completion. Consider an online application process if

you have not already done so to receive applications instantly. At

minimum, you should allow your applications to be printed online

and submitted via fax or e-mail to your call center. Ask for justthe important details necessary for you to gain an insight regarding

their background and experience. While it is important to portray a


23/41


professional approach to this position, overly lengthy and complexapplications are often unnecessary given the questions phonathon

managers need answered.

2. Phone Interview. Voice qualities are the principle mechanism for

delivering a quality presentation in a phonathon program. If your

applicants are not very articulate and do not sound convincing

when building their case for a job on the phone with you during

the interview, chances are they will not be successful when trying

to persuade alumni, parents, and friends to donate money to your

program. The phone interview allows you to screen out these

applicants as you work to narrow your hiring pool. The phone

interview should be the first step in the direct communication pro-

cess but not the last step. There is no substitute for a personal,

face-to-face interview, and the phone interview should never be a

stand-alone procedure. Management can initiate this step on

receipt of the application, at which time you can choose to do a

quick phone interview at that moment or schedule a time in the

near future for a more thorough process. An alternative method

that some schools have put into place involves establishing a

recruiting line that applicants can call and leave a message with

answers to a few basic questions along with their phone number

and time to reach them for follow-up.

3. Personal Interview. This is the most important step in any hiring

process as this is managements opportunity to get a true feel for

the applicants personality, confidence, and other quality indicators

we discussed. Eye contact and body language during a personal

interview can tell you a lot about an individual. There are three

principle types of personal interview processes you could establish

depending on the resources and time frames you have available:

a. One singular face-to-face interview with the phonathon man-

ager.

b. Panel interviews that include both the phonathon manager andstudent supervisors, who may ultimately be responsible for help-

ing to manage the employee if hired.


24/41


25/41


will give a better feel for the position and also allow them to experiencethe vibrant working atmosphere. They can then make a more educated

decision about whether the job is for them. You would much rather lose

the prospective candidate up front than send them through training only

to be surprised when they leave because the job is different from what

they expected.

Include script reading as part of your applicant evaluation process. Have

applicants read a very basic script during the personal interview. This

allows you to determine how quickly they can grasp the basic concept of

a presentation, how they sound reading off the cuff, and their ability to

think on their feet. Ask them to attempt to overcome one objection using

the standard techniques you provide them and give them a significantprimary ask to use to gauge their reaction to asking for large gift amounts.

Understand the applicants other time commitments and activities. Remem-

ber, you are hiring students who are on campus not only to receive a

degree but also to experience all that college life has to offer outside the

classroom. While the phonathon caller position is critical to the success

of your program, do not minimize the importance of other on-campus

extracurricular activities of your applicants. Extracurricular activities may

appear on the surface to be a distraction to a students ability to handle

the phonathon position, but you might be surprised to find the opposite

effect more often. Many students who are involved with other activities

have a deeper connection to the institution as well as a stronger level ofmaturity and work ethic. Some students thrive on staying busy, choosing

to work not because they need to but because they want to. These are all

excellent qualities to look for in a caller.

Try not to schedule too many interviews in a short time frame. It is

important that you give each interview the proper amount of time neces-

sary for you to effectively evaluate the applicants. Typically, thirty-minute

interview blocks (two per hour) are good, but you can also consider

twenty-minute blocks (three per hour) if your process is efficient. Shuf-

fling applicants in and out of your office also tends to make your opera-

tion look like a revolving door. Show professionalism by demonstrating

to the applicant that you appreciate his or her time.Score your applicants and take notes during the interview. If you do not

hire on the spot (which we strongly recommend against), this is a good


26/41


way to ensure you fairly and consistently evaluate applicants and do notforget important information uncovered during the process. In addition,

writing down information shows the applicant that you are taking the

process seriously and that your approach is professional. However, be

aware that good eye contact and an engaging interview are far more

important than taking notes with your head down. If you spend most of

your time writing, you are likely to miss signs and indicators that can

help you make a good decision. We recommend and encourage a balanced

approach.

Treat the interview process as a professional experience. Take notice of

applicants who dress for your interviews and prepare resumes because

many students will not do so. Also, take it as a warning sign if the appli-cant shows up late as they are more likely to repeat that behavior later

when they are on your payroll. Again, while you want to create a fun

working environment for students, you also have to remember that you

are still running a professional business, and the position should be

treated as such.

RETENTION

One of our colleagues put it best when characterizing staffing problems

by stating, Perhaps your problem is not recruiting, but rather keepingcallers once you get them. Unfortunately for many managers, this state-

ment reflects the difficulties their campaign faces. Phonathon programs

often address staffing concerns by investing most of their time and

resources in improving recruiting strategies as the natural management

instinct is to assume that not having enough callers on staff means that

the recruiting process has been lacking. In reality, turnover often causes

far more problems than poor recruiting and has a larger effect on the

ability of the campaign to hit the goals and objectives set forth. Some

turnover should be expected in any business, and phonathon programs

are certainly no exception to that rule. However, significant caller turn-

over can affect your phonathon program in many ways beyond merelybeing an inconvenience. Here is a partial list of the effects of chronic

caller turnover and poor retention:


27/41


Increased Costs and Time. With improved retention, the money andstaff time spent on recruiting and new hire training could be used

to manage other aspects of the operation, such as coaching and

development, incentive programs, administrative cleanup, and spe-

cial project implementation.

Negative Reputation. Word of mouth makes bad news spread fast.

If it becomes known around the campus community that employees

are constantly resigning from your phonathon program, the percep-

tion will eventually be that your organization is not a desirable place

to work. This puts an additional burden on your recruiting efforts

because you have to work harder at convincing students to apply

for jobs, and a negative reputation takes months and even years toshed.

Inconsistent Results. Because of low retention, many organizations

are constantly training and placing a large number of new callers

on the phones. Veteran callers who have been trained rotate out,

and inexperienced callers rotate in. The end result is a staff consist-

ing of callers who are working through their learning curve, leading

to a lack of consistency and difficulty negotiating on the phones.

The by-product of all these problems is low productivity.

One of the keys to staff retention is to develop your organization in

such a way that students see working for you as a privilege that will bene-

fit their lives now and in the future. If students view your operation as

just another run-of-the-mill part-time job, then it makes it easier for

them to quit if they struggle to excel or if they just do not feel comfortable

on the phones. We have seen many cases of callers turning it around after

experiencing rough patches in their initial learning curve. However, they

must be committed to the job and to the manager to get through the

tough times.

Five Primary Retention Factors

There are many factors that influence caller turnover rates. To effectively

tackle the problem of poor retention, management must be willing to


28/41


address the main reasons why turnover exists in the first place. The fol-lowing five reasons are the principle issues relating to caller turnover. We

discuss and explain each in greater detail in the subsequent paragraphs.

1. Wage

2. Incentives

3. Knowledge and skills

4. Atmosphere

5. Opportunities

Wage

Students working for a phonathon program are really no different from

your average part-time employee. Most have no long-term interest in the

job, and it is usually a need for money rather than pride for the institution

or an understanding of the importance of fundraising that attracts them

to the program. They simply want to earn enough funds to help cover

marginal living expenses or extracurricular activities (nights out with

friends, campus events, food, organization membership fees, etc.). If your

wage is not competitive, then it becomes even more challenging to com-pete with other employers. That challenge also goes beyond campus

boundaries as higher-paying jobs off campus usually attract students who

will sacrifice proximity to make good money.

Low wages have a tremendous negative impact on two key areas of

your program:

The quality of employees you hire because the best candidates will

accept higher-paying jobs more often than not, thus leaving you

with a less-talented applicant pool.

Employee retention as some current employees will begin to question

whether they are working for a reputable organization or if thesalary they are receiving is worthy of their effort. Consequently,

they keep their options open for higher-paying positions.


29/41


Best-Paying Job on CampusThere may not be a way to compete with every potential employer

regarding caller wages, particularly for schools located in larger cities

where there are more businesses for callers to choose. However, phona-

thon programs should always strive to be one of the highest-paying jobs

in your area. Ideally, the phonathon should be the best-paying part-time

job on campus, thereby guaranteeing that wage will not be an issue with

those employees seeking a job in the immediate vicinity. Even if it is

twenty-five or fifty cents per hour higher than your next-closest competi-

tor, advertising that the phonathon is the highest salaried student position

on campus gives you a recruiting advantage and helps improve the quality

and quantity of the applicants.

Incentives

Effective incentives are a staple of many successful phonathon programs,

in many cases offsetting the challenge of lower wages. They provide a

bridge between what the program can afford to pay the callers and the

compensation needed to make the employees happy and motivated. There

are two key reasons why incentives should be a key part of your retention

strategy:

1. Make the Job Entertaining. Incentives are an excellent way to allow

callers to have some fun during a shift while rewarding them for

their performance. The reality is that at the core of any phonathon

operation is a caller who spends three to four hours per shift mak-

ing hundreds of calls, only reaching a small percentage of pros-

pects. They give the same presentation over and over and are

repeatedly rejected. The monotony of this routine can result in lack

of focus due to boredom or the mental stress of subpar perfor-

mance. One of the key roles of a manager during the shift is to

find creative ways to keep the energy up on the floor and maintaina fun, yet professional atmosphere. Incentives such as games and

contests that are based on actual performance and goals set by


30/41


management help to accomplish a productive calling session andkeep the students motivated and entertained.

2. Recognize and Reward Callers. Recognizing callers for a job well

done is a great way to let your staff know that you appreciate their

contributions to the campaigns mission and congratulate them on

their personal accomplishments. Incentive programs are a common

practice in the business world. Think of just about any organiza-

tion you know, and chances are they have recognition plaques or

other trinkets located somewhere in their offices. In the world of

phonathons, there are two categories of incentives to recognize or

reward staff: tangible and intangible.

Tangible incentivesare those incentives that a caller can physically see,

touch, or take away. Here are some examples:

Award certificate

Plaque with name engraved

Gift cards

Pizza parties or other food and beverage

Household/dorm items

Novelty prizes

Intangible incentives recognize callers in ways that are usually publi-

cized but do not include physical items. Often, intangible incentives can

be just as effective and have minimal costs, if any. Some examples include:

Flexible scheduling

Time out early

Being a supervisor for a day

A visit by the dean or director to give a personal word of thanksand encouragement

A simple handshake from management for a job well done


31/41


Additional Strategies for IncentivesChange your game on a regular basis. Your staff will eventually get

bored with playing the same contest or game every shift. This does not

mean you need to development a new game every night. Rather, it means

mix up the games that you have and add new games when possible. In

addition, you should allow your callers to have a voice in the games you

play as they will be more likely to take them seriously and compete harder

if they had a hand in creating them.

Be sure the incentives are tied to your desired program and individual

goals. To maximize your programs productivity, build your incentives and

contests around nightly goals. Playing games for the fun of it can actually

hurt your callers performance. Set specific objectives for number of

donors, dollars, credit cards, upgrades, and additional criteria. Callers

tend to appreciate the incentives more if they have earned them, not if

they are given them.

Offer incentives for both short- and long-term goals. A healthy focus on

both short- and long-term areas keeps callers motivated for multiple rea-

sons, which contributes to a more focused overall program. It can also

help caller retention by providing incentive for remaining with the phona-

thon until the overall goals and objectives have been reached.

Use relative performance parameters that are more difficult to alter.

Results using raw numbers such as dollars and pledges can be used but

should be monitored closely because they increase the temptation for call-

ers to enter false pledges, resulting in lower fulfillment rates and more

angry alumni and friends. Instead, base your incentives around objectives

that cannot easily be exaggerated and offer potential win-win situations

for both the caller and the phonathon program. Examples include:

Pledges on credit card (which helps reduce postage and processing

costs)

Team fulfillment rates

Attendance bonuses

The importance of pledge verification. Implement a pledge verificationprocess in your phonathon. Any time incentives are offered to motivate

callers to improve performance, the temptation exists for callers to use


32/41


poor judgment. They may consciously enter false pledges or subcon-sciously misunderstand prospects in their enthusiasm to achieve the goal,

unknowingly undermining good fundraising habits. Online verification,

telephone monitoring, or randomly calling pledges back to ensure their

validity will improve your fulfillment rates, especially when incentives are

built around goals for the number of pledges or dollars.

Knowledge and Skills

One of the main reasons employees leave phonathon jobs is due to lackof confidence in their knowledge or skills. When callers feel they are not

contributing to the success of the team or bringing the team down due

to their poor performance, they are more likely to quit. Lack of quality

training, coaching, and verbal and written feedback contributes to a cycle

in which callers lose confidence in their ability to perform at a high level.

Consequently, every calling shift is an exercise in anxiety, and they even-

tually resign in frustration.

One of the key objectives of your caller training and development plan

should be to ensure that every employee is given access to the full skill-

building resources of the phonathon program. As leaders and managers,

it is your responsibility to provide callers with the necessary tools todevelop their talent and be successful. Before a caller ever leaves due to

performance issues, management must have the confidence that they have

fulfilled their responsibility. During the callers tenure, be sure to docu-

ment strengths and weaknesses in employee files. This can be as simple

as a formal coaching program that includes documented call evaluations

along with any performance appraisals given to the employee during their

time with the phonathon.

As we mentioned at the beginning of this book, a phonathon is a

business. And, while our business is unique in many respects, giving

employees what they need to be successful is a universal concept. The

results of a 2006 survey to determine the best small companies to workfor in America reported that businesses that made the top twenty-five got

high marks for having low turnover rates, being flexible with time off,


33/41


and providing quality employee development training.* The survey alsofound that compensation is often less important to employees than prac-

tices like regularly communicating the firms financials and its competitive

positioning.

Again, this same philosophy can be applied to phonathon programs.

If you are consistent and clear with the goals, expectations, and progress

of your program and provide the quality training and ongoing develop-

ment your staff needs, you will definitely experience an improvement in

overall phonathon performance.

The Three Ways Callers Learn: Tips on ImprovingKnowledge and Skills

1. One on One. Consistent face-to-face feedback with your callers is

critical to improving caller confidence. Many newer callers are shy

and do not respond well to criticism in the presence of the team.

Individual coaching sessions gives them a way to open up about

their challenges, thus resulting in more productive coaching and

caller development. It is important to develop regular cycles of

coaching with the callers and establish coaching minimums in

terms of frequency with your supervisors. We recommend that

each supervisor on shift formally coach at least three or more callers

per shift, offering quality face-to-face feedback (in addition to

informal coaching). Build a tracking schedule to ensure every caller

is coached an appropriate amount of time over a selected period.

2. Apprenticeship/Osmosis. Spending time with veteran callers who are

seasoned at being in the trenches of calling and allowing them to

be able to listen to their presentations and ask questions is an

invaluable way of learning the skills necessary for phonathon suc-

cess. There are some callers who find this to be a more effective

method of learning. While they need to understand formal con-

cepts and procedures for calling success, they will pick up on the

*Business Week Online, July 13, 2006, The Best Small Companies to Work for inAmerica, Jeffrey Gangemi.


34/41


subtleties of the job quicker when they interact with veteran callers.Be certain to put your new staff only with callers who have sound

fundamentals in their skill set. Otherwise, you run the risk of

teaching bad habits.

3. Group Exercises and Activities. Consider holding team role-playing

sessions periodically as a way to continue reinforcing fundamental

presentation habits, even with veteran callers. Management should

understand the importance of keeping their callers skills fresh the

same way any performer or athlete understands the importance of

practicing the fundamentals of their craft. Team meetings provide

an excellent opportunity to highlight successful techniques from

other callers and reinforce good habits and fundamentals in front

of the entire team. In addition, consider conducting periodic group

retraining sessions, working with three or four callers at once on

specific areas of focus. Often, this serves as a way to work closer

with a cluster of callers who may all be struggling with similar

performance issues.

Atmosphere

Imagine the following scenario when coming in to work every day:

Your office is a big, square room filled with cubicle workstations con-

taining only computers and phones. There are very few pictures or other

items on the white walls. Perhaps the location is in a campus buildings

basement or classroom with few windows. The supervisor comes in

every day to take roll call, makes a few brief announcements, tells you

what prospects you are calling, and says, Get started. Throughout the

shift, there is limited communication from management other than to

tell you what you did wrong, and callers do not communicate with each

other very often due to management frowning on perceived distractions.

Does this sound like an enjoyable place to work? We do not think so.Unfortunately, the fact is that many phonathon programs operate in this

manner or something close to it. Management becomes so preoccupied


35/41


with administrative responsibilities and the pressure to meet goals andexpectations that they fail to realize some of the little things that could

make a big difference. The bottom line is that the working environment

affects the attitude we keep, which in turn affects the turnover rate in

our places of employment. The positive physical, social, and professional

atmosphere of a call center has a significant impact on the feelings of the

staff and their desire to work.

It is the responsibility of management to create the type of working

atmosphere in which callers can be successful. Phonathon programs have

a built-in advantage over other types of on-campus employment, and if

managed properly can easily be the most rewarding place to work. Unlike

other businesses, phonathons experience immediate feedback on theirlevel of success. Statistical results show tangible proof of hard work and

can provide opportunities to rally the callers around a positive outcome.

A few recommendations for creating great calling atmospheres follow.

Enhance Visual Aids

Not only do visual aids help create motivation for your staff, but they

are also a great way to help keep your program goals at the forefront of

discussion and enhance the inspiration for your callers to achieve success.

When callers are visually aware of the goals and objectives set, they are

more likely to buy into your philosophies and work a little harder.When constructing your visual aids, be sure to use large, visible prog-

ress trackers such as pledge thermometers, competition-based races that

emphasize calling statistics, and goal-oriented games that can be easily

updated. Consider including a wall of fame that highlights leaders in

various categories such as participation, overall dollars, credit card per-

centage, attendance, and other important areas that reflect the focus of

your program. Many programs also use placemat fact sheets for each caller

station that provide information callers can use in their calls. Of course,

the goal of any visual aid is for the work to be creative and visibly appeal-

ing. Ask your supervisors or calling staff to use their artistic skills to create

theme-related posters and pieces. Everybody wins when the staff takesownership of the program and invests their time and personality in the

team.


36/41


Promote EnthusiasmEnthusiasm is contagious, and it starts from the top! You want your

callers to succeed at what is a challenging job from a mental standpoint,

so as managers you owe it to your staff to develop a fun environment that

helps overcome those challenges. You need to create an atmosphere in

which people enjoy being at work and spending time with their peers

while working toward a common goal. Having fun could be as simple as

holding energetic team meetings, discussing a funny call, or patting some-

body on the back for a job well done. Be sure to have a sincere, lively

tone in your voice as you communicate goals and objectives to callers. If

you sound as though the information you are sharing with callers is not

important or exciting, they are not likely to feel much different.

Interactive, Hands-On Management

Be sure to interact and manage the calling floor by moving around.

Supervisors and managers should avoid sitting behind a desk, rising from

the chair only to answer a question or update the contest or game. Being

active and enthusiastic about the calling shift is vital to the teams success

and gives the callers the energy they need to be successful, especially after

they sit in a classroom for most of the day. High-five callers for a job well

done and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. Remember,phonathon management is an active process not a passive responsibility.

Opportunities

Most institutions do not have large fifty-seat or more phonathon opera-

tions that require additional management or other noncalling positions.

This can be challenging because growth opportunities can keep employees

(especially veterans) from pursuing other jobs. However, no matter what

the size of your program, there are still ways to create formal and informal

opportunities for callers to contribute to your operation while increasingtheir own experiences.

For most programs, there are typically only three key noncalling roles:


37/41


Manager: Oversees most aspects of the program, including recruiting,hiring, training, scripting writing and other direct mail responsi-

bilities, performance analysis, and so on.

Supervisor: Handles day-to-day management of shift preparation,

coaches and motivates callers, deals with scheduling and atten-

dance issues, prepares and analyzes reports, and the like.

Administrative Assistant: Handles all the paperwork, such as folding

and stuffing letters, making copies, proofreading materials, doing

manual demographic research, processing miscellaneous paper-

work, and the like.

All three of these positions are very beneficial to a phonathon opera-tion because they allow for specific concentration on important areas

while keeping the program organized and focused. Still, we encourage you

to go beyond the standard responsibilities of these roles and determine if

there are other pockets of opportunity for callers who are interested in

more than just calling. Take an inventory of your current positions and

discover if there are ways to delegate work, budget permitting. Perhaps

there are new initiatives you and your staff might want to pursue but have

not had the time. Many programs benefit from a full debriefing at the

end of the year, and various program wrap-up duties that take place may

provide an opportunity for staff growth and assistance. In addition to

those duties already mentioned, consider the following growth possibili-ties for qualified callers: senior caller program, additional administrative

hours, other benefits of additional opportunities.

Senior Caller Program

Typically, a senior caller will have some, but not all, of the same

responsibilities as a supervisor. They are eased into the management role

over time, which helps develop a pipeline for future leadership. This type

of program allows callers to develop managerial skills while learning about

other aspects of the fundraising operation and without placing undue

pressure on them when they may not be fully ready. Some institutionscan offer this opportunity with minimal or no pay increase because they

do a good job of promoting the opportunity and not the money. This


38/41


allows them to create growth opportunities without negatively impactingthe budget.

Additional Administrative Hours

If you do not have a formal administrative position available but could

use the additional help, ask callers if they are interested in picking up

additional noncalling hours to manage some of the paperwork on your

plate. You do not have to create a new position for this (although it is

more attractive if it is indeed a formal role). Rather, by simply offering

the opportunity to help and pay the extra hours, you are actually develop-

ing the position without formalizing it. Multiple callers that understandthese skills and processes are extremely valuable to the program and usu-

ally perform better on the phones because they appreciate the importance

of quality in all aspects of their job.

Other Benefits of Additional Opportunities

In addition to promotions and opportunities beyond calling, there are

long-term benefits to a phonathon job that students often fail to consider.

For example:

1. Resume Builder. When employers can see that you have experience

in a philanthropic position, particularly on behalf of the institution

that educated you, it says something positive about your character.

Most employers consider character as one of the intangible, yet

key components of their hiring criteria. We have spoken to several

former phonathon callers who have gone on to have great careers

in their field of study on graduation, and nearly all of them have

told us how much their phonathon experience helped them get a

foot in the door when they began.

2. Skills Builder. The type of skills necessary for success as a phona-

thon caller are transferable to just about any career a studentchooses after college, and this benefit should be promoted as much

as possible. Consider some of these advantages:


39/41


40/41


program. Develop simple surveys that gauge the feelings of depart-ing employees on the key issues reviewed in this chapter that are

most important in your recruiting and retention efforts, including

wage, incentives, knowledge and skills, atmosphere, and opportu-

nities. Many programs experience a high volume of voluntary job

abandonment, which does not leave them with much information

to make decisions to improve their organization. This is why it is

also important also to gauge the feeling of your current employees

before they leave. Survey your current staff on why they are contin-

uing with your program, focusing on the same key areas.

In addition, track your recruiting and hiring sources so you

know where your marketing efforts are working best and where toinvest your resources. Identify other key figures such as average

length of employment and the amount of time it takes to fully turn

over the calling staff (i.e., if you had twenty stations, how long

from the first hire date until the twentieth caller turned over).

These figures will help management make better decisions and

potentially save both time and resources for future campaigns.

2. Recognize Your Core Employees. You will always have a certain

group of employees who are considered your ace callers, those you

can always count on for a number of reasons. They may be your

top-performing callers or the ones who spark enthusiasm among

others. Perhaps they are only average callers statistically but have

excellent attendance and can always be counted on to work hard

each and every shift. Whatever the reason you value these employ-

ees, it is important that you recognize who they are and ensure

you do whatever you can within reason and fairness to retain them.

They are the callers you can count on to set positive examples for

others to follow and who become candidates in your future leader-

ship pipeline. Use the twenty percent rule, which states that at least

twenty percent of your callers should be solid employees that you

can count on. If you have forty employees on staff, at least eight

or more of them should be considered core employees.

3. Know That All Turnover Is Not Bad Turnover. There are several

reasons why callers leave phonathon programs, so as a manager


41/41


you have to be realistic about your expectations, recognize thesereasons, and be proactive about finding ways to combat them. In

some cases, turnover might be expected and perhaps even wel-

comed. Caller burnout, in which veteran employees have difficulty

staying focused and putting in consistent effort, is often a contrib-

uting factor to a negative calling atmosphere. New callers that

come on board help bring fresh energy to the program and reduce

the cynical attitudes among callers who are doing just enough to

get by. In addition, callers who will be graduating soon sometimes

lose focus toward the end of their employment. New staff tend to

lead to new enthusiasm, and management should appreciate the

accomplishments of those departing from the phonathon but wel-come the excitement that the new students tend to bring.

chpt 1 staffing

Documents