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Voice Broadcasting Applied to Fundraising

DEI Member Resources

Voice Broadcasting Increases Giving

Development professionals area always looking for new ways to increase giving. Rene Lindsay,
Development Director at Public Broadcasting Atlanta, has implemented a new technique that
combines the warmth of the human voice with the speed of email by Voice Broadcasting
specific messages to targeted call lists. First tested and rolled out during TV pledge, the
technique can support direct mail and e-renewals, event ticket sales and more.

Voice Broadcasting Applied to Fundraising

by Rene Lindsay, Director of Development, WABE, Atlanta, GA

Like all public radio stations, WABE is always searching for new and different techniques to obtain donations from individuals in the community. WABE is a joint licensee with Public Broadcasting Atlanta TV (PBA30). Recently, the TV station tested and rolled out a new tool called voice broadcasting. Enlisting the help of GroupCast outbound calling service, the TV station targeted select donors to receive an outbound 30-second recorded message about an upcoming opportunity to support the station. The result was an outstanding increase in repeat donations and improved donor relations.

It's a straight forward process. Pull a call list based on benefits associated with previous pledges to the station. For example, all donors who previously pledged for events with NPR personalities, could be selected to receive a message, letting them be "the first to know that WABE will be hosting an event with NPR's (name of national host) this November." The voice broadcast has greatest impact if you can get the NPR personality to record the outgoing message for you - all that is needed is a .wav file. There is a call to action that can be activated by having the donor press 1 on their touch tone phone connecting them to WABE's call center where they can make their pledge.

This technique could be used to target donors who usually wait until the last day to pledge with a special incentive for an immediate pledge. It could also be used for a pre-drive web campaign, to boost direct mail renewals, conduct a survey, or to send event or volunteer reminders. The possibilities are endless.

According to Martin Agati, WABE's GroupCast liaison, "Telephone broadcast enables a recorded voice message to be broadcast to large lists of recipients very quickly. Voice broadcast combines the speed of email, with the warmth of human voice and the in-home delivery aspect of direct mail, allowing recipients to respond immediately to the message received."

As a whole, donors have been extremely responsive to this technique of getting the word out. The donors feel that they are being treated in a special way and appreciate the advanced notification.

The Public Broadcasting Atlanta team plans to implement the new technique for WABE-FM during its next on-air campaign.

For additional details or to discuss results, contact Rene Lindsay (after the drive!) at 678-686-0305 or
rlindsay@pba.org. You can also reach John Kraemer, GroupCast at 770-924-7814 or jkraemer@groupcast.com.