Have a warm and friendly opening.
Introduce
yourself as a member of the class reunion committee. Take some time for
casual conversation. Make a connection with news from the College or
discussion about occupation or a shared Kenyon experience. Encourage
attendance at reunion.
Talk about the importance of support for the Kenyon Fund.
Share
class gift and participation goals. Have a specific gift amount in mind
(use your call sheets for guidance). Even if the person decides to give
a lesser amount, a suggested ask almost always leads to a larger gift
than if no specific ask is made.
Ask them to join you in making a gift to the Kenyon Fund in honor or reunion.
A
direct approach could be: "Will you join me in making a gift of _____?"
or "Would you consider a gift of _____?" Do not be bashful about
starting high. It is unlikely you will offend anyone by asking for too
much. It's much easier to negotiate down than up! However, encourage
each classmate to give according to his or her individual ability and
inclination. Previous giving history is not always the best indicator
for current capacity to give.
Stress participation.
Assure your classmates that
the fact that they give is just as important as the amount they give.
Gifts from a large percentage of alumni demonstrate widespread support
for the College. Other donors, such as foundations, consider
participation a dimension of alumni satisfaction, as do organizations
that rate colleges and universities. Strong participation
shows alumni enthusiasm and support for Kenyon and can lead to
additional financial support from outside organizations. The size of
gifts may vary, but each of us counts the same for participation. Every gift truly does make a difference!
If you miss the person or reach and answering machine...
Leave
a message or send a follow-up note or email that says something like,
"I'm sorry to have missed you. I'd like to talk with you about our
upcoming reunion and your Kenyon Fund gift. I will try to reach you
again soon or please call me at...."
Feel free to use e-mail.
Some veteran callers
send an introductory email and then follow-up by phone. Others use the
phone exclusively or email exclusively. This may vary based on the
personal preference of the volunteer or the availability of the donor.
Feel free to develop your own approach to making the contact. The most
important part is to complete them!
A word about gift designations...
The donor may
designate his or her gift to one of the areas within the Kenyon Fund:
scholarships and financial aid, Hannah More Scholarship to benefit first
generation college students, academic support, or student life. If the
donor does not make a designation, the gift will go to the area of
greatest need as determined by the College.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Regardless of
the outcome of the call, end with a warm closing. You can never thank a
donor too much, and a warm and appreciative closing will encourage
future gifts. The College will send an acknowledgement of the pledge or
gift, but your own thank you note or card is a nice personal touch.
Follow-up with the College.
When you receive a pledge, email Nicole Pagano-Percy, director of reunion giving, at percyn@kenyon.edu, or call the annual giving office at 1-800-KENYONC ext. 5
as quickly as possible. This is critical so we don't send another
solicitation once the donor has made a gift. Use your call sheets to
record any special notes. Return your call sheets to the College.