A pre-call letter is a letter (or email) you send to a donor to let them know you will be calling, so hopefully, they are more receptive to your call.
Tim asked what I thought of pre-call letters, and how much detail they should have. He also wanted to know if you should really let prospective donors know why you’re calling, or if you should simply say you’ll be calling in the letter.
My answer is, “Yes – tell them exactly why you’re calling!”
Tip of the Day:
Remember, you are trying to build a relationship with this person, right? So be as open and honest as possible.
No sneakiness or trickery allowed!
Let Your Donors Know WHY You Want to Meet
In your letter, let the recipient know that you will be calling in the hopes of scheduling a time to meet. And, let them know WHY you want to meet.
Here are some common reasons you can use as to why you’d like to meet with a prospective donor for the first time:
- To thank them for any previous gifts they’ve made and let them know how their gifts have been used.
- To provide brief updates about the program, and answer any questions they may have about your organization.
- To get to know them better — and most importantly, to ask for their advice (which is a great way to build a rapport with someone).
Be sure to use number 3, because it’s easy for donors to say, “no need to thank me in person” and “I can get program updates from the website”. However, if you emphasize that you would like to ask them advice, it’s much harder for them to say “No” to a meeting.
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Let’s talk about it!
Have you ever used a pre-call letter? Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments.
Thanks, Amy, for your video on this topic. Just curious of your thoughts of sending a pre-call letter via email versus via snail mail? And also if the letter is sent by snail mail, how long would you wait between when you send out the letter and when you actually call the donor?
Good questions, Christine! Yes – you can use email instead of traditional mail. It just depends on whether you have an email address and/or a home/work address, and what you’re more comfortable with. And – if you know the donor’s preference – certainly take that into consideration (like if they’ve made gifts online before, then they are a perfect candidate for an email.) If you’re going the traditional mail route, I would wait about 5 business days before calling. Let me know how it goes.
I tend to use an email rather than a letter. It feels less of an intrusion, but then I’m dealing with smaller donors.
Yes – you can certainly use email instead of traditional mail! Thanks, Matt.
I like email too! Instead if waiting five or so days to make the call, you can follow-up after two or three. And some prospects will simply reply to your initial email!
All good points in this post. I appreciate the emphasis on making it very clear why you’re reaching out.
I’m interesting in knowing your decision making process in the pre-call mailing.
There are obviously donors that you don’t send letters or emails to prior to calls.
What is your decision tree and how did you come to your conclusions?
very helpful, thank you