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A nice ring to it |
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Wearing headsets that make them look like pop stars, the student callers of the Carolina Annual Fund's phone and mail program dial up alumni and ask for gifts supporting the University. Off the phones, they fold and stuff letters that evoke the beauty of Polk Place on an Indian summer afternoon, leaves on the majestic oaks ripening red and orange against a brilliant Carolina blue sky—letters that end by asking alumni to remember their alma mater with a gift. |
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Junior Zach Howell—caller of the year—raised $56,000 in the spring 2004 semester for a career total of $60,000 in 10 months. “I try to be gentle, but forthright,” he said. “It's all about making the prospect feel comfortable enough to give. Being able to communicate in a cold-call situation has been a major career-building experience for me.” Political science graduate Afua Anyane-Ntow found that her calls were more successful when she had another political science major on the line. “Alumni are more likely to give you a pledge if you're from the same school they were in,” she said. “It's good when you can check to see if you belonged to any of the same groups. It makes them feel connected to the school.” Anyane-Ntow, Howell and the other 118 student callers were selected from applicants who can number as many as 250 to 300 per day at the beginning of a semester. “We send out a mass e-mail, select from our respondents and schedule a group interview,” said Katisha Newkirk, a 1998 Carolina graduate, veteran student caller and current director of phone and mail. “I'll pull out a Beanie baby or a Post-It note and ask the applicants to sell the items to the group. We're testing their ability to think on their feet. Then we stage a mock telephone call to see how their voice sounds.” After an applicant is selected, he or she goes through a night of group training on the University's need for private funds. By the second night, students are working the phones with a script and an experienced caller at their side. Practice is the best teacher. “I really messed up on the first call I made,” Howell said. “I went straight to the ask: ‘Hello. Want to give us some money?'” |
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From phone and mail's offices in the Porthole Building, students attempted 637,000 calls in the 2003-04 school year and completed 105,000. They also folded and stuffed 36,000 pieces of mail—up from 18,000 the previous year. Student “stuffers” come in during the day, usually to earn extra money. Student callers are required to work 3.7 hours a night, any two nights a week. They are paid $7.25 an hour and can receive a raise at the end of their first 15 sessions. Incentives donated by local merchants such as the Carolina Inn, The Siena's Il Palio restaurant, Julian's and Johnny T-Shirt also help them reach their goals. But incentives, flexible hours, raises, a laid-back atmosphere and co-workers who become friends aren't enough to lower the student callers' 40 to 50 percent turnover rate. |
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Howell calls nondonors “the dread of all dreads.” “If someone is going to be unpleasant to you, it's usually someone from the nondonor pool,” he said. Beth Braxton, director of the annual fund, applauds the perseverance of student callers. “These students are sometimes asked to sit and listen to what can be a difficult conversation,” she said. “They're cheerful and upbeat—very professional—and do a tremendous job representing the University. They're Carolina's front door—many times the only development person an alumnus or alumna will ever meet—and they're outstanding ambassadors for our university.” Saying nice things about Carolina pays unexpected dividends to the callers, as well. “Representing the University to our alumni has made me feel like I have a larger investment in Carolina,” Howell said. “It's definitely made a difference in my commitment to the school.” |
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