UNICEF India: the ‘tele-facing’ campaign

UNICEF India’s idea for one-on-one meetings with donors is bringing smiles to the faces of India's children.

This case study appears in these showcases

• Face-to-face fundraising showcase
• Telephone fundraising


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SOFII's view

Medium of communication:

Type of charity:

Target audience:

Country of origin:

Creator/originator:

The information has been provided by Mr Anup Tiwari, Fund Raising Officer, UNICEF India, 73 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110 003. atiwari@unicef.org

Name of exhibitor:

Date of first appearance:

Summary/objectives:

Tele-facing is the name given in India to a hybrid of telemarketing and face-to-face communication. It is a modified extension of the major donor process to encompass cold solicitation. A telephone caller makes a brief pitch to the prospect with the objective of arranging a meeting for a field executive to make a presentation to a prospect at his or her home or office.

Background:

Tele-facing evolved in India from the commercial sector where it is commonly used in the sale of financial products. It started as a cheque collection service and developed to use well-educated and articulate field executives.

Although with practice it could be run in house, more normally a specialised supplier agency provides the tele-facing team, which in a typical ‘target’ city of 5 million people would consist of a coordinator and ten call centre staff, each making up to 100 calls a day, and field executives.

The process is as follows: tele-callers call prospects or existing donors and fix meetings. The coordinator communicates with the team leader/field executive. The field executive then visits to seek a pledge or a one-off donation. The donation reaches UNICEF through the team leader and the charity sends its pre-prepared ‘thank you’ pack.

Special Characteristics:

UNICEF only started to fundraise from the Indian public and corporations in 2005. So far, it seems that the yields on investment from this form of pre-qualifying donors exceeds most other forms of direct marketing.

Influence/Impact:

This appears to be a very good way of giving prospects some detailed information about what UNICEF is doing in India.

Results:

In India, the average donation can be as high as US$50. The ROI is above 2:1. Donors recruited in this way are very suitable for conversion to regular monthly giving.

Merits:

Despite initial reservations of some colleagues, this approach has proved to be successful. Anup Tiwari should be congratulated for testing and promoting it.