 Phonathons Are STILL Not Dead – Busting the Biggest Myths About Calling DonorsEvery few months, another university quietly kills its phonathon. And just like that, inboxes everywhere light up:
Let’s set the record straight. Phonathons are not dead. And many of the arguments used to declare their demise are based on myths – not real data, not field experience, and definitely not what’s actually happening on the ground at most institutions. So let’s bust some of the biggest myths I hear over and over again: Myth #1: “Nobody picks up the phone anymore.” Reality: Pick-up rates (contact rates) are absolutely impacted by things like caller ID, time of day, area code, and list segmentation. But even in the post-pandemic world, institutions are still having real, quality conversations with alumni, parents, and friends. When done right, phone outreach still delivers contact, conversation, and conversion. In fact, one partner institution recently doubled their call completion rate within a single year, simply by improving their strategy – things like making more attempts per record, using smart list management, and building trust through clearer caller ID. The problem isn’t that people don’t pick up. The problem is we’ve stopped giving them a good reason to. Myth #2: “We don’t need phonathon anymore.”Reality: This one usually comes from someone who hasn’t worked a call shift or analyzed the pipeline lately. If you’re serious about long-term fundraising success, you need phone outreach. Here’s why:
One institution I advised recently saw a huge bump in average gift size – up over 50% – and their calling center is now on track to exceed their full fiscal year results any day now. You can get great ROI from calling… if you treat it like the professional fundraising channel it is. Myth #3: “The phonathon loses money (or only breaks even).” Reality: It’s supposed to break even – or come close. Phonathon isn’t just about the immediate dollars in the door. It’s about the long game: donor reactivation, new donor acquisition, pipeline building, and massive volumes of updated data. That work fuels years of future fundraising success. If your phonathon is consistently losing money, the issue usually isn’t the channel – it’s the execution. Maybe your manager is under-supported. Maybe you’ve got outdated or clunky software that makes it impossible to track results or process credit cards smoothly. Maybe you aren’t calling enough to make your fixed costs worthwhile. But let’s be clear: the blame doesn’t lie with the callers – or with the channel itself. Myth #4: “Call center manager is just an entry-level gig.”Reality: Running a call center is one of the hardest jobs in advancement. It demands a unique skill set: donor communication, hiring and training, shift logistics, data reporting, budget management, and tech troubleshooting – just to name a few. And yet, too often this role is underpaid, undervalued, and handed off to someone with no real support or path for growth. Here’s the truth: If you want your phonathon to succeed, you need a strategic leader managing it. When that happens, everything gets better – culture, results, retention, and ROI. Myth #5: “We’ll just go multichannel instead.” Reality: I support multichannel fundraising 100%. Donors need options. But cutting your call center with no plan to replace what it actually does isn’t innovation – it’s just short-sighted. If you eliminate phone outreach, here’s what you’re walking away from:
Ask yourself: What’s the plan to make up for all of that? If your phonathon isn’t performing, it’s not because the channel is dead. It’s probably due to low volume of work, poor strategy, clunky systems, undertrained callers, or a lack of clear goals. All of those are fixable. That’s what I help institutions do every day – reset, retool, and rebuild programs that actually work. If you’re ready to stop chasing trends and start making smart decisions about your donor outreach, let’s talk. Whether you need a strategic audit, caller training, or a full-scale turnaround, I’ve got your back. Bottom line: Phonathon isn’t broken. The way it’s managed might be. And with the right approach, calling still works – and it works beautifully. Cheers!  PS - I hope you’ll continue the conversation by subscribing to Real Deal Fundraising. When you subscribe, you’ll get my e-newsletter, which includes the best articles on fundraising, productivity, and cool stuff every week. The whole thing is curated awesomeness as well as freebies like webinars, instructional videos, and whatever else I can put together to be helpful to you! PPS – If you need to freshen up your phonathon, be sure to check out my book Successful Fundraising Calls: A Phonathon Scripting Workshop available through Academic Impressions and my e-book How to Staff Your Phonathon Super-Fast available to download instantly here in the Real Deal Fundraising Store. 
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Jessica Cloud, CFREI've been called the Tasmanian Devil of fundraising and I'm here to talk shop with you. Archives
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