Thank you to everyone who took part in our Telephone Campaign 2019!
From 10th to 25th July 2019, a team of committed and enthusiastic recent College leavers became compelling ambassadors for CLC, calling almost 500 Guild members during the course of the fortnight. This is a campaign that we run on a regular basis and it is a wonderful opportunity for an exchange of news.
It also gave us the chance to tell everyone about our plans for the future, and to find out whether they would be interested to support the projects we are currently pursuing. These range from our ambitious plans for bursary provision through the Beale Awards, to the upgrade of equipment in our Science Department, and to the repair of stonework in the Lower Quad.
We are delighted to announce that we raised £88,000 from the campaign and would like to thank everyone for their support and generosity.
Equally importantly, our callers learnt a lot about our Guild members, and some of their conversations led to a further connection with College. A number of people agreed to talk to pupils about their career choices and to offer mentoring advice through the Professional Guidance Centre (PGC). This is enormously valuable to College, keeping us current and relevant in changing times.
We look forward to speaking to more of you in 2021!
As a Beale Award holder myself, the telephone campaign had a special relevance to me, and I found it a perfect opportunity to give back to College. Being part of the campaign showed me the endless possibilities of life after CLC, and speaking to Guild members about their lives was both fascinating and informative. Indeed whilst many stereotypically worked in the City consulting, actually it was encouraging to hear how happy old girls were in all areas; the charity sector, tech start-ups, with their families and even owning unique businesses. The willingness to share their lives and work was greatly appreciated by the calling team (especially after long hours of voicemails), and the amiability within the Guild community came across. Indeed this was personally felt by me when a number of prospects offered me their details should I need to contact them about work, university or general questions based on our conversations. Aside from dialling foreign country codes, the international vibe of our community came out as even many who lived in the UK worked or travelled abroad frequently, which was also interesting to hear about.
The outcome at best is positive engagement, legacies, PGC opportunities and generous regular gifts from Guild members, yet even one off gifts seemed to nurture a positive relationship as Guild members felt they were contributing and maintaining a link to the school – the feelings towards the Heritage project were particularly warm as most girls could see how their gifts would preserve this iconic space, whilst the Beale Awards also created a feel good factor by hitting the charity mark.
One thing that particularly stands out in the campaign is the affinity it builds between Guild and College, even when Guild members expressed they weren't in the position to give. The genuine response and engagement when callers persevered with a conversation, even after prospects expressed they didn't want a phone call about money, paid off in other ways as by the end they were more warm to College. The community is reinforced by the campaign and College becomes more than just a boarding school, as prospects feel the community and support – the number of phone calls which ended with “I’m so glad you called because it’s always nice to hear from College” was staggering. The efforts to chase pledges also proved how genuine the gifts from girls were, as many did then give payment details when called a few weeks later.
Overall the telephone campaign benefits everyone involved; the calling team learn valuable fundraising and conversational skills, the development office get to update details and plan ahead, Guild members are invited back and remain engaged with College and the school is put in a better position for the future.