Southern Poverty Law Center
Challenge. Southern Poverty Law Center, an internationally known advocate for tolerance and justice, had been doing phone fundraising for years but recent returns from their phone vendor were lackluster. The Center also wanted to explore developing an in-house call center.
Avalon's Solution. Avalon focused on stabilizing the reinstatement and sustainer (monthly giving) calling first — two low-risk, high-return types of campaigns. Avalon also worked with the Center and vendor to develop strategies for enhancing calling performance through more detailed reporting and analysis and improved troubleshooting. Meanwhile, Avalon helped set up an in-house call center to handle more sensitive "high touch" campaigns, advising on staffing, reporting, equipment, and operations.
Results. Avalon helped put the Center's phone program on a turnaround track, increasing total revenues through improved response rates, average gifts, and fulfillment rates. Having an in-house call center has also given the Center new opportunities to test more strategic, focused campaigns.