At the Smith Fund Phonathon Center, callers are expected to build relationships with Alumnae in a short time frame, negotiate donation opportunities, and help meet the college's annual fund raising campaign goal of $1 million. 

When I started at the Phonathon, I remember being shy and unaccustomed to speaking with people whom I did not know and I do not think I will ever forget my first shift at the center. It was my second year at Smith during spring semester. I had been waiting anxiously praying that no one would answer his or her phone and I felt my throat closing up with fear after each ring. Five minutes into the shift it was my big moment - someone actually answered! But as I began reading the script to introduce myself, the alumna interrupted me saying, “This just is not a good time. I am at my mother’s funeral.” Click. Perfect, I was broken in.

Though there is the same preferred outcome for each call, each alumna brings her unique Smith and life experience to the conversation. Navigating through that conversation to collect a donation is different for each call. And with each conversation I have been able to learn how to connect with strangers. There was this one phone call where the alumna had not made a gift in six or more years and to be honest, at first, the conversation was pretty dry. She was not interested in sharing her fondest memories of Smith or talking about what she used to do on Mountain Day. But when I finally got to what she studied, that is all she would talk about. Biology was her passion and she used that as her platform to pursue her medical career. That night she had no problem donating $10,000.

As you can guess, dissatisfied alumnae or those unwilling to give pose as our biggest challenge. Whether it is them being in the process of paying off their student loans, being in a tough financial situations or if they no longer feel associated with the college, I have to make the connections between the patron and her memory of Smith. By marketing a memory, emotion, or future hope, I remind them that it is their donation, big or small, that will leave an impact on Smith’s future.  

As a phonathon caller, I have learned how important it is to be creative in my conversations and I have realized how asking questions are vital to making a connection between strangers work. Finding someone’s “hot button,” their passion, and relating that to a mission, in this case Smith’s fund raising campaign, is how connections can be made instantaneously and conversations can run smoothly.