I get asked quite often about statistics and their proper role in analyzing a phonathon program, especially as it relates to which numbers are the best to use and whether or not the results are positive or negative. While the best statistical analysis always involves a comprehensive approach, I’ll try to narrow down the top ten statistics I look at to gauge whether a segment is performing to expectation.
Before I begin the countdown, let me reiterate a point I have mentioned in this blog a few times before. Do your analysis at the segment level, not the overall project level. Always drill down to the least common denominator when gauging whether or not your program is achieving goals. If you keep your analysis too generalized, you’ll miss obvious areas of improvement and fail to see the trends as they develop. The devil is always in the details. With that said, I’ll start the top 10 list with numbers 6-10, and will reveal the top 5 in tomorrow’s blog.
10. Matching Gift Percentage. [Total Matching Gifts divided by Total Pledges] The industry average is somewhere around 6-10%, with the higher number representing institutions that employ many people in Fortune 500 jobs. Engineering, financial, and business degrees will usually lead to higher matching gift percentages. But if your program isn’t asking for them, then you are missing out on free money that helps the bottom line. When I look for opportunities to make an immediate impact on overall program improvement in dollars raised, I first make sure this number is reaching its fullest potential.
9. Completes/Contacts per Hour. [Total Completes or Contacts divided by Total Calling Hours] These are great numbers to look at from a caller time management perspective. When looking at the overall program, I always observe the nightly trend over a period of time. We know that these figures will fall as the program is completed, but how fast they fall tells us a great deal about whether we can still be productive in the latter stages of calling the segment, and what we need to do to accomplish our completion goals.
8. Average Pledge. [Total Dollars Pledged divided by Total Pledges] One of the “big 3” that every program should use to set nightly goals, average pledge is an indicator not only of the prospect’s financial capability, but of the caller’s ability to negotiate effectively. Low average pledge figures are often a sign that the callers are skipping levels. Make sure that you look at each caller’s statistics and their departure from the team average for that segment to get the truest look into how they use the ask levels.
7. Attempts per Contact. [Total Attempts divided by Total Contacts] This is becoming a more important statistic to track in the last few years as phonathons struggle to get in touch with their prospects. Technology, wiser prospects, and other factors are conspiring to make it difficult for phonathons to reach their intended party. Industry average varies with the type of segment called, but a final number at project’s end that’s around 17-18 is not uncommon. That means it takes, on average, 17-18 attempts to solicit (contact) one prospect. Total contacts are defined as the combination of pledges, refusals, and unspecified pledges. Keep in mind that attempts per contact will start lower and move higher as the segment is called- a normal occurrence as those prospects that are available most often will be contacted in the first few passes through the database.
6. Credit Card Percentage. [Total Credit Cards divided by Total Pledges] The best programs in the industry average 40% or more of their pledges on credit card. The overall average is around 20-25%. Most all programs have low-hanging fruit in this area. Credit card percentage should be a nightly goal that you present to callers and something to track on a regular basis. It’s a key indicator of the caller’s ability to persuade the prospect, and a major contributing factor to good pledge fulfillment.
Tomorrow- The Top 5 Statistics in Phonathon
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