"On February 1, 2021, UC Telefund was relaunched as the Digital Philanthropy Center (DPC). After being closed for almost a year due to COVID-19, the DPC raised $360,962.44 from 3,227 commitments between February 1-December 31, 2021.
Evaluating the future of what a telefund program could look like at the UC Foundation began when calling stopped in March 2020 and implementation of the DPC began in September 2020. We took the bold step of discontinuing the use of an external partner/vendor to manage day-to-day operations and instead built a call center in which all areas of operation are managed by UC Foundation staff. The goal of the Digital Philanthropy Center is to reimagine a traditional telefund program and integrate a multi-channel engagement approach that includes phone, text, email, and video to drive revenue, executed by our DPC student associates who have been given the tools necessary to perform this level of outreach.
Establishing the DPC as an in-house program allowed for flexibility and innovation in our outreach strategy, usage of a new calling software, and extensive cost savings. Over time, we will rely less on traditional telefund methods and evolve into a modern digital engagement model, with the intention to increase our effectiveness in mass-market fundraising."
From the Judges
Many of us are trying to decide what to do with our calling campaigns. The University of Cincinnati showed how a refreshed and reimagined campaign can really drive results. Furthermore, this provides a model for those considering taking the phone-a-thon in-house.
