subject: Charity Begins On The Telephone [print this page] In a time of recession, charities and non-profit making organisations are giving ever more thought to their fund-raising techniques; how to make their needs more interesting and appealing to a broader, giving public. One fund-raising tool rarely considered is the use of 0845 numbers.
Non-geographical telephone numbers, of which 0845 numbers are one type, are not linked to any one local/regional dialling code. Because they give no indication of the destination of the calls, a charity can appear national and possibly bigger than it really is.
There are many worthy localized charities and fund-raising activities, who are finding that their results are dwindling and may need to look beyond the immediate area. A campaign which can access the whole country has to be useful. Using 0845 telephone numbers to enable potential contributors to contact the charity can bring both direct and indirect benefits.
For a campaign which includes direct pledges of support, either in donations or organising activities on behalf of the charity, a contact telephone number is essential. Equally, the public may need information from the charity for its own benefit. For a wider appeal than just the local area, a non-geographical number is the obvious answer.
Most charities endeavour to keep costs down by using a minimum of employed staff; smaller ones often depend on voluntary help. If a charity were to embark on a fund-raising campaign which created an enormous response, they may be delighted but still find coping with the response a real drain on their resources. This is where the 0845 telephone numbers can help.
A 0845 number operates through a divert system to an allocated client number or numbers. Promises of funds or requests for information could be dealt with on a number of receiving lines, as organised with the 0845 number providers. These receiving numbers can be changed by the user, as required, say different daytime/evening contacts. It enables the charity to provide a wider, flexible contact system.
A secondary, useful aspect of using 0845 telephone numbers is the ability to track the success of a specific campaign. The campaign can be linked to the non-geographic number, instead of the charitys normal information number. The response to the 0845 numbers will then give a direct indication of the response to the fund-raising campaign, rather than everyday contacts with the organisation.
If, as the organisation hopes, a particular campaign generates a large amount of responses, via the 0845 number, it is possible to earn directly from this response. A number of providers will actually pay the subscriber for each call which is made through their numbers. This can produce a steady additional income for the charitable organisation.
Many non-geographic numbers can be chosen specifically to be relevant to the end user. For example, a charity looking after teenagers could have 9215 (nine to fifteen) as its final number, making it easily remembered by potential contacts. Memorable numbers are known to work and can usually be arranged with the 0845 numbers provider.
There are a large number of 0845 numbers providers in the UK. Anyone looking to enhance their fund-raising activities need only check out the internet and choose.
