Ep. 48: Using Cold Calls to Turn Direct Mail into Major Gifts

Most fundraisers accept a 1.5% response rate from direct mail as standard. But Brenda Turner? She used cold calls to push that number to a staggering 20%, securing four major donors from just 37 letters.

Brenda, a certified fundraising executive with 16+ years of experience and nearly $1 billion raised, shares the exact tactic that made her outreach so effective. She breaks down her approach—from writing an “audacious” letter to making fearless follow-up calls—and explains why phone calls are an underutilized secret weapon in fundraising.

Guest Name: Brenda Marie Turner, Founder, Turner Divine Consulting

Guest Social:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendamarieturner/
Instagram - @brendamarieturner

Guest Bio: Brenda has over 16 years of experience as a nonprofit fundraising professional. As an employee and consultant, she has directly raised more than $40 million and has indirectly raised nearly $1 billion. Brenda’s comprehensive experience includes annual giving (direct mail and e-solicitations, volunteer-led peer-to-peer solicitations and phone-a-thons), major gifts, planned giving, corporate partnerships/sponsorships, and institutional giving. She is also well-versed in the management of events, volunteers, staff, and stewardship processes, as well as management of CRMs. She is also a professional singer (mostly opera/classical) and uses those skills when presenting thoughtfully prepared and engaging fundraising concepts to myriad audiences.

Brenda has held an active Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential since 2017, sits on the board of AFP-NYC, the conference planning committee of the African American Development Officers Network, and is a current member of the Women of Color in Fundraisers Association. Learn more at brendamarieturner.com.

- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Talking Tactics is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.