*The Debatewise Blog
Call me
I once spent a couple of weeks on a tele-campaign. It's difficult. I was raising money for my college from alumni, and they had agreed to be contacted and yet some were still very hostile.This week we've been calling university Student Unions to check that they got our emails. The problem is the people that get our emails, mostly SU secretaries, have forwarded them on to others, and it's difficult tracing who has got them. This is made even more difficult when they don't seem amenable, at ALL. For example,
Me: Hi there, my name's Betony and I'm calling from a nonprofit site called Debatewise, I was just wondering if you got our email last week about our new project?
SU: Don't remember it, no.
Me: Oh ok. Well it was about our new project Revisewise. We think it will be really useful for students trying to revise and I was just looking for some feedback on it.
SU: I haven't heard of it, who would you normally email this to?
Me: Well it's to help the students revise you see. Do you have an academic affairs officer? Or maybe someone in charge of curriculum?
SU: Let me just put you through to student services *deafening beep*
Student Services: If you have a housing query, please press 1, if you wish to speak to a medical advisor please press 2...
Me: aaarrgh!
Me: Hi there, my name's Betony and I'm calling from a nonprofit site called Debatewise, I was just wondering if you got our email last week about our new project?
SU: Sorry what was that...you're nonprofit 'irate guys?'
Yes, much more of this and we may well be!
But it hasn't all been bad. Some people have been very friendly and we have had positive feedback. We've got some great ideas for promotional material that I’m really excited about - door hangers, beer mats! who could resist!) So now it's just a case of getting people to agree to distribute them
41 down 59 to go!