Warming Up to the Cold Call

But — and this is where a definition is critical — there are cold calls, and there are cold calls. The latter type, in which you telephone a total stranger to your organization, is not worth your time. My own experience, as well as those of a number of my colleagues, says that going to the White Pages (do they still have those?) and making a telephone call to an individual with zero affiliation to your charity most often results in exactly nothing, except perhaps frustration. (Related to this is the notion of phoning someone solely because you know her to be wealthy. If you're really trying to attract and engage this wealthy person, your time is better spent pursuing others means of introduction.)