Warming Up to the Cold Call

Thank them for their support

I usually start with a thank-you for the support that has been received in the past. Perhaps they gave to a capital campaign or an annual fund, or maybe they have volunteered or taken advantage of your organization's services (in a past position, we sincerely appreciated those who had become ticket subscribers). Remember, you're cold calling them, but you have established that they have some relationship to your organization now or in the past. Let them know they're appreciated.