Written by
Molly Weis, VP of Marketing & Communications
Published on
December 7, 2022
The telephone has long been a very effective tool in direct marketing fundraising. Even in today’s increasingly digital world, a one-on-one conversation with a donor can be an emotionally powerful way to communicate for non-profit organizations.
The purpose of this case study is to determine how calls originating from a Verified Identity dialing outbound on registered phone numbers perform when compared to calls originating from an unknown source using unregistered or unidentified phone numbers.
The calling entity featured in this case study is a large international relief and development agency that focuses on helping children. Dialing for this organization is managed by MDS Communications, one of the nation’s largest telephone fundraising providers.
The telecom ecosystem and its associated regulations are changing at an unprecedented rate, and non-profit fundraising has not been exempt from the negative consequences of these changes. Efforts to protect wireless subscribers from unwanted calls across the wireless carrier network have negatively impacted fundraising efforts, causing a lack of trust in incoming calls from unknown or spam-labeled phone numbers, disrupting nonprofits’ goal completion.
By establishing an organization as a Verified Identity for the purpose of legitimate business purposes across the wireless calling ecosystem, and registering phone numbers to this Verified Identity, an organization can protect the reputation of its calls from improper classification as Spam or Fraud, thus increasing the likelihood of the calls being trusted, answered, and converted to successful goal completion.
Based on the success of the single calling entity featured in this case study analysis, MDS structured projections to determine how the completion of Identity Verification and Phone Number Registration across a wider cross-section of its supported client base may translate into additional revenue for the business.
If similar increases in completion rate achieved within this case study were achieved across additional clients, estimating 1,800 total additional call completions across total client count, at $3 generated per completion, an additional $5,400 per day in revenue would be generated. This can be projected to achieve an additional $29,700 per week and $1,544,400 increased revenue per year, all without an increase in agent hours or agent talent.
$1,544,400 increased revenue per year without an increase in agent hours or agent talent*
*assuming comparable improvements to connect, complete, and gift rates measured within this evaluation period as achieved by the featured calling entity managed by MDS for the purpose of this case study.
Through their partnership with Numeracle, MDS demonstrates how strategic identity verification and phone number registration can safeguard outbound fundraising efforts, protect number reputation, and drive higher connect, completion, and donation rates.
Numbers labeled as spam or blocked reduce call connect and gift rates. Maintaining a trusted reputation ensures more calls reach supporters and increases campaign effectiveness.
Phone numbers are often flagged as spam due to a combination of calling behaviors, the number's history, and recipient feedback. High or repetitive call volumes, particularly from a single number, calling outside business hours, and short call durations with frequent hang-ups, signal potential unwanted activity to carriers and spam detection algorithms. Repetitive dialing of the same numbers and calling outside typical business hours can also contribute to spam labeling.
When recipients manually mark a number as spam on their devices or through third-party applications, this feedback is widely shared and significantly impacts a number's reputation. Finally, using outdated or unconsented calling lists increases the likelihood of recipients marking calls as spam. Ultimately, a number's spam status is a dynamic assessment based on calling patterns, historical use, technical validity, and direct user feedback, a challenge that services like Numeracle’s Number Reputation Management solution address through monitoring and remediation.
Removing a spam label can be a complex process. It typically involves identifying which entities (carriers, analytics providers, apps) have flagged the number and then engaging with each of them to request a review and removal. This often requires providing proof of legitimate calling practices and can be time-consuming. Services like Numeracle offer to manage this entire remediation process on your behalf.
Manual remediation typically involves human agents identifying and addressing spam flags on a case-by-case basis, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, potentially delaying the resolution of negative labels, impacting call deliverability, and costing businesses ROI.
However, services like Numeracle offer automated solutions that leverage technology to continuously monitor phone number reputation, detect spam flags, and initiate remediation processes automatically, offering a faster and more scalable way to maintain a positive calling reputation and ensure consistent outreach to customers. The choice between these methods often depends on the volume of calls, the frequency of spam flagging, and the resources available to dedicate to reputation management.