Phone Calls - DOs & DON'Ts:

Do's

·         Keep a list of whom you are supposed to call, with room next to each name for comments.

·         Keep a list of who is related to who –if you call a house looking for Sara, make sure you don’t call again looking for her brother Zach (it looks unprofessional)

·         Make a list of what information you need to get across during the phone call.

·         Save your notes from the phone calls for your records. That way you can make sure you’re calling everyone you need to.

·         Ask if the NFTYite received the flier (via mail or email) to be sure that the contact information you have is correct.

·         Reiterate all of the information that was on the flier even if the NFTYite received the flier. Make the phone call as if they NFTYite never received the flier.

·         Identify yourself at the very beginning of the conversation and state that you are from the Temple Youth Group.

·         Make some small talk, but be sure to cut to the point quickly. 

·         Make notations on your list specifying whether you talk to the NFTYite, leave a message on an answering machine, or whether you talk to someone else in the house .

·         Make notations on your list specifying whether the NFTYite will come, will not come, or is undecided. 

·         Sound enthusiastic! 

·         Encourage NFTYites to bring a friend. It’s a good way for you to draw in new members, and NFTYites may feel more comfortable coming to events with someone they know.

·         Be persistent! If the NFTYite says that he/she is not interested in the event that you are calling about, be sure to mention another upcoming event that might interest them, or ask what type of event they would come to. 

·         Take an interest in the NFTYite so that they will take an interest in your TYG and NFTY. For example, if the NFTYite says that he/she can’t come to an event because he/she is going skiing for the weekend, wish him/her a good time. Ask which resort he/she is planning to go skiing at, etc.

Don’ts

·         Just scribble notes on a piece of scratch paper. 

·         Make the phone call sound too stiff and businesslike. Yes, the phone call has a business purpose, but doesn’t have to be too formal.

·         Be too informal.  If you sound too casual they might not take you seriously.

·         Call the NFTYite too frequently. Many people have caller ID and so they will know if you call 14 times in 5 minutes!

·         Sound desperate.  If a participant just doesn’t feel any connection to your synagogue or the youth group, don’t go on a personal crusade to convert them.

·         Call NFTYites past 10 PM. Though the NFTYite may still be awake, parents or siblings may not. 

·         Call on Shabbat. Some NFTYites will resent a call from a Jewish organization on Shabbat. 

·         Be rude under ANY circumstances, even if the NFTYite is rude to you. Remember that you represent your TYG and NFTY.

If you get an answering machine or voice mail:

Do’s

·         Leave a message on an answering machine including all of the information you would have given the NFTYite had you spoken in person. 

·         Leave your name and phone number on the answering machine, and mention that you are calling in connection with the Temple Youth Group. 

·         Ask the NFTYite to call you to confirm that he/she has received the message and to let you know whether or not he/she will be attending the event. 

·         Call the NFTYite back if you left a message on his/her answering machine and 24 hours has passed without the NFTYite having returned your phone call.

Don’ts

·         Leave a message the second time you call the NFTYite, should you happen to get the answering machine again.  This ties back to “don’t sound desperate.”