If you are feeling the pressure when it comes to processing your donor responses, it might be time to consider outsourcing your response handling.
Of course, it’s understandable if the thought of doing so makes you feel nervous. After all, every charity is unique and has its own ethos, and you might worry that an external team won’t be able to deliver as great a supporter experience.
Will they convey your messaging as well as you would like? Will they send thank you letters fast enough and capture details accurately? And, most importantly, do they care about your supporters as much as you do?
It’s completely understandable to have questions - however, the good news is that it is absolutely possible to find a response handling partner that is the right fit for your charity. In fact, doing so could even result in some pretty fantastic benefits - and could revolutionise your charity response handling.
What is response handling?
To put it simply, when you run any correspondence with your supporters that require a response – such as an appeals campaign, a weekly lottery, a one-off raffle, a survey, or even a regular giving programme for your donors, you need to process their responses.
This is usually a payment, but it could also be a letter, an email, a request, or a question, and response handling basically does what it says on the tin: it is essentially how you handle these responses.
Why outsource your response handling?
Moving your response handling to a third party is a big step for any charity to take. But rest assured, when you outsource to the right provider, the benefits are huge, as PETA discovered.
Some fantastic reasons to consider outsourcing your response handling include:
- Accuracy – the right outsourcing partner will ensure data is captured and used in the right way and minimise any errors occurring
- Speed – they will process responses quickly and efficiently, enhancing supporter experiences
- Visibility – you'll benefit from full visibility of live donor responses, payments, and reports
- Cost efficiency – you can drive down internal costs whilst increasing ROI
Clear communication - a collaborative working relationship where your outsourcing partner becomes an extension of you team and is always available when you need them
5 key things to think about when choosing an outsourcing partner
So, if you have confidence in your outsourcing partner, it can free you up to focus on the strategy and growth of your income streams without having to worry about the operational elements on handling your responses.
However, in order to choose the right provider for you, there are some important things to consider:
1. Make sure they deliver
Thanks to technology today, people now expect responses to their queries or actions faster than ever before - something that can be difficult for your team to keep on top of with so many other tasks to complete.
So, when it comes to choosing an outsourcing provider, one of the things you need to be sure of is how quickly they can handle responses and ensure that they adhere to their promised timelines.
At Woods Valldata, for example, our triggered communications system, SmartThank, is able to automatically identify which of your supporters should receive which response, based on the criteria agreed by your organisation. It then automatically sends the correct response to that individual supporter.
These quick, authentic and accurate responses enhance the overall donor experience and strengthens their relationship with your charity.
2. Check their technology
Much of your response handling processes will involve some form of technology. If you process your responses internally, the set-up, training, and maintenance required here can be complex and costly.
However, third party agencies will have all this in hand - and will likely be using the latest technologies available.
Before deciding on an outsourcing partner, it’s always sensible to ask them about the tools and technologies they use to ensure they are capable of handling your needs. For example, are they using the latest technology or older versions?
At Woods Valldata, all our response handling is managed in a PCI DSS Level 1 compliant secure area, which means that:
- Post opening machines sort and open incoming mail which is then managed on auto-extraction units with trained operators
- All incoming responses are scanned using BancTec hardware and OCR scanning software that is able to scan up to 90,000 items per day
- Our latest data capture technology uses optical character recognition (OCR) for speed and accuracy, which means our data capture accuracy rate tracks at 99% or over
- Reporting is conducted online via a portal for instant access to progress and supporter records
3. Focus on relationships
A strong relationship and cultural alignment is one of the most important things to think about whenever you choose to partner with another company - and this is especially true of charities, where you will no doubt have your own unique goals, ambitions and ethos.
A good response provider should work hard to get to know your charity, the scope of your work, and your key messages. You want them to understand your core values and act as an extension of your team, managing your responses with the same approach, care, and attention as you do.
This way, you can remain confident that your charity’s values and ethos are being prioritised throughout, and that you are providing your supporters with a truly seamless experience.
At Woods Valldata, we offer a three-tiered account management structure for this very reason, providing our charities with high-level strategic support as well as day-to-day account management. Plus, we can also ensure one of our team is always available, whenever you need.
4. Decide on your budget
On the surface, outsourcing your response handling might sound more expensive than keeping things in house.
However, the more responses you have, the more cost effective it is to outsource rather than doing everything yourself. Plus, outsourcing can also enable you to provide your supporters with a better experience, work with specialist response handling team, and achieve your fundraising objectives.
Saying that though, it’s important to decide on your budget before you start the search for a response handling provider. With lots of options in the market, it’s a careful balance between what you want to spend and ensuring that you find the best partner for your budget.
5. Check compliance
Remaining compliant is incredibly important for charities when it comes to fundraising. As well as being a compulsory regulation, it’s also essential to get your compliance right so you can provide a positive supporter experience and maintain trust in your charity.
It’s also important for the wider reputation of your charity too. After all, breaches in compliance can result in negative PR and tarnish your charity’s reputation.
The right provider will be able to take this weight off your shoulders - but it’s essential that your chosen partner is proficient in compliance. At Woods Valldata, for example, we have our very own in-house head of compliance and the whole organisation is trained in compliance. You could say it’s at the heart of what we do, which means we are proficient in:
- PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider (the highest level of PCI DSS compliance)
- Gambling Commission ELM and RTS Compliance
- UK-GDPR
- Corporate and social responsibility compliance measures
- Information Security Management Systems (ISO/IEC 27001:2022)
- Business Continuity Management (ISO 22301:2012)
- Quality Management systems (ISO 9001:2015)
- Environmental Management systems (ISO 14001:2015)
- Bacs Approved Bureau
Response handling with Woods Valldata
Here at Woods Valldata, service is central to our response handling offering. In fact, the expertise and care we provide and the partnership approach we take has made Woods Valldata one of the most trusted agencies by some of the UK’s biggest and most progressive charities!
We will work as an extension of your team and work tirelessly to provide a seamless partnership so that:
- You stay in-the-know on your campaign’s performance
- Your data and donations remain secure
- The process is set up quickly and efficiently
- Any issues are dealt with immediately
- You achieve maximum impact from your fundraising endeavours
If you’re keen to learn more or you’d like to team up with Woods Valldata to make the most of our renowned response handling services, contact our team today for a free consultation.
