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The ACU Calling Center is a vital outreach of the university. Here are some commonly asked questions about the Calling Center:
2. Who makes these phone calls?
3. Why is the ACU Calling Center located off campus?
4. Why does the caller ID say "phonathon" when you call, instead of ACU?
6. Why do you ask me to commit to an amount over the phone? I would rather think about it and decide when I send in my pledge card.
7. Why are you calling me on Sunday?
8. I'm on the federal Do Not Call List - why are you calling me?
We try to contact our alumni and friends each year for several reasons. We want to help our alumni stay connected with ACU and aware of current events on campus. We try to keep track of the current addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of our supporters in an increasingly-mobile society. And we also want to ask for your financial and prayer support of our students and our mission.
2. Who makes these phone calls?
We have anywhere from 30-50 ACU students (depending on the time of year) who make calls on behalf of ACU and other non-profit clients. The callers work at the ACU Calling Center, located in the United Supermarket Shopping Center on N. Judge Ely Blvd. near campus. They are managed by Niq Thomas, who is an employee of RuffaloCODY, a nationwide firm specializing in educational and non-profit fundraising. See RuffaloCODY's website for more information about their company. Rendi Hahn in ACU's Development Programs Office is the campus liaison with the Calling Center. She visits the center regularly and observes calls, meets with the manager and supervisors, and interacts with the callers to ensure that all calling is done according to ACU standards.
3. Why is the ACU Calling Center located off campus?
Quite frankly, it is because there is no appropriate space available on campus. With our surge in enrollment, we need all the spaces we can get for academic and administrative purposes. The Calling Center also has unique infrastructure needs for phone, electrical and computing resources that would be very costly to provide on campus.
4. Why does the caller ID say "phonathon" when you call, instead of ACU?
The ACU Calling Center not only makes calls for ACU, but for other non-profit and educational organizations as well. This provides year-round employment for many ACU students. In the future, we hope to be able to provide a unique caller ID name for each organization. Until then, if you have any question about the authenticity of the call, you can call the Calling Center at 325-676-2601 or can confirm it with Rendi Hahn at ACU by calling 888-414-4228 (toll-free).
5. Why does the caller keep asking me to put the gift on a credit card? I'm not used to putting donations on a credit card, and I'm worried about whether it is secure.
6. Why do you ask me to commit to an amount over the phone? I would rather think about it and decide when I send in my pledge card.The reason we ask for credit cards is simple - it cuts down on our administrative and processing costs. We avoid the costs of the pledge packet - brochure, letter, envelope, return envelope, and postage both ways, as well as the time required to put that packet together. And giving by credit card also means that we avoid the paper and postage for pledge reminders if you forget to send in your gift.
We certainly understand concerns about credit card security! You are wise to think twice about using one over the phone. But we want to reassure you about the process. Our student callers record your credit card number during your call. Supervisory staff at RuffaloCODY enter that data into ACU's secure online giving site each evening and then shred the original document. Your credit card information is not stored at the Calling Center or at ACU, so each year the callers will ask for it again.
If you ever have concerns about giving out your credit card to someone claiming to call from ACU, there are some things you can do to be safe. If you ask, the caller can give you the Calling Center number (325-676-2601) so you can call them back. If you would like confirmation from ACU, then ask the caller to check back with you in a couple of days - in the meantime, call Rendi Hahn at the ACU Development Office at 888-414-4228 or 325-674-2748. Or, the Calling Center can fax you a pledge card, which you can then fax back to either the Calling Center or directly to ACU, whichever you prefer.
Giving our callers a commitment amount while they are on the phone with you helps everyone at the Calling Center (and here at ACU) know what kind of progress we are making toward our goals. It is also an encouragement to our callers to know that you are serious about making a gift. However, when you receive the pledge card, you can always change the amount before you return it.
7. Why are you calling me on Sunday?
As the years have gone by, it has become harder and harder to contact our constituents during traditional calling hours (4 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST). Families are busy with school and church activities almost every night of the week. However, we also want Sundays to be days of worship and rest for our callers and staff. We have two different calling shifts on Sunday afternoons/evenings so that our callers are not forced to work during church services. Abilene has church activities at a variety of times on Sunday evenings, so there is flexibility that allows them to stay connected to their church families.
8. I'm on the federal Do Not Call List - why are you calling me?
The legislation covering the National Do Not Call Registry exempts charitable and non-profit institutions. We hope that the reduction in unwanted solicitations for products and services will help folks be more open to a call from ACU. However, if you wish to be placed on our internal "do not call" list, please email us. We will respect your wishes.
