Teletouch: It's not just about the money

By Deborah Lilly

It is perhaps the most terrifying job on campus. Four nights a week, eight students working as Teletouch callers swallow their nerves, pick up the phones, dial the numbers of complete strangers, and ask for donations for the Annual Fund for Anderson University.

“It’s hard to just talk to people when you don’t have a connection with them yet and then ask them for money,” says Amy Costin, this year’s student leader of the Teletouch team. “It is very nerve-wracking the first few times you call, but then you get into the swing of it.”

They are called Teletouch callers for a reason. As their staff leader, Elyse Cromer always reminds them, it’s not just about the money. It is about making connections with alumni and friends of the university, and it is about expressing appreciation.

That’s the same feeling they try to carry over to each person they call. While the caller and the listener have never met, Cromer wants the team to look at each call as a way to reach out to a member of the AU family.

Callers recognize how busy people are today.  It’s a particular benefit when callers encounter a donor who wants to reminisce, or someone who wants to get to know the student on the line.

One of Costin’s most memorable calls is one she made to an alum in California. She learned that he appeared on The Office, and she hasn’t missed an episode since. “That was really fun,” she says.

Costin has also met alumni through Teletouch who confirm that AU is the right school for her. For example, she tells the story of one alum she called who finished his first semester at AU and then ran out of money. He realized that was the end of his college career, and he would have to go home. But before he had a chance to leave, his advisor tracked him down in his dorm room and told him about a new scholarship available to AU students. He applied, wrote an essay, won the scholarship, and finished school. “People really care about you while you’re here,” Costin says. “That’s why I chose to come here, because people care.”

During the year, the students make between 7,500 to 9,000 calls. Their efforts bring in from 25 to 30 percent of the money making up the Annual Fund each year. Cromer enjoys working with the Annual Fund because it touches every student on the AU campus. The Annual Fund lowers tuition costs for everyone enrolled in classes. Plus it creates additional financial aid for 95 percent of the students. But she reiterates, “It’s not all about asking for the money. If we only worry about asking for the dollars, we’re being short-sighted.” For example, a lot of compassion goes into the job of a Teletouch caller. While everyone who gives to the fund receives a note in the mail from the caller expressing appreciation, the Teletouch team never forgets the people who cannot give because of some personal crisis in their lives. The students send these alumni and friends notes as well, and they add their names to the prayer list and pray for them during the week. It is not unusual for Cromer’s team to receive notes from those they have prayed for thanking the students for their concern and thoughtfulness.

“It takes a certain person to do this job,” says Costin. “You have to be open and willing to talk. You have to be willing to work.” But you also have to be the kind of person who enjoys building relationships.

Cromer knows that it’s exciting for the students when they get donations. That’s when she reminds them why they are Teletouch callers. It’s not all about the money; it’s about touching someone’s life, even if it is in the small gesture of a telephone call. She says, “We never know what could happen when we keep the relationship open.”