The TigerTalk Call Center quickly is becoming a major tool inthe LSU Foundation’s fundraising efforts.
The center, which employs 75 student “TigerTalkers,” works tocontact alumni and other contributors to the University andattempts to foster relationships with the hope that it will lead tofinancial support.
“TigerTalk helps in a number of different ways,” said Maj. Gen.Bill Bowdon, president and CEO of the LSU Foundation. “It allowsstudents to talk to alumni about the University.”
Bowdon said the center makes approximately 3,000 phone callseach night to potential contributors across the nation.
The center, which was created last year and operates on campusin the Louisiana Business and Technology Center, generated morethan $500,000 in funding last year, Bowdon said.
“Those small donations add up,” he said.
TigerTalk is especially important for many University collegesbecause it provides a fund-raising outlet for individual causes andprojects, said Quinn Rainwater, TigerTalk director.
“We called for 13 units on campus [last year],” Rainwater said.”Some had never conducted phone drives before.”
This allows many colleges to conduct fund-raisers that would notnormally have that opportunity, Bowdon said.
“The foundation is not able to provide fundraisers to every deanand college,” he said. “[TigerTalk] gives the foundation a way tosupport those deans and colleges.”
Rainwater said the call center takes on added significancebecause it rekindles relationships with alumni.
“First of all, you have LSU students who are raising money forthe University and are having meaningful conversations withalumni,” he said. “[These phone calls] make the alumni feelconnected to the University again.”
Bowdon said the call center uses the newly developed “TigerTAILS” database system to reach out to potential contributers.
Tiger TAILS, or the Tiger Advancement Information Lookup System,was unveiled last month and allows the University, the foundation,the LSU Alumni Association, Tiger Athletic Foundation, theAgricultural Center and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center to access andshare information and comprehensive records of donorrelationships.
“As we work with [Tiger TAILS] and improve it, it will become avery useful tool,” Bowdon said.
Recently, the call center entered into a partnership withAT&T in which the telecommunications company will serve as thecenter’s exclusive long-distance provider.
“We are especially pleased to bring the resources of AT&T toLSU,” said Betsy Palmer, regional vice president of publicrelations at AT&T, in a University press release. “We lookforward to working with the University to promote the fine workbeing done on campus, and we will follow the progress of theTigerTalk Call Center with much interest.”
Rainwater said the center has greatly expanded in the last year– adding 21 additional employees from the program’s inception –and with the new partnership, the center will continue toexpand.
“I think we have nowhere to go but up,” he said.