Before calling anyone, be ready:
- Know the full name and title of person you’re calling plus a brief background of organization
- Have aA sense of the days and times when your group can meet
- Notepaper and pen for notes
- NEVER GET OFF THE PHONE WITHOUT GETTING THE NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION OF THE PERSON WITH WHOM YOU ARE SPEAKING.
- Script for Phone Call
General Script (suitable for voicemail or live person):
“Hello. My name is ___________________, and I’m an eighth grader at LREI: Little Red School House, in Greenwich Village. I am looking to schedule an interview OR volunteer opportunity with ________________ (NAME OF PERSON) or your organization as a part of a class Social Justice Project.
“My group’s topic is _______________. We’ve read about your work and are very interested in speaking with you about the issue and potentially getting some volunteer experiences, as well. We have a team of (3/4/5) responsible students and can meet with you virtually most days between 11:15-12:15 or at other times with advance notice to our teachers.”
[If leaving a message] “Please call us back at __________ or email us at ______________. We will follow up if we don’t hear from you in the next few days. Thank you!”
Other ways the conversation could go:
A. May I talk to your teacher?
- “Sure! My teacher’s name is __________, and they can explain more about our project. Can I get your contact information and they will call you back.”
B. Can you tell me more about your project?
- “Sure! This year our class engages in a social justice project and we have chosen issues we care about. We are conducting interviews, doing volunteer work and creating podcasts to share with our school community.”
C. I am not the person that you should speak to, may I give you the contact of the correct person?
- “Yes, thank you! We will follow up with them by phone call and email.” (Make sure to write down their full name and contact information! )
D. What type of work/volunteer experience do you want to have?
- “We are interested in learning about anything that relates to your organization, the issues and communities that you work with, and how you do what you do. We are available during the school day on select days, some after school days, and sometimes on weekends. In years past, students have done everything from conducting interviews, attending rallies, helping with conferences and attending meetings. We want to assist your organization in any way possible to learn and contribute.”
E. Sorry, we actually cannot accommodate any volunteers OR we cannot have any volunteers under 18.
- “Thank you very much for your time. Do you know of any other organizations, like yours, that we could contact for our project?”
OR
- “Even though we will not be able to volunteer with you, is there a possibility that we can interview you or someone else in your organization about what you do?”
F. We cannot have you volunteer without an adult.
- “That is no problem. We can arrange for a chaperone. What days or times work for you to meet?”
