Telephone Campaigns
Our next Telephone Campaign will take place from 1st July until the 16th July 2023. Thirteen students hope to have engaging conversations with more than 600 alumni and raise crucial funds to support students like them. If you have just received a pre-call message and/or would like to have a call in the future please do let us know by completing the Calling Preferences Form. We look forward to speaking with you next time!
It was a fascinating experience calling up people and having an instant connection with them. Some of the stories that came up made me laugh out loud! In a way it did not matter if they were some kind of CEO – we both shared that bond of being from the Hall. So many people from all over the place clearly care about the Hall and hearing them offer to continue supporting was rather humbling. It was a great way of getting exposure to people from all walks of life and learning how to talk with them in a polite, calm and professional manner. I have ended up having to do a fair bit of fundraising in my current job and this was really helpful for learning how to do it.
A former member of our calling team
Please complete this form to schedule a time for a call or to request no call on this occasion.
About the Telephone Campaign
In 2004, the College embarked on an annual programme of regularly telephoning alumni, and the results have had a transformative effect on the lives of many undergraduates and postgraduates, and on the fabric of the College itself.
A Telethon offers us the opportunity, first and foremost, to keep in touch with you and let you know what’s going on in and around the College. Our student callers relish the opportunity to speak with alumni and both parties continue to enjoy the conversations. Secondly, it offers you a chance to hear about our fundraising projects to benefit the current student body and choose to offer your support. Furthermore, you will also hear about other opportunities available for you to get involved with the College such as offering careers advice to students or acting as a year or regional representative. Although an important part of a campaign, it is not all about fundraising and we hope that you enjoy exchanging experiences with a current student.
We recruit up to 13 current students who we pay for their time, cover their accommodation costs and feed very well throughout the 2 to 3 week campaign. They receive two days of comprehensive training prior to making their first calls. Not only do they gain new and develop existing transferable skills, they learn more about the College, its history, and how it is run. Students continue to enjoy this opportunity to chat with alumni and develop new transferable skills for their CVs. The timing of the Telethon also offers them plenty of time to continue with their studies during the calling period.
We are very grateful for the support we receive and we are delighted that collectively the Telephone Campaigns have raised more than £3.8 million. This has made a huge difference to the lives of students.
Thank you for your support.
FAQs
The College is a registered Charity. Through the Trinity Hall Fund we seek to raise funds for immediate use by the College. Despite the increase in tuition fees, the College continues to subsidise the cost of education for each student by around £8,000 per year, due to the decrease in state funding of higher education. Covering this educational deficit puts significant strain on our endowment, which must also cover operational costs and the maintenance of our buildings. If we were to cover the educational costs of every student, we would need to at least double the size of our endowment. Additional funds enable us to offer support to more students and undertake further projects to improve and develop our resources.
A large number of relatively small donations can have a major impact. In addition to our long-term fundraising, the College raises money for the Trinity Hall Fund, which is disbursed during the following year to support activities under the following headings: Student Support, Teaching Support, Refurbishment & Resources, Clubs & Societies and Access & Outreach. This fund helps to meet the College’s most pressing needs and thereby reduces strain on our endowment. Those giving to this fund are invited to a Donor event in College.
Thanks to the generous support of our alumni, we have been able to:
- provide funding for postgraduate studentships
- support graduate conference and research expenses
- refurbish L & M staircases
- support teaching officers
- support our Clubs and Societies
- provide hardship grants to undergraduates
- to name but a few…
To find out more, please visit our website.
No, following our first successful in-house campaign in March and April 2019, we shall be following the same format for the foreseeable future. All campaigns prior to 2019 were run with consultants who did not receive commission for their work.
We are very grateful to all alumni for taking the time to speak with a current student. It is perfectly acceptable for you to offer careers advice and support during your call – thank you very much. If you would like to remain in touch with the student after your call to offer further support or suggest possible avenues for them to pursue such as internships or placements. The students will be able to contact you via private messaging on LinkHall.
Yes, there will always be a member of the Alumni & Development Team at every call session to answer any queries. The Development Officer, James Adamcheski-Halson, manages the Telethon and is always happy to answer any questions you may have. He can be contacted at telethon@trinhall.cam.ac.uk or on 01223 332563.
No, this isn’t cold-calling. All alumni are contacted by the College in advance of the call and given the opportunity to opt out. Alumni enjoy speaking to current students and we do hope that you will take this opportunity to exchange experiences with a current student. You can contact the office at any time to let us know you would prefer not to receive a call. We will continue to gather your consent for all of our activities throughout the year.