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Phonathon

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The Phonathon program is comprised of paid student callers who reach out to loyal Eastern alumni, engaged parents, and supportive friends to speak with them about current events on campus, student experiences, and ways that they can influence the growth of the University. These student callers raise critical funds for various on-campus initiatives including scholarships, the Parents Fund, unrestricted funds and more.

These amazing students complete more than 75,000 phone calls each year, raising over $70,000 in gifts and pledges. Please take a minute to speak with our students. A robust Annual Fund helps to keep tuition fees in check. Alumni participation is also a factor with the U.S. News and World Report rankings of colleges and universities.

Phonathon FAQs

  • Our Program recently moved to Wood Support Services. A group of callers works each shift with their supervisor, Rachel Valliere. These engaging students make a competitive hourly rate and can earn incentives each night. There is also a snack break.

  • Rachel, a 2017 graduate from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Art has a bachelor’s degree in arts management. During the day Rachel works in the Office of Institutional Advancement as the Assistant Director of Annual Fund and Advancement Services. She oversees the Phonathon program during calling hours.

  • We call during the Fall Semester from the end of September until the beginning of December. In the Spring Semester we call from mid-March until the beginning of May. The hours will vary each semester, but typically we call Monday through Friday in the afternoons, and on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

  • Each semester the Office of Institutional Advancement uses Eastern’s Employment website to hire our callers. We ask our callers to be available for a minimum of three shifts per week. Since they are considered ambassadors for Eastern, we look for students who are engaged in the university, are attentive listeners, and are good communicators.

    • They believe in Eastern’s future and want the University to continue to transform the lives of future graduates.
    • They believe in a particular academic department or have an affinity for athletics, fine arts, research, etc.
    • They want to invest in their own degree and by doing so they are endorsing the quality education they received at Eastern.
    • They were the recipient of a scholarship while they were a student at Eastern and want to provide similar opportunities to current students.

  • Our calling system does not allow you to call the students back directly but will put you back in the calling queue for another day. We will also send out a quick text message, so you know it was us calling. If you prefer to communicate with us that way feel free to text us back. If you prefer not to receive our calls, you can let the student know or email us at vallierer@easternct.edu. And you can always give online!

    • Yes! Our callers process the card while you are still on the phone with them. You will receive an email confirmation of your gift, and an official tax receipt in the mail. We do not store any card information, unless you want us to set up a recurring gift for you.
    • Giving over the phone helps to maximize your gift by helping to cut down on administrative and mailing costs.