MSU Greenline program redefines telemarketing

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Although telemarketers usually face answering machines, harsh words and being abruptly hung up on, about 250 student callers at MSU Greenline continue to work to raise funds for MSU.

“We are the individuals that contact our alumni and not only build a relationship with them, but also try to get them to help out with funds for various things like student scholarships … various initiatives that we have on campus,” said Frank Tramble, MSU Greenline coordinator.

Currently, the program — the largest of its kind among Big Ten universities — is on track to meet its annual goal of raising between $3-5 million, Tramble said.

“We’re only four months into our (fiscal) year, but we’re doing extremely well right now, and I’m excited about that,” he said. “We have over 400,000 living alumni out there. So it takes a lot — we make over 2 million calls a year strictly calling out.”

Although he didn’t release any specific numbers, Tramble said the program has struggled to get donations from alumni in recent years because of a poor job market across the country.

“I think it’s been hard on everybody,” he said. “When the economy goes down, expendable dollars go down. So it makes it that much harder to really secure those donations, but at the same time it hasn’t been impossible.”

Lauren Morris, a graduate student who has worked for Greenline for more than four years, said the number of pledges has decreased throughout the years, but the amount of money that donors are giving has increased.

“I think we’ve been really good in adapting to those changes and figuring out how (we) can still get pledges from people,” she said.

Tramble said the office also places an emphasis on having fun and Wednesday, employees were dressed up in their Halloween costumes as they made calls, including Morris, who was dressed up like Elle Woods from “Legally Blonde.”

The growth of MSU Greenline is causing the program to move across the hall in Spartan Stadium to newer, bigger offices in January 2012.

The Board of Trustees approved $2.2 million renovations to Spartan Stadium that began in July, which include new office space for University Advancement employees.

Tramble said the move is necessary to accommodate the program with more space and resources to do their job.

“I think the major benefit is going to be the ability to do what we’ve been doing better — more efficient (and) having stronger support,” Tramble said.

Lyman Briggs senior Diana Dura — who was dressed for her shift as Lucy from “I Love Lucy” — acknowledged there is a negative connotation with the word “telemarketer” and said a lot of people aren’t willing to listen to a sales pitch from a telemarketer. Changing the name of the program in 2010 from MSU Telemarketing to MSU Greenline has made a positive difference with donors, Dura said.

“It’s really nice to not just be known as telemarketing and to make our own statement, and we’ve kind of been able to form our own identity as a program,” she said.

In Dura’s time with the program she said she already has seen the impacts on campus from the money she raises at Greenline, such as labs that were renovated using donation money.

“It’s just an incredible feeling knowing I’m not only helping myself, but everybody else around me too,” Dura said.

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