Frequently Asked Questions.

FAQs
Candidates

  • No, as comprehensive training and support is given to make your time with us a success. The qualities that will help you shine are:

    • Strong communicator and relationship builder

    • Confident and outgoing

    • A great attitude

    • A love for working as part of a team

    • Empathy with good causes

  • We offer a selection of full and part-time permanent contracts from 24, 30, 35, and 40 hours per week. We also offer flexible working contracts for people who require that additional flexibility.

  • Yes, we have a specific number of hybrid and remote contracts for fundraisers who have a safe home working environment. We require that all our fundraisers who work from home be hard-wired into their router for call quality purposes and provide their own laptop/PC. A headset is provided.

  • This depends on the capability and experience of the fundraiser. We recruit and onboard experienced fundraisers remotely, and for those who have limited fundraiser experience, we train people on how to fundraise and provide support to them from our Bedford office. Generally, hybrid and remote working are offered where there are vacancies and when fundraisers have successfully passed their probation, or when their manager is confident in their fundraiser skills and capability.

  • We provide an initial two-day fundraiser training programme where we teach candidates ethical fundraising techniques. Once you enter the fundraising floor, you will “buddy up” with an experienced fundraiser and you will receive regular feedback on call quality and compliance from our experienced, friendly and supportive team.

  • Our recruitment is a two-stage process, the first stage is a discovery call where we explore the basic requirements and suitability for the role. The final stage is a behavioural-based interview, and we also ask you to do a role play so that the candidate can explore and experience what the role would involve.

    Any job offers are subject to receiving two references, full identity checks and right to work certificate (where appropriate).

  • No, the fundraiser role involves taking inbound calls or following up on warm leads given to us by the charities themselves. The charity supporter would have given their permission to be contacted.

  • We are open from 9 am to 8 pm Monday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

  • You can apply by sending your CV plus a covering letter stating why you would like to work with us to jobs@dtvoptimise.co.uk.

    Alternatively, write to: Denise Byrne, Head of HR, DTV Optimise Ltd, Emerald Court, Pilgrim Centre, Brickhill Drive, Bedford. MK41 7PZ

  • Yes! We want our people to grow with us and positively encourage applications for roles within the current teams.

    New fundraisers start with us on Grade 1 and are able to progress to Grade 4.

    Additionally, there’s opportunities to progress to the management team. All our current caller coaches, team leaders and client account managers have previously been fundraisers for the company.

FAQs
Charities

  • The most direct way to contact is to call our Account Director, Ben Vian on 07733 527781 or email him at ben.vian@dtvoptimise.co.uk.

    Alternatively, you can call our main office line on 01234 944 700 and ask to speak to a member of our client account teams.

  • We offer a comprehensive service for inbound and outbound calling. See our Services page for full details.

  • We work with over 40 charities, from large NGOs to small UK based charities, covering various sectors including: animal welfare, cancer support, child welfare, food banks, environmental, international development, health care, medical research, etc. References are available on request.

  • There are no commission payments. Our fundraisers are paid a base salary plus there is a quarterly incentive scheme based on quantitative and qualitative measures where they can typically earn 5% of salary. Our fundraisers are paid the living wage.

  • We are fully compliant with all legal requirements, and this is written into every contract we operate under. We have the following memberships:

    Fundraising Regulator (FR.ID-178255)

    Direct Marketing Association, DMA (C1036146)

    Chartered Institute of Fundraising, CIOF

    Information Commissioner's Office, ICO (data processor ref: ZA000904)

    Lotteries Council

    Data Protection Network

  • We believe that the best fundraisers deliver the best results through compassionate delivery of the need. Pressurised selling techniques are not good for us, the charity, or supporters and lead to high attrition rates.

    Our fundraisers complete an intensive two-day training program followed by comprehensive monitoring and regular training updates. All calls are recorded, and we encourage all our clients to listen to a random sample each week.

  • We operate a two-stage interview process. The first stage is a discovery call where we explore the basic requirements and suitability for the role. The final stage is a behavioural-based interview and we also ask the candidate to undertake a role play so that the candidate can explore and experience what the role would involve.

    Any job offers are subject to receiving two references and full identity checks.

  • We provide an intensive two-day fundraiser training programme where we teach candidates how to fundraise ethically. Once candidates enter the fundraising floor, they will “buddy up” with an experienced fundraiser and also receive extensive monitoring until they are confident in delivering calls to the required standard.

    Training is continuous with regular feedback on call quality and compliance from our experienced management team.

  • We have a team of experienced caller coaches and team leaders, all fundraisers previously, who ensure calls are delivered to the required standard.

    Our real-time management information allows us to monitor campaigns and fundraisers throughout the day and give support where necessary. From the system we can listen into live calls, use a “whisper” function to coach in call and there is also a chat facility to send prompts.

    A daily summary of campaign performance is distributed to senior management where any variances to campaign targets are highlighted, and a plan of action implemented.

  • Our complaints policy is detailed within the Supporter FAQ’s.

FAQs
Supporters

  • You were called by us on behalf of a charity that you have previously provided your telephone number to and given permission to receive calls. We will always ask permission to speak with you and you can choose to end the call at any time. The telephone gives charities the opportunity to listen to you. It’s a vital part of their communications.

  • Where charities do not have the resources to make these calls themselves, they employ a professional telephone fundraising agency to do this on their behalf. Charity money is precious, if they were able to do the calling more cost effectively themselves, they most certainly would.

    Without investment in fundraising, charities would have a lot less overall to spend on delivering their services each year and wouldn't be able to keep providing the same levels of care and support in the future.

    Charities regularly review their investment in fundraising to ensure it is providing an acceptable level of return and to ensure they are spending charity funds in the most effective and efficient way.

  • No, we are paid a set amount on the calls we make, we do not take commission, so 100% of your donation goes directly to the charity.

  • Every call we make is recorded, which enables us to monitor calls every week, and listen to any concerns you might raise. We provide our fundraisers with on-going feedback and support to ensure you have the best possible experience as a supporter.

  • We respect your wishes and will cease any form of communication upon request. When you receive a call from us, just let our team know that you don’t want to be contacted by phone again in the future.

    Alternatively, call the charity’s supporter relations team and ask to stop receiving calls.

  • We only call between 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 5pm at weekends. Call centres are allowed to call until 9pm on a weekday and 6pm on weekends, but we have chosen not to contact supporters as late as this.

  • The protection of your data is of the highest importance to both the charities and us. We only use secure and encrypted methods of transfer and we do not store your data longer than the minimum necessary to meet our obligations. Everything is protected by legally binding contracts and data protocol agreements.

  • Gift Aid is a scheme introduced by HM Revenue and Customs which allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 that you donate - at no extra cost to you.

  • You have previously provided your telephone number to the charity we are calling on behalf of and given permission to receive calls.

    We respect the rights of supporters to clear, truthful information on the causes we work for and to manage supporters information responsibly.

    We will comply with the Charity Commission and UK law in every respect, including those regarding openness and honesty.

    As members of the Fundraising Regulator's scheme, we follow the Fundraising Promise, that helps to ensure organisations who raise money for charity from the public do so honestly and properly.

    We will respect the privacy and contact preferences of all donors. We will respond promptly to requests to cease stop calling or complaints and act as best we can to address their causes.

  • We work on behalf of a number of charities and want to make every conversation that we have a positive one. We adhere to strict guidelines set by the Institute of Fundraising and all our content is agreed with the charities we work with.

    Our approach to fundraising is underpinned by three principles:

    • Fairness - treating all members of the public fairly and respectfully. This means respecting the wishes and preferences of the supporter and being mindful of and sensitive to any particular need that a supporter may have.

    • Inclusivity - we are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make change happen, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

    • Accountability - it is up to us as fundraisers to take responsibility and care to ensure that our fundraising is happening to a high standard.

  • If you wish to make a complaint, please send an email to complaints@dtvoptimise.co.uk.

    Please include information to help us identify you and the call, so as a minimum we require your name and telephone number and the date the call was made.

    Within 8 working hours of the complaint being lodged, a member of the team will confirm receipt of the complaint and begin an investigation. Once the investigation is complete, we will assess the situation and take appropriate action. The outcome of the investigation along with the action taken will be reported back to you within 5 working days.

    If you would like to speak to someone about your experience, please call 01234 944 700 and ask for a member of the Client Services team or our Call Centre Manager.

Any other questions?