D i e n u

A couple weeks ago, I found myself at WUNC in front of a phone, volunteering during their Valentine’s Pledge Drive (which actually ended a day or so before Valentine’s Day).

It was definitely an interesting experience. I’d expected some high-tech setup, but it was actually just a U-shaped group of long tables lined with older push-button phones.

Calls would ring from left to right, around the table, so callers would be sure to get the first available volunteer. I was on the middle-right side of the U, so I got to sit and watch for a minute before I got my first call.

You know how NPR will usually have drawings to add a little donation motivation? I had no idea what a huge role those incentives play in getting callers. My shift was from 8am to 10am and they were running a trip drawing that ended at 9am. Between 8 and 8:30, we got a nice, steady amount of calls that increased to a crescendo of off-the-hook ringing in the last few minutes before 9.

And between 9 and 10am, I sat and played Word Warp on my iphone until they told me I was done. I think the phones rang a total of four times in that hour and my aforementioned middle-right position meant nobody ever reached me.

So yeah, NPR, you’d better keep those drawing coming. They seem to make a difference.

I had a really good time answering phones and I’ll probably do it again when the next pledge drive rolls around. Of course, the fact that the volunteer told me that I have “a perfect voice for radio” sure didn’t hurt!