What the agent handles
- Answers donation and receipt questions
- Takes volunteer sign-ups
- Explains programs and eligibility
- Shares fundraising event details
- Refers callers to community resources
Public and community
AI receptionist for charities and non-profits
Answers donor, volunteer and program calls, explains how to give or get help, and routes people in need to the right program staff.
CallerI didn't get a tax receipt for my donation last year.
CallerI'd like to volunteer on weekends. Where do I sign up?
CallerMy rent's due and I'm short. Is there anything you can do to help?
Where calls go
Donor relationsVolunteer coordinatorProgramsExecutive director
Warm transfer: When a caller in real hardship needs help today, the agent warm-transfers to program staff instead of just taking a message.
Why charities and non-profits miss calls, and what an AI receptionist changes
Small charities run lean. The executive director answers the phone between grant reports, the volunteer coordinator is out at a site, and program staff are with clients. Calls arrive from very different directions: a donor whose tax receipt never came, a high school student who needs volunteer hours to graduate, and someone whose rent is due Friday and who has run out of options. In late December, when people give before the year ends, and again in March as they file their taxes, the line rings far more than one person can answer.
A RealVoice AI receptionist answers each of those calls on the first ring. It explains how to give online, by cheque, monthly or through a gift of securities from your own information, takes receipt questions down with the donor's name, the gift date and the amount for donor relations, and signs up volunteers with their availability and interests. It describes your programs and who is eligible, shares food bank or drop-in hours, and texts callers the link to your donation page or volunteer form.
When someone in real hardship needs help today, the agent warm-transfers them to program staff instead of only taking a message, with a short private summary first so they don't have to tell their story twice. If no one can take the call, it shares the community resources you've listed and sends program staff the message right away. It never takes card numbers, never tells someone they qualify for help, and makes no commitments on behalf of your staff or board.
Example call, start to finish
- CallerHello, I give $50 a month and I never got my tax receipt for last year. My accountant needs it.
- AI receptionistI'm sorry about that, and thank you for giving every month. Can I have your full name, and should the receipt go to your email or by mail?
- CallerMargaret Leblanc. Email is fine, the one I signed up with.
- AI receptionistThank you, Ms. Leblanc. I can see your monthly gifts for last year in our donor records, and I've sent that year's receipt again to the email on your file. I'll text you their direct line in case your accountant has questions.
- CallerLovely. Actually, while I have you, I've been meaning to ask about leaving something to you in my will.
- AI receptionistThat's a generous thing to think about. Our executive director, Paul, talks with people about gifts in wills himself. He's in a meeting until two. Would you prefer a call from him this afternoon or tomorrow morning?
- CallerTomorrow morning is better.
- AI receptionistI've asked Paul to call you tomorrow morning about a gift in your will, and last year's receipt should be in your inbox. The text with donor relations' number is on its way.
After the call: Donor relations gets a text and email with Margaret's name, her monthly gift and a note that last year's receipt was resent. Paul gets a separate callback note marked as a gift-in-will enquiry, with her preferred time. The call summary and recording are kept in the RealVoice portal.
How it fits your day
- Year-end giving
- In the last weeks of December, donors calling to give before the deadline or to correct a receipt address are answered right away and sent your donation link by text.
- Receipt season
- From February to April, missing-receipt calls reach donor relations as complete requests with name, date and amount, not a voicemail to decode.
- Volunteer drives
- Before a gala, a holiday hamper drive or a spring cleanup, sign-ups are taken with availability and contact details and sent to the volunteer coordinator.
- Program calls
- People asking for help hear what your programs offer and who is eligible, and urgent situations are put through to program staff during the hours you set.
Your software
Today it keeps every call, donor request, volunteer sign-up and summary in the RealVoice portal, sends each one to the right person by text and email, and texts callers your donation or volunteer links. If your charity runs CanadaHelps, Keela, Bloomerang or Raiser's Edge NXT, the team can set up a connection to it; custom integrations are quoted separately.
What a missed call costs
A monthly donor giving $25 contributes $300 a year, and many keep giving for a long time. If a donor who can't reach anyone about a receipt quietly cancels, and that happens twice a month, the charity loses two dozen ongoing gifts in a year, along with the volunteers and local sponsors who called once and never heard back. The calculator on our homepage lets you test it with your own average gift.
Questions charities and non-profits ask
Can it take donations over the phone?
No. It doesn't take card numbers. It texts the caller your online donation link, explains how to give by cheque or e-transfer if you accept them, and passes anyone who wants to give by phone to donor relations.
Can it reissue tax receipts?
Yes. During setup the team connects it to your donor database, so it can find the gift and resend the receipt your system already issued to the email on file. Corrections to an amount or a name on a receipt go to donor relations as a complete request.
How does it handle someone in crisis?
During the hours you choose, people who need help today are warm-transferred to program staff with a private summary first. Outside those hours it gives the crisis and community lines you've provided and messages staff at once. If someone is in danger, it tells them to call 911.
Can it sign up volunteers?
Yes. It takes their name, contact details, availability and interests, plus anything else you ask for, such as age for youth volunteers, and texts them your volunteer form if you use one.
Will donors mind talking to an AI?
A donor calling about a receipt mainly wants it sorted out. If anyone asks, the agent says it's an AI, and anyone who would rather speak with a person can leave a message for a named staff member.
Does it help if our office is only open part-time?
Yes. Forward the line full-time or only on the days nobody is in, and callers get answers and leave complete messages either way.
Hear it as your own charity's front desk
Request a free demo call and the agent will phone you, set up as a business like yours.