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Community Outreach Call Guide
Trinity Solar CT · Calling organizations into partnership
Open the Partners Tracker →
Outreach Playbook

You are not selling solar. You are handing an organization a no-cost fundraiser.

This guide is for calling the organization, not the homeowner. The goal of the call is one thing: a short meeting with the person who can say yes to a partnership. Lead with their cause, keep it about them, and the rest takes care of itself.

$836,150
Paid to partner organizations since 2018
222
Organizations on the program
$100
Per qualified consultation
$1,000
Per installation
$500
Per roof

What you are offering, in one breath

Trinity partners with a local organization, and the organization earns a donation when one of their people goes solar with us. The member gets a good system from a 30-year installer and saves on their bill. The organization raises money with no event to run, no cost, and no obligation. Checks arrive through the year, after each consultation and each install, not in one lump at the end of a campaign.

Know the numbers cold: $100 to the org for every qualified consultation, $1,000 when a member installs, $500 for every roof, and $836,150 paid to 222 organizations since 2018. That track record is your credibility.

Before you dial: do the homework

A warm, prepared call is the difference between a partner and a hang-up. Have these answers in front of you, straight from the Partners tracker and the organization's website.

  • The cause. What the organization does and who it serves. Say it back to them.
  • Their size and events. How many members or supporters, and what they host through the year.
  • The decision-maker. Who can actually say yes. For most nonprofits this is the Director of Development, and you can usually find the name on the organization's website before you ever pick up the phone. Other titles that hold the yes: executive director, league president, scoutmaster, pastor or office manager. Find the right name first so you are not handing your pitch to someone who cannot act on it.
  • Do they fundraise. If they already run a gala or a 5K, this is money on top with none of the work.

Getting to the right person

You will often reach a gatekeeper first. That is fine. Be warm, be brief, and ask for the person, not the sale.

You, to whoever answers
Hi, this is [your name] with Trinity Solar. We run a fundraising program for local organizations like [org], and I would love to get it in front of whoever handles partnerships or fundraising. Who would that be, and is there a good way to reach them?

If they ask what it is about, give the one-breath version above, then go right back to "who is the best person to talk to." You are routing the call, not pitching the gatekeeper.

Do not over-share with a non-decision-maker. This is the one mistake that blows the whole thing. If you unload the full program on a gatekeeper or a junior contact, you lose every time. It is the same trap as a one-legger appointment: the person on the phone is not trained or educated enough to carry your message the way you would. They will pass on a watered-down, half-right version, or none at all. Give them just enough to want to connect you, then save the real conversation for the person who can say yes.

The opening, decision-maker on the line

You
Hi [name], this is [your name] with Trinity Solar. I am reaching out because we partner with organizations like [org] on a program that has paid out over $836,000 to local groups, and it costs you nothing to run. When one of your members looks at solar with us, [org] earns a donation. I would love 15 minutes to show you how it works. Do you have a few minutes now, or should I grab a better time?

Notice the moves: you named their organization, you led with the cause and the dollars, you made it free, and you asked for a short meeting, not a yes to anything. Lead with what the program does for them, set the bar at a quick look, and let the meeting do the selling.

"What's the catch?"

The most common reaction, and a fair one. Use Feel, Felt, Found.

You
Totally fair, I would ask too. A lot of groups feel like there has to be a catch. Others felt the same until they saw it: there is no cost and no obligation. We do put a simple partnership agreement in place that spells out the donations and protects both sides, but you are never out a dime, and if nobody in your community ever goes solar, nothing changes for you. What they found is that a few members were already thinking about it, and the donations just started showing up. Want me to walk you through it?

Other objections, kept simple

"We don't endorse companies."

You are not asking them to. They are offering members a benefit and earning a donation when a member chooses it. No endorsement, no exclusivity. Frame it as a member perk plus a funding stream.

"Just send me some information."

Agree, then anchor the next step. "Happy to. I will send a one-pager today. So I send the right thing, can I get 15 minutes this week to learn what matters most to [org]?" The email confirms the meeting, it does not replace it.

"We're too small."

No floor. The biggest partners on the program all started with one member and one quote. Even a handful of supporters is found money with no work.

The ask: book the meeting, do not close the partnership

The call has one job: a specific, named time with the decision-maker. Do not try to sign them up on the phone.

  • Offer two times. "Does Thursday at 10 work, or is later in the week better?" A choice is easier than an open yes.
  • Confirm who will be there. Make sure the person who can decide is in the room.
  • Set the expectation. "It is about 15 minutes. I will show you exactly how the donations work and answer anything."
  • Loop in Lori. She is the primary contact for partnerships and joins or runs the meeting. Lori Scala, 203-895-8968, Lori.Scala@Trinity-Solar.com.

After every call, log it

The campaign only works if the record is current. Reps log every call in My Partner Calls (managers work the full Partners tracker). Move the organization along:

  • Update the status. Prospect, contacted, meeting set, partner, declined. The status is what moves it, not a note alone.
  • Write what was said. Who you reached, what they cared about, the objection, the next step.
  • Capture the contact. Add the decision-maker name, direct phone, and email so the next call is warmer.
  • Dispatch and assign. Put the organization on the right working-group team and cluster so the right rep owns the follow-up.

New to the phones? The phone fundamentals (voice, energy, booking the next step) apply to every call you make. For calling the homeowner members who come through a partner, use the Community Call Guide.