Stewardship is the cornerstone of maintaining and nurturing long-term relationships with your donors or customers. In this article, we'll focus on donors, but remember, these principles are universally applicable. The foundation of successful stewardship lies in understanding and meeting donor expectations while maintaining a personal touch. And the good news is, these ideas are easy to implement, low cost, become automatic, and you can leverage your volunteers/board members to help.
Understand Your Donor: Superb stewardship begins with a deep understanding of your donors' expectations. This includes recognizing their preferred communication methods, frequency, and the type of relationship they envision with your organization. Start with the basics: personalized thank you notes for donations, acknowledge special occasions like birthdays, and extend event invitations. Make sure you are documenting important information and jot down their preferences in your donor management system. I know this sounds obvious but make sure to get their names right – a simple but crucial detail. A colleague of mine gave for years to an organization that consistently spelled his name wrong, after pointing out the error, they still spelled his name wrong, and now he gives elsewhere.
Offer Exclusive Experiences and Recognition: Appreciating donors doesn't have to strain your budget. Simple gestures like early access to events, reserved seating, and public acknowledgment can go a long way. Develop a stewardship event playbook that outlines donor recognition strategies, like special nametags for Legacy donors. These steps deepen connections and show genuine gratitude. And remember, publicly thanking Legacy contributors costs nothing!
Extend Leadership Awards: Develop awards to recognize the unique contributions of your donors. This could involve creating specific categories that reflect the types of support your donors provide, such as volunteering, advocacy, or long-term commitment. I used to send out letters to “Silver Circle” givers who contributed for at least 25 years, and many organizations create a name for Legacy givers, like “1818 Legacy Society.” For annual awards, this should be a big deal! At an annual meeting or other large gathering allow the honoree several minutes to accept the award, encourage them to invite friends and family. And offer to help them with their speech as public speaking makes many people nervous. These are great moments to record and share on social media.
Leverage Community for Appreciation: A thank you note from those directly impacted by the donor's generosity creates a powerful connection. If your organization works with children, have them write notes or create artwork. One synagogue I worked with had volunteers bake cookies during a holiday and had youth group participants drop them off. This became an annual tradition that kids and recipients love.
Embrace Continuous Learning: The landscape of donor stewardship is ever evolving. Stay adaptable and open to new ideas, trends, and technologies. Regularly attend conferences and engage in networking with peers to learn more ideas. I’ve watched organizations go from phone calls to emails to texting.
Maintain Transparency and Accountability: Keep regular, honest communication, especially during transitions or emergencies. Transparency and accountability build lasting trust and credibility.
Implementing stewardship practices forms a solid foundation for a thriving, donor-centric culture. Remember, stewardship is about building relationships while recognizing and celebrating the unique contributions each donor makes to your mission! Creating lasting relationships requires consistency not a huge budget.
Interested in bringing the spirit of stewardship to your team? Whether you're seeking an engaging presentation or want to delve deeper into the subject, I'm here to help. Reach out today to arrange a complimentary consultation.
I'm eager to hear from you – what are some of the best stewardship activities you've seen or implemented?
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