You’ve heard of the importance of stewarding your donors, but how about stewarding the gift?
Last week we kicked off the Strength Training for Fundraisers webinar series with A Bigger, Stronger Pipeline to Major Gifts. RKD’s Fiona Cunningham stressed the importance of—and difference between—stewarding your donor and stewarding their gifts.
“Stewarding a gift is following the money through the process, and communicating at touchpoints along the way,” explains Cunningham.
That journey might entail:
- Calling the donor to thank them. “It can be as simple as saying, ‘What a lovely surprise! We just received your check and are overwhelmed with gratitude.’”
- Sending a hand-written thank-you note
- Ensuring the donor receives a tax receipt
- Following up later with an impact report. “Show them what they made happen through their generosity,” says Cunningham. For example, this could be a story of a dog who needed major surgery, etc., or a cat saved from an abusive situation.
For more ideas like this, listen to the recording of A Bigger, Stronger Pipeline to Major Gifts.
More on Fundraising
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Upcoming Webinar, 9/21: Convincing Animal Lovers to Give to People
Upcoming Webinar, 9/28: Monthly Giving Doesn’t Happen By Chance
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