Stewardship and the Good Experience

This is the fourth part in a four part series in the ASKING cycle. Material in this article is from the book by William T. Sturtevant, The Artful Journey.

Andrew Carnegie once said, “It is more difficult to give money away intelligently than it is to earn it in the first place.”  I suspect he was correct.  Our donors wish to have an impact through their giving, and to that they are certainly entitled.  Demonstrating just how a gift achieves the desired impact is the essence of the stewardship process.

Stewardship is critical for two reasons.  First, it is our fiduciary responsibility to ensure that donor’s gifts are handled properly.  They must be used for the designated purposes, and the judicious application of entrusted gift funds is vital.

The second aspect of stewardship, and the one deemed most important to fundraisers, is that of using stewardship as a cultivational tool.

Stewardship, in essence, is an attitude.  Every contact point with your donors must display the appropriate attitude, and you must seek our opportunities to provide these warm, caring friends with the giving experience to which they are entitled.  When you become fully committed to that end, and especially when the organization displays the same commitment, you can be sure that your donors will contribute again and at levels heretofore unimaginable.

Stewardship is the consistent delivery of services that fully meet donors’ needs and expectations.  Managing the process of stewardship entails the following steps.

• Identifying donors’ possible contact points with organizational representatives

• Instructing and motivating  staff (i.e., the contact points)

• Monitoring the quality of donors’ experiences and taking corrective actions when necessary.

Your stewardship program provides the opportunity to carry your fundraising to the next level of success.  Aristotle once said,  “Quality is not an act, but a habit.”  For the committed fundraiser and donor-focused charitable cause, good stewardship must become a habit.

Acquisition • Acknowledgement • Appreciation • Affinity

We know that with proper planning (Acknowledgement and Appreciation) you can keep your donors.  We have proven that with effective Stewardship (Affinity), you can be certain of very high retention and an enthusiastic donor base.  If you follow systematic procedures, the program is as close to fail-prove as you can get.  Securing (Acquisition) is obviously the first step.

Research shows that is requires 4.5 times the effort, staff, and dollars to acquire a new donor as it does to keep one.  Yet…some organizations seem to spend more time and

Energy pursuing a new giver than making the effort to keep the old friend.

What is your Stewardship Quotient?

Tap here to take the test. How effective you are in your Stewardship (maintenance) program. These questions have been tested in the field to determine its comprehensiveness and the validation of the scoring.