I recently told a client that I think the best fundraising programs are data-driven and stewardship-focused. He asked me to define stewardship-focused. This is what I came up with:

• We never decide for donors. If we are unsure, we ask them.
• Donors’ motivation is more important than our process.
• Recognition is less about what donors get and more about what they want to make happen.
• Our goal is not a gift. Our goal is understanding why donors give to us. This includes knowing which of our programs is most important to them so we can tailor our communications accordingly.
• After a donor makes a gift, we follow what I refer to as the MarketSmart Rule because I first saw it spelled out this way on Greg Warner’s blog: Before soliciting them again, we:
  • Thank them in a meaningful way.
  • Report to them on what their gift made possible.
  • Invite them to engage in our mission beyond their checkbook. (Note: they may not accept our invitation, but issuing it is important.
• Our communications are more about “you” than “we.”
• Our interactions with donors are based on their behavior/response and not on our plan.
• We always remember, no matter how difficult it is to accept, that a donor’s decision to give to our organization has less to do with what we do and more to do with what they want to do.