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.
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