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Building Donor Relations and Stewardship into Your Fundraising Program: A Donor-Centric Approach Presented by Daniel P. Baker, Executive Director University Donor Relations and Stewardship Columbia University Independent Education Alexandria, Virginia 20 June 2011.
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Building Donor Relations and Stewardship into Your Fundraising Program: A Donor-Centric Approach Presented byDaniel P. Baker, Executive DirectorUniversity Donor Relations and Stewardship Columbia University Independent Education Alexandria, Virginia 20 June 2011
What is Stewardship, anyway? (note: not everyone does, but I use the terms “stewardship” and “donor relations” interchangeably)
Three Basic Premises Stewardship is an organizational mind-set, not merely a set of activities and tasks. Good Stewardship can’t guarantee future or larger gifts, but bad stewardship definitely makes them less likely! Everyone can ‘do’ Stewardship.
Why Do Stewardship? • Keeps Door Open for Future Gifts • Legal/Financial Responsibility to Donor (increasing scrutiny) • Donor expectation (their colleges/ universities set the standard) • Plain & Simple: It’s the Right Thing to Do
Stewardship applies to all kinds of donors and organizations: big and small, rich and poor.
The practice of Stewardship is evolving. In response to a CASE survey asking what stage their program was in… • Infancy - 34% • Growing - 54% • Mature - 12%
A well executed donor relations program is key to a successful donor-centered fundraising effort
Donor-Centered in Action • Relationship-based v. transaction-based • Know and understand your donor (LISTEN!) • Find the intersection of Your School’s Priorities Donor’s Interest/Passion
For the purposes of today’s discussion, let’s focus on gifts from individuals and talk about Stewardship in 3 forms: • Acknowledgement • Recognition • Reporting
Acknowledgement • Timely • Personalized • Specific(we got it…put it where you said…it’s having an impact) • Range of format(from pre-printed postcard (yuk!) to hand-written note (yay!)
Recognition • Publication Lists • Thank you gifts • Events • Permanent Plaques
Reporting • Financial(annual report, fund status letter) • Organizational (newsletter) • Project-Based
Key Takeaways • Appreciate and respect your donors for what they have already done, not simply for what they may do in the future. • Answer this question for your donor: “what impact has my contribution made on the organization and those who benefit?” • Integrate these values throughout the organization and fundraising process.
Questions & Discussion Thank you for attending this session.
Contact Me Daniel P. Baker, Executive DirectorUniversity Donor Relations and Stewardship Columbia University dan.baker1954@gmail.com