Creating A Stewardship Plan in 3 Easy Steps
In a previous blog, I shared the importance of having a stewardship plan and some tips for success. Now, let’s dive into three easy steps to create that plan.
As you know, it's incredibly important to steward your donors. Consider these key areas before you start creating your plan:
The first and the most important is showing your appreciation. Say thank you, thank you, thank you as much as humanly possible and don't ever ask for dollars when you're giving a thank you.
Another key element that we want to include in your stewardship plan is providing information to your donors. You can update them on your organization’s current initiatives, your quarterly or annual goals, challenges the organization is facing and plans for the future.
You also want to make sure your communications are personalized. Nobody wants to receive a form letter or blast email. Be sure that every time you create a plan you are incorporating elements that come from the heart - whether it's a handwritten note, a personal letter or a phone call. Remember that donors love to hear from YOU.
Now for the 3 key steps to CREATE your stewardship plan:
STEP 1:
Plot out all of your planned activities over the course of the next 12 months. Take those three pieces I mentioned above and schedule one related activity per quarter - this will give you an action plan for the entire year.
STEP 2:
Repurpose your content - don’t reinvent the wheel! If you're creating an annual report, go ahead and attach a personalized donor letter to that report and send it out.
If you're going to one of your organization’s fundraising event, identify the donors that you want to personally talk to at the event and thank them for their support.
STEP 3:
Ask for help. Don't be afraid to solicit staff from other departments, your board members or key volunteers. You don't have to execute this plan alone and donors want to hear from other people within your organization as well as your network.
Recruit other organization leaders to help you execute your 12 month plan and ease the burden off your development team.
Download a free 12 month stewardship plan template to get you started.
In Google Sheets, click “File,” then “Download,” then select your preferred format to save the file to your computer. You do not need to sign in download the template.
If you'd like some additional help with stewardship strategies, let's chat!
Check out the video of this blog below: