stewardship | Texere

“Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something. They’re trying to find someone who’s going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.” — Tony Robbins

A high school friend posted this quote on Facebook yesterday — and it stuck with me all day. It stuck with me all weekend, really. Robbins was referring to intimate/romantic relationships, I assume, but this can be true of all types of relationships: teacher/student, customer/vendor, parent/child, and even donor/organization.

There are some development people out there who believe that donors are to give; that’s their “job” as defined by the very word that marks them (the etymology is the Latin word donare, which means to give as a gift). But surely there must be more to it. When someone makes a gift of time, talent, and resources to an organization, it is because they have formed a bond — a relationship — with the organization’s mission, services, role in the community, staff, and board. The organization is giving to the donor through this relationship in some profound way (and there are many different ways, depending on the circumstances). The donors trust that the organization will work to fulfill its mission with the support. The donors feel satisfaction that the gifts will make some difference in the community. The donors feel connected on a personal level with a cause or issue important to them.

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We all know how vitally important stewardship is in development programs, and we know the golden rules of properly acknowledging gifts and support:

Cheerful letter/message

Send a thank you letter signed by a meaningful person from the organization within 48 hours.
Address the letter to the donor by name.
Include a handwritten personalized note, if possible.
And so on…

Here are some great posts by others on the topic of stewardship:

I really love what Andrew Olsen wrote on Fundraising Fundamentals: “When I think about the word stewardship, I think of the responsibility of taking care of something that belongs to someone else.” He lists some best practices for stewardship, including creating a plan and sticking to it, and to keep communication open (and engagement high).
Penelope Burk’s classic 20 things that make a thank you letter superior and donor-centered, including not asking for another gift and or asking the donor to take any additional actions at that time.
Joe Garecht summarizes good stewardship practices into three parts: communicate with them, get them involved, and ask them what they want.

The bottom line is that stewardship should not be seen as just writing good thank you letters. Stewardship is the act of honoring and respecting the gifts of the donor, and helping the donor engage with the organization at a higher lever. What steps do you take to engage your donors and respect their desires and intentions?