Donor Stewardship Tips

What is Donor Stewardship?

Donor Stewardship is about effectively caring for your donors in a way that allows you to foster long-term relationships with them that are beneficial to everyone involved. This means conveying how much you appreciate each donor’s contribution to your organization and how much you care about them as members of your community.

Following an effective stewardship plan can help you create strong personal connections between your donors and your mission.

Post-Give DeKalb County Donor Stewardship Tips

1) Have a Stewardship Plan in place before Give DeKalb County

Donor stewardship begins before you receive your first donations on Give DeKalb County. When building your Give DeKalb County profile you should start to think about how you can use the information you provide to foster future donor stewardship efforts. Use your story, donation levels, and Peer-to-Peer fundraising to foster a greater sense of connection and relationship-building with your supporters.

2) Involve Board Members in your stewardship efforts

If you are already working to engage your board in Give DeKalb County efforts, then you might also use them for stewardship. For instance, if they're Peer-to-Peer fundraisers they can also be involved in thanking those donors they connect with. They can also help with the next tip!

3) Send personal thank you cards to your donors and consider making post-event thank you calls

Showing genuine, timely, and regular donor appreciation is important in maintaining strong relationships with your supporters. A “thank you” message following a donation for Give DeKalb County should be your standard practice. On your Give DeKalb County profile editor, you will be able to create a custom “Thank You” message. However, the gratitude should not stop there. Hand-written notes and thank-you calls can be even more impactful. In addition to the standardized thank you message included with the online donation receipt, consider sending out a more personalized message a few weeks to a month after Give DeKalb County.

Be sure to include your donor’s name and other personalized features. Tell them how their gift made a difference. If possible, show them the impact their gift is making with concrete images or stories.

4) Remember that gratitude lasts all year long

Donor stewardship and the gratitude that you show donors does not begin and end with Give DeKalb County. Rather, it is about starting a dialogue with donors that makes them feel like a valued part of your organization and community. You can start this dialogue by asking donors how they prefer to be contacted (phone, email, text message, etc.) and then proceed to contact them in that way. Showing initial respect for their preferences will go a long way. 

5) Show the impact your donors had on your organization after Give DeKalb County

After Give DeKalb County schedule regular touch points on your annual calendar to ensure that you stay engaged with donors. 

  • Make a point to share images and updates on projects that your donors’ contributions directly helped fund.
  • Organize reminders to reach out to supporters on special dates, like anniversaries, birthdays, or major milestones for your organization.

Want to learn more? Check out our 5-Step Donor Stewardship Guide for Nonprofits!