How to edit your strategic stewardship plan
As January comes to a close, I can honestly say I feel clouded. However, this isn’t the first time. This year so far has been filled with illness in my family that sucked me in for a whirlwind that I didn’t feel prepared for. But I can’t help but think of all the times I felt the January whirlwind. Whether it was riddled with illness or there were mistakes on an endowment report (IYKYK) It can take a toll on the plan that you set forth for the New Year and cause you to go back to the editing board. Now the method of editing may not be for everyone, but I can tell you it works and worked for me. It’s why Amplify Missions teaches you how to simplify the fundraising methods that we tend to overthink. So here we go:
Let’s say, you have buckets!
Each of these buckets represents a segment of your department or job.
So let’s use donor relations as an example.
In my buckets for donor relations, focus areas that can lead to a successful program are:
Stewardship
Retention
Structure
A quick backstory to the buckets is realizing I was trying to do too much with too little. I remember thinking that we would do strategic stewardship plans, fulfill top 40 engagement tasks, host three non-athletic donor events, host a PLETHORA of athletic events, and still somehow find time to fulfill the basics needed to receipt and thank our donors. Whew! Things needed to change. We only had a staff of three that quickly turned into a staff of two.
Stewardship
What is it that donors really need after making a gift? A receipt. So if you do one thing at the start of the new year, make sure you have taken a look at your receipts. Do you have a brief thank you with warm messaging? Did you include all the needed transaction details? What about a photo? These are areas we tend to forget and can quickly turn a donor sour. I remember an organization telling me that they didn’t send me a complete receipt because my gift wasn’t $250. WHAT!
I know the IRS says something different. But just do it. It’s a way for someone to feel good about the gift they made even if for a brief moment.
Other areas of stewardship include reporting. I once heard an organization want to send out a report quarterly!!! Don’t do that to yourself. Once a year is sufficient. Then always leave the door open for your donors to feel like they can contact you about their giving history or endowment. This is a great way to think through ways that we can increase access (an area of 5 guiding principles) for donors to review their giving summary.
Retention
What do you know about your donors to keep them engaged throughout the year? Pick one thing and be great at that one thing. It can get crazy when you are stretching yourself externally to acquire new donors when your existing donors are waiting to be heard and noticed. An easy retention win is to pick a holiday and celebrate your community of advocates! For example, Valentine’s Day is a huge push for “We Love Our Donors” campaigns. Why? because it is easy and can make the biggest smile on someone’s face.
I sent a simple video to clients to let them know how much they mean to me! It truly came from the heart because my clients are at the heart of what I do and everything that Amplify Missions has become.
Structure
Remember how I mentioned I had a staff of three then two? I’ve learned throughout 2022 that organizations are still very thin! Which is why structure has to be a bucket. You have to take the time and understand your staff members’ strengths and weaknesses. If you have a website in need of updates and NO ONE is skilled at website design to make it easy for your donors to give…outsource! I’m pretty sure Zapier has become everyone’s best friend lately because of the number of automations you can create to be successful. I went to a gala called “Time to Give” where you auction your time instead of money. I gave my time to local nonprofits to assist them in tasks that you don’t realize you need to outsource. One was as easy as adding a “Donate” button on the main page of their website. It’s a small but meaningful outsourced task.
Most important, avoid burnout! If three events in one year made your staff tired and overwhelmed, maybe do one event or no events! Really think to yourself, am I fully supporting the talent within my organization?
So what buckets do you have? How do you plan to edit your 2023? I believe in getting back to the basics and understanding your donors. Get to know the people that partner with you day in and day out! Your staff, volunteers, and donors… these are your community of advocates!
Are you ready to build meaningful relationships without burning yourself and others out? Let’s have a 90-minute strategy session. We can take your organization and create a plan that truly works for your focus areas for this year.