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Stewardship involves offering opportunities to give, personally thanking donors, updating them on the impact of their gifts and keeping them involved. Generally, this can be accomplished in an OFFER, a THANK, SHOW, CONNECT, OFFER cycle. This ongoing view of MTD leads to a strong and stable support base and only takes about 1-2 hours a week.
At the heart of the THANK, SHOW, CONNECT, OFFER cycle is great spiritual transformation - transformation for both for you and the donor. Our intention is that our financial ministry partners will be in a better spiritual condition as a result of interacting with us and giving to the ministry - and we will as well. As we invest wisely and intentionally in the people God has given us, we honor our donors by taking the time to get to know their heart and minister to their need as they minister to ours. Giving to ministry is a chance for us to mutually minister to one another. (Read more about this concept in Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen.)
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The ministry of offering opportunities to give to Kingdom work invites those with money to enter into a new relationship with their wealth, it also calls us to be converted into a new relationship with our need. An offer to give can include:
The structure of the OFFER can include a general letter with a personal note sent to about 20 key people. Call to ask if they had a chance to read your letter and if the Lord is leading them toward involvement in this need. Plan to follow-up. The Game Plan for End Of Year Giving gives a well-tested roadmap for any special giving opportunity, not just year-end giving. |
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When people respond to an opportunity to make an impact through giving, the next step is to thank them. Donors give to multiple causes. An average donor will see 10-20 thank you's a year and promptly forget them all. You want to be the thanks they can't forget. The general standard is a hand-written thank-you card and a phone call. (Other ideas HERE.) A welcome packet sent to a new donor or a small gift for a particularly impactful gift can go a long way! Develop the art of flattery in your thanks. Don't be shy about it! Tell your donor often, loud and clear, in the big type, just how great they are (because they are!). Do not include a financial ask or additional giving opportunity in your thanking process. |
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No financial ask. Your donors need to know they made a difference. When you report back to me what kinds of good things happened, due to my help and the help of others. "Did giving matter? What did philanthropy achieve?" Remember, the first gift is usually a testing gift; they want to discover what their ROI (Return on Investment) will be. This is why it's crucial to share the impact their gift made. We accomplish this through donorDonor-centered reporting - If I'm your donor, I've already decided what YOU do matters. Now I need you to reinforce why what I DO matters (i.e. giving to your cause). Tell me a story of one changed life - make it personal and heartfelt and real - and remind me how I how I played a part in that person's transformation. These crucial reminders never get old - they tell me that I (the donor) matter and I'm making an impact in the world through my giving. For example: You-centered reporting sounds something like, "We had an outreach last week and three people accepted Christ." A donor-centered way of reporting this would sound something like, "I just had to call and tell you the impact you're having. Because of your faithfulness to invest in Kingdom work, three people came to Christ last week! Let me tell you what happened..." No financial ask.The ethos behind SHOW is to show how their donor dollars are making a difference by sharing a story of something that's making an impact in the Kingdom. Do not include a financial ask or additional giving opportunityIf you're in the SHOW process because a donor gave their first gift, please remember the first gift is usually a "testing gift." They're looking to discover what their ROI (Return on Investment) will be before they invest any more into your ministry. This is why it's crucial to SHOW the impact their gift made and eventually offer them another opportunity to give. Ways to SHOW the impact of a gift:
Do not include a financial ask or additional giving opportunity in your SHOW process. |
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In his book, Spirituality of Fundraising, Henri Nouwen teaches that real connection is created when we ask our donors to come and be with us, to participate in the spirit of what we're about, to be in ministry partnership. Without this, we will find ourselves begging for money, and they will find themselves merely handing us a check. When those with money and those who need money share a mission, we see a central sign of new life in the Spirit of Christ. Your fruitfulness in ministry and their fruitfulness in ministry depends on staying connected to each other, through Jesus. Henri Nouwen reminds us, "If we ask for money from people who have money, we have to love them deeply. We do not need to worry about the money. Rather, we need to worry about whether, through the invitation we offer them and the relationship we develop with them, they will come closer to God." No financial ask. Better spiritual condition as a result of interacting with and giving to the ministry. People give to people, not to organizations, mission statements or strategies. So, connect with them as a person. Personal connections phone call or text to car for your donor and pray for them. Need ideas? Read through the Creative Ways to Connect page for new tools and tons of resources to make connection easier and more meaningful. PS - Additional resources for long-term discipleship and development of your larger-capacity donors can be found at Generous Giving. They provide both resources and events that foster joyful generosity.
What connection might look like:
You may find your larger-capacity donors don't have the time to talk on the phone with you or meet up. Ask the Lord to show you other ways to connect with them as a person. For some, it will take years to build trust. It's worth the investment of your time. Additional resources for long-term discipleship and development of your larger-capacity donors can be found at Generous Giving. They provide both resources and events that foster joyful generosity. Do not include a financial ask or additional giving opportunity in your CONNECT process. |
Sample Annual Timeline:
This timeline is a sample of what stewardship may look like for a support raiser in a given year. Feel free to customize to your situation/ ministry partners/ need. For example, someone who is younger or not very established in ministry might have a rhythm that looks like: Thank, show, show, show, connect, show, offer.
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