an stewardship plan?
MTD stewardship is the relationship-building and communication that takes place after a ministry gift has been received.
Stewardship involves thanking donors, updating them on the impact of their gifts, keeping them involved, and offering other opportunities to give. Generally, this can be accomplished in a THANK, SHOW, CONNECT, OFFER cycle. This ongoing view of MTD leads to a strong and stable support base and only takes about 2-3 hours a week.
Below, we will talk about:
Why create a stewardship plan?
- Because keeping a donor takes less time than having to find someone to replace them.
- Because great joy is found in developing a team of people who are on ministry with you.
- Because now, more than ever, your supporters need the encouragement found in seeing the work God is doing.
- Because you won't have to do as much support raising if your stewardship game is on point.
Case Study
What happened when other ministries started paying attention to MTD stewardship
Compassion International wondered what would happen with donor retention if they simply called donors, thanked them for their involvement, and prayed with them. That’s it. No ask. Just connection and ministering to the people who empowered them.
Retention shot through the roof. Donors even increased their giving.... with no ask!
Another ministry heard of the project and decided to duplicate it. They were only retaining about 50% of donors after their first year of giving, and another 46% of donors were leaving after 2 years. Their desire was to increase retention by focusing on building into their donors. The goal was for their donors to be in a better spiritual condition as a result of their interaction with the ministry. So, they got on the phone, thanking and praying for donors. They also sent a welcome packet to new donors, and two weeks later, the field worker would give the donor a personal phone call. After a year of focusing on maintaining a relationship with donors apart from asking for funds, the ministry went from a 50% retention rate to a 90% retention rate!
A few things they learned:
- Nurturing donors once a month by phone increases retention, specifically, if you avoid talking about money.
- It takes two months for the donor to figure out you’re not calling to ask for money.
- Support development happens through real, active relationships.
- A regular giver (monthly, quarterly, annually) is more valuable and has a higher retention rate than the annual donor you have to ask each year.
- One of the best indications of donor retention is the number of things they give to, not necessarily the amount. *Another stat says if a donor gives to three or more ministries, their retention rate for all of them increases.
- The most loyal donors are those who not only gave but have been involved in the ministry in other ways. So, invite them to get involved in other ways!
How to create a stewardship plan:
Talk to God & your MTD Coach.
Proverbs 16:9 tells us, "In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Consult the Lord before planning this course.
There is no "one size fits all" stewardship plan. Your MTD Coach can help you tailor this stewardship plan into something that fits your unique situation. Don't have a coach or need a new one? Contact your Reliant liaison.
Create a communication schedule.
Attach a timeline to your desire to personally connect with your ministry partners. Get out a calendar and plug in the dates you'll send your prayer letters throughout the year (most send them monthly). Then pepper in a few hours each month to connect with supporters. Third, block a few times in your calendar where you'll focus on cultivating new support. Here's a sample timeline.
The point of all this communication is to foster a relationship with those on your team. This means scheduling in touch-points that nurture the donor and don't involve fundraising. This can be different, depending on the donor. For example, you might pepper in a few more personal touch points with your large-capacity donors because you noticed they only give when asked; and you don't want to ask without first having a few regular, personal connections. Below, you'll see the rhythm of Thank, Show, Connect, Offer as a way to begin engaging key donors more deeply.
Decide what you’ll communicate this year.
Take the communication schedule you just wrote and put a quick content idea next to each scheduled item. This will help jump-start your writer’s brain when it comes time to pen that prayer letter. It will also give some congruency of thought and allow you to cover a lot of content in a year. Content examples: Explaining your ministry and vision (what you do), Introducing your team (who you do it with), a typical week in your role in ministry (how you do it), people you minister to (who you’re impacting), your city/environment (where you’re ministering), family update (personal update about you/ your family), reinforce how your donors are changing lives (see paragraph below), call to prayer (see letter example below).
- Keep in mind what your donors long to hear. 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 played a part in that person's transformation. These crucial reminders never get old - they tell me that I (the donor) matter and that I'm making an impact in the world through giving. Also, flattery gets you places. Don't be shy about it! Tell your donors often, loud and clear, in the big type, just how great they are (because they are!).
- Let pictures write your updates: Your supporters love pics of your life as a field worker (bible study group, weekly worship service, outreach events). Consider yourself a photojournalist and take loads of pics! Some field workers scroll through their camera roll at the end of the month and build their letters around the pictures they have. If you're serving in an international location, include pictures of your life in that country (apartment, team, transportation, grocery store, fun quirks about your new country). Your supporters will enjoy going on the adventure with you. Plus, this gives you something to write about during those start-up 6-12 months when there's not a lot of ministry happening because most of your time is spent on language acquisition and culture adjustment.
Schedule when you will you check for new and lapsed giving.
You can find changes in giving in Toolbox or your MTD database system (such as MPDx, SupportGoal, or TntMPD). If your current system doesn't alert you, then you'll need to make a plan to seek out this info monthly. Changes include:
- Lapsed donors (non-current): I had a donor once who stopped giving, and I was too chicken to call. Turns out her husband of 49 years passed away suddenly. By the time I noticed the lapse in giving and got up the courage to pick up the phone, almost a year had passed. The conversation was waaay more awkward than it would have been if I'd called the first month the giving was interrupted. Don't do that to yourself - or to your donor! Check monthly for non-current gifts and call lapsed donors right away to see if they're okay.
- New recurring donors or special gifts: Guidestar mentions, "Charities tend to focus on what they worry most about. How much money can be raised? So they are strongest in asking. Where they are weaker is in thanking." Don't let that be you! Timely and personal thank yous go a long way toward building relationships with your financial supporters. Notice changes in giving and reach out promptly with a word of thanks.
Plan for an MTD-focused season EVERY YEAR.
This is a 6-12 week period where you give extra energy and effort toward MTD. Some seasons to consider for your focused MTD time:- Spring. Catch up with supporters after the holiday rush and before families travel in the summer. Just be sure to start at the beginning of spring so you don't run into graduation/end-of-school season!
- October through December can be a great time to raise special end-of-year gifts. *For some, 30% of their overall annual support comes in as year-end giving.
- Summer. Some campus ministers choose to use the slower summer ministry season to focus on support.
- PS - Plan to connect regularly with an MTD coach during a season of focus on MTD. Don't have one or want something a little different? Reliant offers a coaching cohort to help keep you motivated, learn from other's experiences, and get questions answered. Reach out to your Reliant Program Liaison to get connected with a coach or cohort.
Share your cultivation plan with your supervisor or leadership.
Not only can they give you insight, but this helps ensure you're all on the same page when it comes to time away for MTD.
Remember, it's not about you.
Your ministry partners have already decided what YOU do matters. That's why they give. They need you to remind them why WHAT THEY DO MATTERS. Tell a story of one changed life - make it personal and heartfelt and real - and remind donors how they played a part in that person's transformation. These crucial reminders never get old - they tell ministry partners how they are making an impact in the world through giving. More on this below when we talk about SHOWing how their gift made a difference.
Sample Timeline
Annual Stewardship Plan & Timeline#TimelineAnnualMTDPlan
Additional Resources
Intro to Partner Cultivation