A Conversation Concerning Stewardship Presented by Daniel P. Baker, Director Office of Stewardship Columbia University

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Building Donor Relations and Stewardship into
Your Fundraising Program A Donor-Centric
Approach   Presented byDaniel P. Baker,
Executive DirectorUniversity Donor Relations and
Stewardship Columbia University Independent
Education Alexandria, Virginia 20 June 2011    
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What is Stewardship, anyway?
(note not everyone does, but I use the terms
stewardship and donor relations
interchangeably)
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Three Basic Premises

• Stewardship is an organizational
• mind-set, not merely a set of
• activities and tasks.
• Good Stewardship cant guarantee
• future or larger gifts, but bad
• stewardship definitely makes them
• less likely!
• Everyone can do Stewardship.

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STEWARDSHIP is part of a process
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Why Do Stewardship?

• Keeps Door Open for Future Gifts
• Legal/Financial Responsibility to
• Donor (increasing scrutiny)
• Donor expectation (their colleges/
• universities set the standard)
• Plain Simple Its the Right
• Thing to Do

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• Stewardship applies to all kinds of
• donors and organizations
• big and small, rich and poor.

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• The practice of Stewardship is
  evolving. In response to a CASE survey asking
  what stage their program was in
• Infancy - 34
• Growing - 54
• Mature - 12

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• A well executed donor relations program is
  key to a successful donor-centered fundraising
  effort

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Donor-Centered in Action

• Relationship-based v. transaction-based
• Know and understand your donor
• (LISTEN!)
• Find the intersection of

Your Schools Priorities
Donors Interest/Passion
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• For the purposes of todays discussion, lets
  focus on gifts from individuals and talk
  about Stewardship in 3 forms
• Acknowledgement
• Recognition
• Reporting

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Acknowledgement

• Timely
• Personalized
• Specific (we got itput it where you
• saidits having an impact)
• Range of format (from pre-printed
• postcard (yuk!) to hand-written note (yay!)

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Recognition

• Publication Lists
• Thank you gifts
• Events
• Permanent Plaques

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Reporting

• Financial (annual report, fund status letter)
• Organizational (newsletter)
• Project-Based

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Key Takeaways

• Appreciate and respect your donors for what they
  have already done, not simply for what they may
  do in the future.
• Answer this question for your donor what
  impact has my contribution made on the
  organization and those who benefit?
• Integrate these values throughout the
  organization and fundraising process.

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• Questions
• Discussion
• Thank you for attending this session.

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Contact Me

• Daniel P. Baker, Executive DirectorUniversity
  Donor Relations and Stewardship
• Columbia University
• dan.baker1954_at_gmail.com