Why it matters
Pledges let donors make bigger commitments than they could in one payment, which is why they are common in campaigns. Treat each pledge as a relationship with dates attached: thank them when they pledge, remind them kindly, and thank them again as each payment arrives.
Keep pledged money and received money apart in every report. A campaign is not funded until the pledges are paid. How your books count an unconditional pledge is an accounting question, so check with your accountant.
How Steward shows it
In Steward, a pledge lives on the donor's Gifts & Pledges tab with its amount, due date and campaign. When a payment comes in, you pick the pledge it fulfils. A campaign shows raised and pledged as separate figures and never adds them together.
Related terms
- Matching gift A matching gift is a gift from an employer that matches a donation its employee made to your organization, often dollar for dollar, through the company's matching gift program.
- Capital campaign Capital campaign means a fundraising effort with a set goal and deadline to pay for something big and lasting, such as a building, a major renovation or an endowment, usually on top of the annual fund.
- Recurring gift A recurring gift is a donation the donor sets up once to repeat on a schedule, most often monthly, charged automatically to a card or bank account until they change or stop it.
The free Lost & Found audit reads a giving export in your browser and shows your lapsing donors and what they used to give. Nothing is uploaded. Then bring the same file to a 20-minute demo.