Stewardship

Why it matters

Most small shops spend their energy on the ask and very little on what comes after it. But the next gift is decided in the months after the last one. A prompt thank-you, a short update on what the money paid for, and a call that asks for nothing are what turn a one-time donor into a regular one.

Good stewardship does not need a big team. It needs a habit: every gift thanked within a couple of days, every donor hearing from you at least once between asks, and someone noticing when a regular giver goes quiet.

How Steward shows it

When a gift comes in, Steward drafts a thank-you and puts it on Home under "Thank-yous ready". You read it, send it from your own email and mark it sent. Steward does not send it for you.

Home also lists donors who have gone quiet past their own giving pattern (Drift), and Journeys put each stewardship step in front of the person who owns the relationship at the right time.

Related terms

• Acknowledgment letter Acknowledgment letter is the name for the thank-you a nonprofit sends after a gift. It thanks the donor personally and, when it includes the required details, also serves as their written acknowledgment for tax purposes.
• Donor journey Donor journey means the planned series of touches a donor experiences with your organization, from their first gift through thanks, updates and later asks, set out in advance so nobody falls through the cracks.
• Drift Drift is Steward's term for a donor moving away from their own usual giving rhythm before they lapse: they are well past the date their pattern says their next gift was due, but not yet gone.