Why it matters
Unrestricted money is the most valuable money you raise. It pays for the people and systems that make every program work, and it lets you respond when something unexpected happens.
Make the case for it plainly. Tell donors what flexible support makes possible, and thank unrestricted donors as warmly as those who fund a named project. Most annual fund gifts are unrestricted.
How Steward shows it
In Steward, a gift a staff member enters without a fund goes to your organization's unrestricted default fund. A gift a donor makes online without choosing a purpose stays undesignated, so nothing is assigned by guess.
Related terms
- Restricted gift A restricted gift is a donation the donor has limited to a specific purpose, program or time period. Your organization must use it only as the donor directed.
- Annual fund Annual fund is the name for the money a nonprofit raises every year, usually unrestricted, to pay for day-to-day operations. It is renewed each year through appeals, events and ongoing asks.
- Average gift Average gift is the total amount given in a period divided by the number of gifts in that period. It tells you what a typical gift to your organization looks like.
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.