Solvent Speaks: The Stewardship Series
Quarter 2 Strategies that Keep on Giving
At the end of last year, we created a primer to shape your stewardship plan for the first quarter of 2024 here. If you’ve spent January through April crunching your data and courting your donors, you’re on your way to becoming a development dynamo!
As the bridge between spring and summer, May is the end of hibernation mode and the start to a new quarter full of promise. Keeping this in mind, the following tactics will make quarter two work for you.
Encourage Donor Attendance
It’s scientifically proven that warmer temperatures have positive impacts on human activities. So now is the time to ensure that your lead donors will attend your sanctuary opening, ribbon cutting, or arts night.
While it’s a time saver, sending digital invites to special events isn't appropriate for top donors in your portfolio. Make your invite personal and thoughtful. If you’re planning a gratitude breakfast, write a personal note on a donor’s invitation and ask them to sit at your table. If one of their friends sits on your board, ask the trustee to invite them personally. Once you’ve received their RSVP, assign a board or staff member to strengthen that relationship at the event and communicate your organization’s needs in a casual but compelling way.
Plan One-on-One Time with Donors to Share Progress (or Potential)
Is your new facility up and running? Invite a major donor to experience the energy of your space. Is your after-school arts space bursting at the seams? Invite a donor to a hands-on lesson and they’ll see for themselves. Alternatively, if programmatic or operational needs are top priorities, invite a donor to visit the office to see your work in action, or organize a Walk Along that highlights the gaps you fill in the community. When donors see the need for change, they can feel part of the solution.
Build Affinity
Quarter two is prime time to expand your organization’s circle of influence. Plan smaller gatherings for warm weather months, like donor-hosted house parties of 10-20 people. When guests are invited to attend by a host whom they know and respect, it becomes a comfortable space to explain your organization’s “why”, deepen discussions, and grow affinity for your mission.
Increase Capacity
Your volunteers and donors are often one in the same, so involve them in spring and summer initiatives tailored to their interests. Ask the volunteer with public relations experience to be a media liaison at your speaker series. Tap a boutique owner to help you strengthen relationships with businesses in town. Along the same lines, ask the wine connoisseur on your board to select the wines for your summer gala. Play to your volunteers’ strengths and build organizational capacity as you go!
When it comes to stewardship, your short game always influences the strength of your long game. A gradual, relational approach in quarter two will amplify your returns at year end. For more tried and true fund development strategies, get in touch with The Solvent Group.
