Gratitude is not stewardship: How to go beyond thank you’s to real understanding

Most people who donate to charities want to know that their contributions are appreciated. They like knowing that their efforts have been noticed, which is why it’s important for charities to acknowledge contributions in a timely manner.

Thanking donors has become one of the most deeply embedded practices in philanthropy. Organizations devote significant time and energy to ensuring gifts are acknowledged. An email, a card, a phone call, or a handwritten note are all worthwhile activities to let donors know that you’ve received a gift and their support is valued.

But don’t confuse expressions of gratitude with actual stewardship. Donors can be thanked without meaningful connections being formed. Acknowledging receipt of a gift doesn’t give you permission to check the “stewardship” box.

That’s because gratitude acknowledges something that has already happened – the gift. While stewardship can often result in a gift, I like to think about it as the answer to the question: “What happens next?”

For many organizations, the answer is surprisingly little.

Why Next Matters

Nothing about this sequence is inherently wrong, but problems may arise if saying “thank you” represents the entire donor experience.

A well-developed donor stewardship program might start with recognition, but it is equally concerned with:

• Understanding the motivations behind a gift;
• Building a deeper relationship with donors, and;
• Creating opportunities for supporters to become even more familiar with your work.

Ironically, it’s not difficult to adjust current gratitude practices to embrace better stewardship. 

Consider the traditional donor thank-you call. A volunteer, board member, or staff member receives a list of names and a brief script, places a call, thanks the donor for their generosity, and records the interaction. 

The process is efficient, well-intentioned, and genuinely appreciated by the donor.

But what was actually accomplished? What did the organization learn today that it could use tomorrow?

Making the Boat Go Faster

When I think about donor stewardship, I’m reminded of Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?, the book by British Olympic rower Ben Hunt-Davis. As the British rowing team pursued Olympic success, they developed a habit of evaluating nearly every activity through a simple question: Will this make the boat go faster?

It’s a simple idea. All activities can suddenly be evaluated against a simple objective. If they don’t contribute to the outcome the team was pursuing, they deserve reconsideration.

Before charities can embrace a similar mindset, they need to clearly understand their goals and objectives and train their front-line people accordingly. 

Soliciting for an immediate need is different from a campaign around legacy giving. However, the better question is always: “Will this strengthen the donor’s relationship with our organization?”

If a donor leaves a call feeling acknowledged but not understood, organizations might be mistaking gratitude for stewardship. Donors who understand and connect to an organization’s mission are often more resilient during difficult periods.

Relationships Create Options

Organizations that invest in stewardship are not simply cultivating today’s gift; they are actively working on tomorrow’s as well.

Here are a few questions that you might want to incorporate into your gratitude calls. Use open-ended questions that cannot simply be answered by either a “yes” or a “no.” They are far more effective at creating conversations and can help reveal insights about motivations, values, and interests that might otherwise remain hidden.

• What inspired you to make your gift?
• How did you first learn about our organization?
• What aspect of our mission resonates most strongly with you?
• Have you or someone close to you been personally affected by the issue we address?
• What made you decide to support us at this particular time?
• Is there a project, program, or area of our work that you would like to learn more about?
• What do you hope organizations like ours will accomplish over the next few years?
• How would you prefer to stay informed about our work?
• Have you been involved with other charities that have created particularly meaningful donor experiences?
• Is there anything about our organization that you wish you understood better?

However, not every donor will want a lengthy conversation, so don’t try and cram all the questions into a single discussion. As communications expert James Morris says, remember “the most important person in the conversation is the other guy.”

More importantly, these conversations can provide donors with something they rarely receive from charitable organizations: the feeling of being understood rather than merely acknowledged.

And, by all means, record answers to these questions in a robust donor database. This turns casual conversations into institutional knowledge. 

You do have a database that keeps track of information like this, don’t you?

Remember: gratitude starts the conversation. Stewardship keeps it going.