As nonprofit professionals, we tend to be focused on getting the gifts in now, which is why we put so much energy into donation appeals. But here’s the truth I keep coming back to with every client I work with: stewardship is the single highest-return activity in your fundraising strategy.
Why? Because returning donors give more. Loyal donors grow their gifts over time. And a well-stewarded donor is far more likely to eventually say yes to a monthly gift (if you want to learn more about monthly giving, I recommend this article published on CharityVillage).
I recommend starting with small bite-sized chunks of stewardship that only take 15 minutes a day. Here is what that might look like on a weekly basis.
Start with a reminder
Before anything else, put a recurring reminder in your calendar or task manager. I’m a fan of Google Tasks for this. The habit only sticks if you protect the time, even just 15 minutes, the same way you’d protect a meeting, while also serving as a reminder to actually, you know… do it.
Monday: Highlight your most loyal donors
Pull your top five monthly donors and send one of them a short, personal email recognizing their gift.
Connect the gift to real impact. If you’re an animal welfare organization, for example, tell them how many animals were fed, vaccinated, or received basic veterinary care because of their support. Share a recent win, or an upcoming project made possible by their steady monthly giving.
If you only manage to send one email, that’s still a win. That personal touchpoint is worth more than a mass blast; everyone wants to feel special.
Tuesday: Pick up the phone
I know phone calls feel old-fashioned, which is exactly why they land so well. A donor who picks up expecting a solicitation and instead hears “I just wanted to say thank you” remembers that call for a long time. Why? Because who, other than your mother or doctor’s office, even calls you anymore?
Filter your CRM for donors with a phone number on file and call five recent supporters. Realistically, only one might answer. That’s fine. When they do:
- Thank them
- Share a brief update on your work
- Ask what inspires them to support you
- Invite another form of involvement, like signing a petition, volunteering, or engaging with a recent social post
If nobody picks up, leave a warm voicemail or, if possible, send a quick text message.
Not ready for cold calls? Send an email inviting them to a short virtual coffee chat instead. A scheduling tool like Calendly or TidyCal makes this easy: just drop in a link and let them pick a time. Even if they never book, the fact that you reached out personally goes a long way in making them feel like you care.
Wednesday: Celebrate a donor anniversary
Look for donors who gave exactly one year ago today, whether that was a one-time gift or the start of a monthly commitment.
Send an email marking the anniversary. Reference the original campaign or moment that inspired their gift, share what’s happened since and invite them to reply with what first drew them to your mission. This doesn’t need to be elaborate; sometimes simple is better!
Thursday: A quick database clean-up
This is the task that always falls to the sidelines, but 10 to 15 minutes here pays off for months. Pick one data point and clean it across as many donor records as you can.
My biggest pet peeve: names in all capitals. THINK OF BRENDA. When her name is stored as “BRENDA SMITH,” her email greeting reads like she’s being shouted at. Decapitalizing names is a small fix that makes every future email feel warmer.
You could also use this time to improve segmentation and tagging. Better data means your personalization and automation actually work the way they’re supposed to, which is a quiet but essential part of stewardship.
Friday: The “just because” email
End the week by picking a couple of donors. Maybe the last person who gave $100, someone whose monthly gift processed that day, or a first-time donor from earlier in the week.
Send a short “just because” email. Thank them for making their Friday better by being there, share a small recent win that made you smile. If you can add a photo that shows your own perspective on the work, even better. I recently got into the habit of sharing my “pet of the week” from the rescues I work at; people love it.
Alternatively, use Friday for a behind-the-scenes update. This can go out to your whole list, or be tailored to specific campaigns for a more personal touch. Share something exclusive: a new program, a recently rescued animal that hasn’t been announced yet, an upcoming partnership, or a resource in development. Thank donors for making it possible and tease what’s still to come.
You could also spend this slot on social media. Go to your most recent posts and reply individually to the last few people who commented. A simple “thank you so much for supporting our work” takes seconds and reminds your audience there’s a person, not just a page, on the other end.
Why this works
None of these actions are complicated. What makes them powerful is repetition. Building the habit matters more than any single email or phone call.
If you don’t start today, when will you? Waiting until December, your busiest fundraising month, is too late. Stewardship needs to start now, so that when your year-end appeal lands in a donor’s inbox, you’re already someone they recognize and trust.
A good goal for every stewardship touchpoint: come away with two or three personal details about that donor. What inspires them. Whether they have a pet and its name. Where they went to school. Whether they have kids. These small details are what let you turn a transactional relationship into a real one, and what makes a donor feel like part of a community rather than a line item in your database.
Tools that help
You don’t need fancy software to steward well, but the right CRM makes it much easier. Platforms like Donorbox include features (such as “new moments”) that help surface donors worth reaching out to, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of steps like Mondays and Wednesdays. If you don’t yet have a donation platform that gives you this kind of visibility into your donor data, it’s worth looking into one.
And if you’d like more structured daily prompts like these, I run a 30-day challenge called Donor Lingo: short, 10- to 15-minute stewardship prompts delivered straight to your inbox, Monday through Friday. Check it out here.
You still have a few weeks before the end-of-year blitz. Start building the habit now so that you are top of mind when donors plan out their charitable gifts in December.
Want expert support to build your monthly giving program? Book an exploration call with Katherine of Just Be Cause Consulting today.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not necessarily represent those of CharityVillage.com or any other individual or entity with whom the authors or website may be affiliated. CharityVillage.com is not liable for any content that may be considered offensive, inappropriate, defamatory, or inaccurate or in breach of third-party rights of privacy, copyright, or trademark.
