The Case of the Ineffective Stewardship
“There is a new development person at Garrett’s school,” my friend said over lunch, “She’s reached out a few times to meet.”
I said, “That makes sense. You’re a leadership donor, and I’m sure she just wants to meet you to learn more about you.”
“She never said that,” my friend replied, reaching to spear a shrimp from my salad. “She said she wanted to talk with us about naming rights for an athletics project they have going on. But, she wasn’t specific about what she wanted to talk about. John and I wish she would just tell us what she wants, like spell it out. We don’t want to be ambushed in a meeting. Plus, we have no interest in the athletic program and it’s weird that she doesn’t know what our kid has been doing at school. Garrett avoids sports like a disease, but he loves the visual arts program and has displayed his work at every Art Walk. I’m pretty sure anyone who knows him knows that.”
“I agree,” I said, “it’s a bit odd. That’s not how I would approach you. Has anyone ever met with you to find out more about you and John in the three years Garrett’s been there?”
“No. They invited us to a party a few months ago and members of the board of trustees were there. We got an invitation from the Dean of Students, not the development team. We still don’t know why we were invited or what the purpose was. At first, we didn’t want to go because we thought we’d be asked for something at the party,” she said.
Still trying to understand the school’s purpose of inviting my friend to the mystery party, I asked a few more questions. But, none of my questions revealed much more information.
My friend continued, “John and I thought maybe they wanted to recruit us for the board, but we aren’t interested in trusteeship now with all the other boards we sit on. But, they never asked about that either. The crazy thing is that last summer there was a total renovation of the art studio. I didn’t find out about it until after the fact and they made an announcement in the fall after the work had been done. No one reached out to us about contributing to that project. We certainly would have, and been happy to talk about naming opportunities, given that our kid’s life at school really revolves around the art studio,” she said, now getting annoyed. “I guess Mrs. Smith, the art department chair, doesn’t talk with development because we arranged and paid for the catering for the reception for the last Art Walk. I mean, Mrs. Smith is wonderful and thanked us profusely. She’s been super supportive of Garrett. And really, that’s plenty for us.”
“Do you think you would stop contributing to the school,” I asked, but not asking if I could have one of her scallops, which I took off her plate.
“Oh, no. The school has been great for him and our state offers a tax credit. So, for the credit alone, we would likely continue. But, we probably won’t increase the gift, and we’ll see how we feel once he’s off to college.” she said.
I thought it was best to switch the subject before it cast a shadow on our sunny, waterfront lunch, but from what I heard, I had some thoughts about how this situation could be much more successful for both my friend and the new development director. It’s all about stewardship of the gifts my friend has already been giving. Here are six ways to rethink your approach to stewardship:
First, be curious. Maybe your school has incredibly detailed data about every interaction with the donor, so you think you know enough about them without meeting for discovery or stewardship. But, if you are new, you need to form a trusting relationship with the donor. If it’s a lapsed donor and your data is spotty, don’t assume anything. Honesty can go a long way in making up for prior lack of stewardship and starting to renew the relationship.
Second, be transparent. It was a great idea to ask the Dean to invite the donor to the party, since a parent will almost always open an email from the Dean. Help your admin team help you by scripting the email based on what they know about the donor. Tell the donor why they are invited to the party. Is the party for trustees to thank leadership donors for their annual gifts? Is it a party to kick off the new annual fund season? Will you be soliciting gifts at the event? Don’t make your donors nervous to engage with you, and don’t compromise the trust your admin team has with parents.
Third, do your research. Wealth screening, basic research, and prior gifts will tell you who has capacity for a large gift to the annual fund or a campaign. But think about what they are interested in. How were gifts restricted in the past? What is their student interested in? What do his teachers, or the Dean of Students, have to say about him? Maybe, leave the office and meet the student. Parents like to talk about their child’s successes. If you know what they are, that has the potential to create a wonderful connection.
Fourth, think about alignment. Just because you’ve been told to raise money for XYZ project to fuel one pillar of the strategic plan, does not mean this donor cares about it. There’s an alignment to be uncovered, but you will only know that by doing your research and having conversations with the donor. At the same time, you will need to have a seat at the leadership table to ensure that you fully understand all the needs within the organization to be able to propose an investment that aligns the school’s needs with donor interests. In other words, you can’t push a project on every donor just because the board voted on the strategic plan.
Fifth, use your Public Displays of Learning. I’ll bet my friend is not the only parent of an art kid who is supporting an Art Walk and would to a greater degree if stewarded. Your school has dozens of opportunities during the year to invite parents to see something exciting, interesting, phenomenal, or just plain adorable. Your faculty, coaches, and staff are encouraging students to stretch themselves in many ways every day. Use these opportunities to invite parents to witness their child’s growth. Imagine how wonderful my friend would have felt to be invited to a preview of the curated show with a copy of the program. With a bit more advance planning you can offer a few donors a guided tour of the Art Walk with the Department Chair and the Head of School.
Sixth, don’t assume the donor will continue their support. Even if you operate in a state with favorable tax laws for non-profit donations, donors can choose any number of organizations to which they have an affinity. It may not be a personal sacrifice to give to your organization, but it is a gift, and donors need to know that they are appreciated as humans and members of your community first and foremost. And then, you can acknowledge the gift.
Donor stewardship is a part of development that is often forgotten or not done well. Then we are surprised when donors stop giving or are frosty when you email, out of the blue, for a gift to a campaign years after the last gift. The thing about donor stewardship is that it is hard to quantify. When the head and board want the development team to bridge bigger and bigger tuition gaps or build a new building, they want to see money come in NOW. Not only is that unrealistic for the highest functioning development teams, but it is also nearly impossible for those schools that have not and are not stewarding their donors.
And here’s the kicker, donor stewardship is the really fun part! It’s delightful to meet with donors to find out how they are doing and share an update on the impact of their gift. Great development people like being with people, they like being in relationships, and they like the thrill of building something exciting with people who share the vision for the school and are willing to invest in it. If you want to set your school up for future success, steward your donors.
Let’s talk about fabulous, creative, and exciting stewardship ideas that you can implement at your school next year!
The author, Jill Goodman, is a consultant working with independent school leaders to advance their school’s mission, enhance their processes, and bolster their skills. Learn more about all services here.
Photo Credit: Meg von Haartman for Unsplash
