Excerpt from a recent webinar run by seantriner.com Middle-Value donor stewardship: three easy steps to make your mid-value donors feels like the VIPs they really are

1. Excerpt from the webinar
Stewardship: Three easy steps to make your
mid-value donors feel like the VIPs they
really are.
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2. Overview
 Introduction
 Recap (or what you missed so far)
 What is stewardship?
 Step one: All about systems & process ( )
 Step two: Understand your donor
 Step three: Make it so
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4. 4
You will have a
clear way forward
for implementing
or improving your
stewardship
process.
You will have
seen thank you
and donor care
letters
dissected:
making it easy
for you to copy
be inspired by
them.
You will have
access to a load of
great examples of
stewardship and
donor care.
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What is stewardship?

6. “People don’t want to be
‘marketed to’ - they want to be
‘communicated with’.”
Dr Flint McGlaughlin – Director
Marketing Experiments Journal
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7. What donors want
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Meet me
Understand me
Value me
Remember me

8. Stewardship…
 Buzzword for donor care...
 ...Usually associated with high value donors...
 Needs to encompass:
 Process
 People training
 IT & Database management
 SRM: Supporter Relationship Management
 Needs to start with a plan for ALL donors
 Not just mid & major, philanthropy and legacies
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9. Stewardship
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Right people Right time
Right messageRight media

10. Pillars of successful stewardship
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Data & IT Strategy People & culture

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The goal is a two-way dialogue

12. The goal is a two-way dialogue
 My cardinal rules:
1. Open the lines of communication- be easily available & provide
choice
2. Offer interaction in a variety of ways
3. Accept that not everyone wants to interact – listen and act upon ALL
requests
4. Take every opportunity to learn more
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13. Why Bother?
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It is the right thing to
do
Recruit champions
Build brand loyalty
Maximise lifetime value Actually, it isn’t the right thing to do…
UNLESS it achieves measurable
outcomes – ultimately in lifetime
value.
?
?

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Step one: Process and systems
The fun stuff.

15. Plan it – but keep it simple
 Organisational responsibility
 Everyone should buy in
 Flexible to donor requests and responses
 Feels personal
 And with higher value donors is personal
 Is not onerous or impossible
 Investment in time and resources is appropriate to
potential value of donor
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16. © Pareto Fundraising May 2008
Ask
Thank
CareAsk
Thank The donor comms
cycle

17. Get your data right
 QUALITY and what data
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18. Get your data right
 QUALITY and what data
 The all import RFV
 Flags on database about interactions – beyond
transactions
 Relationship / Understanding enhancement–
motivations, surveys (coming up later)
 Log Feedback!!
 (Sample Excel log is in the handouts)
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19. Apply the Pareto
Principle
Concentrate your
limited resources
on high yield
activities
Key indicator is
previous giving

20. Example stewardship plan
 Need Proactive & Reactive plans
 You can plan what you send and push out
 You can plan (somewhat) for the ‘value add’
 You can prepare for what you will need to respond to
 Monitor your service quality
 Make it someone's responsibility to ensure your (mid-
value) donors receive the best experience possible
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21. Reactive Donor Care Strategy
 Who speaks to donors? Are they the right people?
 Assign a mid-value donor phone rep
 If your volume is high consider outsourcing to ensure
quality and consistency
 Have your FAQs responses up-to-date
 Not enough staff?
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22. Reactive Donor Care Strategy
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"YOU HAVE MY CONTACT DETAILS WRONG”
Thank-you for bringing this to our attention, we try hard to keep your detail as
accurate as possible. Let me take down the correct information and I will make
sure this is updated in our system
Open record in system – ask caller to assist in providing details we have.
Check and amend record in system. Look for missing information
Before you go, may I just say a big thank you – not only for all your
financial support so far, but also for making the effort to give us a call to
let us know of your correct details. Your continued support means so
much to us and of course to those <PEOPLE/ANIMALS/ENVIRONMENT>
that we will be able to help because of your support, it is great to be able
to make sure that we communicate with you in a way you are happy with.

23. Reactive Donor Care Strategy
 Who speaks to donors? Are they the right people?
 Assign a mid-value donor phone rep
 If your volume is high consider outsourcing to ensure
quality and consistency
 Have your FAQs responses up-to-date
 Are your response scripts and emails warm & donor
focused?
 Train, train, train
 Give your team the space to surprise and delight
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24. Planning the experience
Actual Timing 1st 2nd 3rd 8th 14th 15th
Timing Day of sign up ASAP 72 hours from sign up ASAP Day 7 Day 14 (pre 1st debit) Day 15 (post 1st debit)
What Leave Behind Thank you SMS Thank you Email Welcome Call Field Report Email (video) Beneficiary impact email Your donation in action postcard
Purpose for Donor
Overcome cognitive
disonnance
Overcome cognitive
disonnance
Overcome cognitive
disonnance - continue the
emotive, passionate discourse
from the sign up Legitimise the ask
Demonstrate donation
impact
Demonstrate impact on a
single life
Reinforce the RG product
Demonstrate ROI
Purpose for us
Renforce proposition
Provide contact details
Reinforce RG product
name, refugees as
beneficairy. Use SMS
channel early
Reinforce RG product name,
72 hour impact (proposition
message), highlight key
beneficiary group. Use email
channel early
Retain
Objection handle
Downgrade
Change pay type
Pay Holiday
Cancel
Use phone channel early
Introduce main signatory.
Show passion and
commitment on charity
side. Reinforce use of
email channel
Reinforce impact on
beneficiary
Show exmaple of money well
spent - set scene for what
donors can expect in terms of
feedback
How should Donor
feel?
Excited, Enthusiastic,
Valued Chuffed Valued Thanked
Confident in decision
made Inspired Responsible for impact
Prominent Value(s)
expressed Passionate Considerate Passinate & Experienced Trustworthy Impactful Respectful Impactful
Focus
Donor Impact on
beneficiaries
Donor Impact on
beneficiaries - RG product
reinforcement
Donor Impact on beneficiaries,
thank you from a face-to-face
fontliner
Donor Impact on
beneficiaries - RG product
reinforcement
Connect donor and
solution - money in action
Connect donor &
beneficiary - thank you
from main signatory
Connect donor and solution -
money in action
Case Study / Story Beneficairy 1 Ex-Beneficiary (frontliner) Beneficairy 2
Beneficiary 1 - further in
their journey
Beneficiary 1 - further in their
journey
Content
Imagery driven, simple
content to highight
impact on beneficairies
(brand & RG product
clear). One key case
study (beneficairy 1)
with two supporting to
suppor the three key
facets of the RG
product impact
Simple thank you, charity
name, remind of
commitment
Thank you from a Field agent
who is an ex-refugee.
Reinforce the '72 hours to
respond' message. Impact
because of you as a "RG
product name"
You are part of RG Product
program Long-term
commitment, we are here for
you
Thank you from main
signatory. Reinforce the
'72 hours to respond'
message. Highlight one
current emergency - what
has been RG program
impact
Re-Iintroduce beneficiary
1 whose life was saved
Thank you, your $35 have
already been put to use
purchasing X which beneficiary 1
required at X stage in their
journey
Notes Video of field agent Video of signatory
Use similar contnt format
to RG program newsletter
t so they are recognised
when received Digitally printed

25. Planning the experience
For mid (& high)value what are your additional high touch
opportunities?
 Events
 Webinars
 Field visits
 Surprise & delight
 Anyone have other ideas? Message us
 Acknowledgement Strategy
 Standing orders
 Planned with campaign development

26. Acknowledgment Strategy
Donor Type Responsibility Action
Confirmed Bequestor Bequest Manager Phone call thanks
Handwritten note on TQ
Mid-Value donor (current –
previous mid-value gifts)
Mid-Value Manager Major Donor Manager call thanks
$5k+ gifts / Manager phone call
thanks $any to $5k
Handwritten note on TQ / TQ card
addition
Mid-Value donor (current –
first gift at criteria level)
Mid-Value Manager CEO phone call thanks ($5k+) /
Manager phone call thanks $any to
$5k
Handwritten note on TQ / TQ card
addition
Mid-Value donor (new –
gift at criteria level)
Mid-Value Manager CEO phone call thanks ($5k+)
Handwritten note on TQ / TQ card
addition
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Step two: Understand your donor
How they behave, and what they say

28. Recency, Frequency and Value (RFV/M)
 Remember: Maximise lifetime value
 Spend more time / resources on people with higher RFV
scores
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29. Two way communication
 Biggest source of interaction: making a gift
 >90% of donor interactions are ‘transactional’
 Ask for more information on forms
 Have annual survey
 To communicate better with individual donors
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30. Annual survey
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31. Other Opportunities
 Call top donors for a chat – work your way down the list
 Invite top donors in for a chat
 Mini survey on response forms
 Phone survey (e.g. follow up an ask)
 Feedback form (e.g. in donor care mailing)
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Step three: Make it so
Best laid plans...

33. Step by step
 Easiest thing is to look at how you write or speak, not
how often or what media
 Donor-centric communications with a beneficiary focus
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X Hospital
turned...
© 2016 Tom Ahern

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Thanks to you
and other generous donors like you,
we turned...
© 2016 Tom Ahern

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Thanks to your loving support
and extraordinary kindness,
we turned...
© 2016 Tom Ahern

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Thanks to your big beautiful
heart and your admirable
compassion,
we turned...
© 2016 Tom Ahern

38. A Great Thank You Letter
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39. A Great Thank You Letter
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41. Awesome, personalised feedback
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•“I received your mail out letter the
other day and was pleased to find that
it was about feedback on how those
appeals went. Lots of time we are
asked to donate money for this and
that, but rarely do we get feedback on
how things went. I am like many others
who have to be careful how we spend
our money but I was pleased to see
how a combined effort can achieve a
substantial dollar value.”
•Feedback from CCIA Donor care mailingData for personalisation
•What are you capturing
•What aren’t you capturing
•How are you capturing
•Who is capturing
•When is it being captured

42. Awesome, personalised
feedback
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43. Beyond the mail
 Thank you call(s)
 Fundraiser
 CEO
 Who else!?
 Thank you email / SMS
 Thank you video
 Like this…
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44. Beyond the mail
 Visit and thank
 Invite to events
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45. Beyond the mail
 Invite to field
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46. Beyond the mail
 Webinars / online or phone ‘town halls’
 F2F Meeting with project officer
 Briefing on next campaign
 Luncheon
 Benefactor call
 Board member call
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47. Beyond Direct Mail
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48. Beyond Direct Mail
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49. Thank you
 Fiona McPhee
 fiona.mcphee@paretofundraising.com
 Twitter: fimcphee
 Phone: +6421 336 905
 Web: www.paretofundraising.com
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