Gary Laermer

In many fundraising teams, donor stewardship follows a predictable script: a $250 donor gets a thank-you note and an annual report, a $500 donor also receives a quarterly newsletter and so on. While this approach acknowledges generosity, it also keeps donors in a holding pattern—focused on their last contribution rather than future possibilities.

What if stewardship wasn’t just about recognition and acknowledgement? By aligning stewardship with moves management, we can create a dynamic, forward-facing strategy that deepens engagement and drives transformational giving.

Some call it storytelling; others call it an elevator pitch. Either is fine, and elevator pitches are good as long as you know that most people want to get off on the 2nd floor.

Developing a concise, compelling, and succinct message that clearly states the societal problem you’re working to address, how you will solve it, and what differentiates your work is a key factor in fundraising campaign success. Your case must be made clearly, quickly, be externally focused, and demonstrate urgency.

When setting fundraising goals—whether for annual contributed revenue or a multi-year campaign—many organizations default to looking at past performance. But here’s the thing: basing your goals only on what’s been done before can be limiting.