Steward Direct-Mail Donors to Major Giving

“The thank-you is just, ‘this is what we promise to do with your money.’ Stewardship is, ‘this is in fact what we did with your money.’ It’s the delivery on the promise,” Osborne says.

For new donors, it can take the form of a phone call welcoming them to your organization’s family. For large organizations with tons of donors, segment the donors you steward in this way by gift level, so it’s manageable. Smaller organizations might be able to call every donor.