Your program is established. You have discovered many friends who are providing financial support to help you accomplish your shared goals for the community. But you're not finished. You must be an effective steward of the gifts donors have made. This may be the most neglected area of major gift fundraising.

Through gift stewardship, you deepen the relationship between donors and your station. In your annual major giving program, good stewardship makes renewal a straightforward process.

Good stewardship also allows you to uncover donors who have a special affinity for specific elements of your mission. Some may be willing to fund entire initiatives, purchase a needed piece of equipment, or provide seed money for a new activity. Many will provide leadership for your capital campaigns and give willingly.

This section provides guidance on effective stewardship. You'll also find tools to help you evaluate, improve and expand your major giving program.

An additional source of information can be found in the Major Giving Tutorials. These eleven tutorials will guide you through the process of designing, launching and expanding your major giving program. Start with the tutorials.

As you work through this information, let us know if you have ideas or recommendations that might help other stations. and we'll share your information on this site.

Stewardship

In major giving, the initial gift is important but even more important are steadily increasing gifts over a long period of giving. This page provides the information and tools needed to develop effective stewardship.

Renewal and Upgrading

The ongoing process of renewal depends on effective stewardship to deepen the relationship with the donor. Learn more about the renewal and upgrading process.

Production, Outreach, and Capital Campaigns

To obtain gifts of significance, stations must invite donors to invest in specific projects that fulfill the broader philanthropic goals of their donors. Learn how to identify investment opportunities that align with donor interests.

Donor Identification Techniques

An important part of major gift fundraising is the identification of those who are capable of making larger gifts to the station and who are either prepared to do so or can be made ready through increased cultivation. Here are proven techniques for turning prospects into donors.

Evaluation and Improvement

Nurturing donors is a critical mission, but station management must also take good care of their own development staff. Find the tools needed to evaluate your major giving program, recognize internal efforts, and determine when and how to expand your program.