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Don’t forget your checklists

Ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there? It helps to write things down, sometimes even the simple things.

Fundraising coach and consultant Pamela Grow suggests creating a checklist for stewardship of your charity’s donors. “Cultivating an attitude of gratitude works like a domino effect in growing your organization’s donor database,” she wrote in the recently published, “The Essential Fundraising Handbook for Small Nonprofits.”

With that in mind, she offered up this checklist for stewardship:

  • Is your thank-you letter mailed within 48 hours of receiving a gift? If not, what procedures can you create to make that happen?
  • Are you calling donors on a regular basis?
  • Are you showering your donors with joy?
  • Did you reference the gift amount in the body of your letter?
  • Did you use the word “you” more often not?
  • If it’s a new donor, did you welcome them to your organization’s family?
  • Is your letter personalized?
  • Did you let the donor know when they should expect to hear from you?
  • Did you say thank you more than once?
  • Is your thank-you letter hand-signed?
  • Did you include contact information for key staff?
  • Did you include a P.S.?
  • Are you making it a practice to regularly map out a donor’s experience when they make a gift to your charity?