Today, the Columbus Foundation’s very own Steven Moore visited the House, giving a lunchtime conversation on donor stewardship. He presented several philosophies that made me excited to continue my work at the House. Though I’m being exposed to new tasks and challenges every day, there are still times during the work week when things feel dead-ended or monotonous. Meeting people outside of RMHC administration, such as donors, volunteers, or guests like Mr. Moore, is usually a welcome change of pace and perspective.
During his talk, Moore introduced what he called the “trifecta of fundraising”. Within the cultivation of any donor, he identified three points of giving: (1) a present gift, the kind most development officers are concerned with, (2) a deferred gift, otherwise known as a planned gift, one that is left with a donor’s estate, and (3) a referred gift, one that occurs when a donor believes so much in an organization, that they convince their peers to make gifts too.
Most importantly, he made clear several times that development need not be solely transactional work. To him, it’s not so much about convincing people that to make a series of gifts as much as its slowly about changing the way a donor thinks about themselves and their relationship to giving. I’d like to think, if a donor is giving to the right kind of organization, he means supporting social profit.
Moore talked of times at the Columbus Foundation when he gave books as a gracious thank-you to donors. I was absolutely enthralled with this idea. When executed responsively and respectfully, stewardship ideas like this have the potential to not only create a pipeline of continued giving (transactional), but also change the way a donor thinks about themselves, hopefully to the benefit of the cause of organization. I have just over five weeks left at RMHC. With the time I have left, I hope to connect those that I bring into the house with staff who can continue to build the constituent’s trust long after. Perhaps, given the House’s permission, I’ll even gfit a book 🙂
Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs 