Stewardship is Simple — Say “Thank you.”

And the best way to say it is the most personal way you can manage.

I’m just home from the bi-annual conference for Law School Deans & Development Officers in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  For starters, it’s a privilege to learn in such an atmosphere.  Thank you, American Bar Association.

Karen Osborne (The Osborne Group) led a session on stewardship that was revelatory in its simplicity, hard to say by a guy who is jaded by 26 years as a fundraiser.  Among a multitude of great ideas was this simple suggestion:  call EVERY donor on the telephone and say “Thank you.”

The dean doesn’t have to make every call; the development director doesn’t have to make every call.  But someone should make each call.  I’m already hard at work on the logistics, determining who on my staff should call what donors at what giving level.  It will be easy to do, simply because it’s a fundamentally great idea.

I’ll take the lesson a step further and determine who of our donors we will contact personally and who we will have to content ourselves to call.  Regardless, I’m looking forward to the surprised responses we will get when we respond “No, I’m not asking for anything; I’m calling to thank you.”

Thank you, Karen, for bringing us all down to earth with such a simple reminder.