Stewardship
What We Offer
Many development offices are in need of a consistent and robust plan for stewardship. That’s where we come in. We specialize in helping you establish strong and cohesive branding for your donor stewardship materials, including e-newsletters, impact reports, email campaigns, giving society collateral, and more. Our team works closely with yours to develop a unique and compelling branding strategy that reflects your mission and values, resonates with your audience, and reinforces the impact of your cause.
63%
of donors who contribute a second gift will continue to donate*
*Source: Association of Fundraising Professionals
Having a stellar stewardship strategy is essential to maximizing donor engagement. Consistent communication throughout the year—not just direct asks to increase gifts—ensures your donors feel valued, appreciated, and connected to your mission. With proven results in creating tailored donor engagement strategies, we’ll help you build meaningful connections, increase donor loyalty, and ultimately drive continued support for your fundraising initiatives. Let’s partner to craft a stewardship plan that resonates with your donors and keeps them actively engaged year-round.
42%
Monthly recurring donors give 42% more than one-time donors*
*Source: Network for Good
Every successful stewardship strategy involves finding a healthy balance between traditional direct mail and digital engagement tactics. Direct mail gives your donors a tangible, personal touchpoint that connects them with your cause. From heartfelt thank-you notes and celebratory holiday cards to donor welcome packages, print newsletters, impact reports, and more, our direct mail services reinforce donor appreciation, highlight the impact of gifts, and inspire continued support.
We specialize in advanced list management, donor-centric storytelling, compelling design, intelligent testing and data analytics, and HIPAA-compliant printing and mailing services. Combining all these efforts, we craft direct mail campaigns that engage donors and establish lasting relationships. Express your gratitude, share impact stories, showcase your incredible donors, provide updates on initiatives donors have supported, and so much more with direct mail.
57%
of recurring donations
start on New Year’s Eve*
*Source: Classy’s “The State of
Modern Philanthropy” 2022 Annual Report
“I’m so busy I can hardly keep up with individual calls or touchpoints with my donors.” Sound familiar? Many frontline fundraisers struggle with this, but digital marketing bridges that gap. Using digital components in your stewardship strategy allows you to be more inclusive in thanking your donors, recognizing their support, and telling stories you know will resonate with them. With tools like email automation or ringless voicemail, for example, we find creative ways to use tech to create personalized messages that deepen donor engagement and carry that connection onward.
We can provide your team:
19%
of donors give again after their first gift*
*Source: Association of Fundraising Professionals
Advanced List Analysis and Management
Incorporate data segmentation to target the right audiences and identify the messages that resonate most with them. This involves data integration, cleansing through NCOA, CASS certification, deduping and suppressions, and applying vital post-campaign analytics elements such as appeal codes and tracking information.
Compelling Creative Design
We customize your design for your organization (never templated) and your constituents. We employ industry best practices to catch your donor’s eye and connect them with your story and mission effectively.
Donor-Centric Storytelling
We use variable data messaging tailored to resonate with specific constituent groups. We provide patient, donor, and partner interviews, content writing and editing, and more.
HIPAA-Compliant Production Services
Ensure accurate and timely direct mail distribution.
Intelligent Testing and Reporting
Identify donor motivations, learn the most effective tactics for your audience, and improve our direct mail efforts over time.
Content Creation and Design
We create copy and design assets for stewardship email series, social media, digital ads, and more. These can even align with your direct mail to enhance overall engagement.
Digital Automation
This allows us to automate workflows, freeing up your team to focus on other fundraising efforts. Whether it’s implementing a donor welcome series, pledge reminder communications, or personalized stewardship messages, we streamline your processes to drive success for your stewardship campaign.
Digital Marketing Platforms and Email Services
We work within Luminate, Engaging Networks, Campaign Monitor, MailChimp, Emma, HubSpot, ConstantContact, and more. We ensure you have access to the most sophisticated tools and features available.
List Hygiene and Management
Get reliable email deliverability. We maintain clean donor lists free of inactive emails and spam traps and provide consulting, file hygiene, deliverability reporting, optimization, and segmentation services that maximize the effectiveness of your email communications.
Optimization
We continually evaluate and refine digital strategies that improve key metrics such as open, click-through, and conversion rates. This includes email segmentation, list maintenance, content testing, personalized variable data, and more.
Experience Stronger Retention Rates Like These
Explore these examples to learn how Graphcom helped our clients better steward their donors.
An Involved & Inspirational Monthly E-Newsletter
Showcasing Impact in Emails With AES Stories
Warm & Engaging Donor Welcoming Packages
Celebrating Donors With an Impact Report
Build Donor Relationships that Last
Discover the best practices and essential strategies for effective donor stewardship.
Customize Your Donor Recognition Walls and Plaques
Increase Your Donor Retention Rates
Let’s create a comprehensive stewardship plan that ties dollars to impact and further engages your supporters.
