The simple definition of innovating: make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas and products. In the stewardship portfolio you are responsible for nourishing the donor’s experience of your institution’s promises through a variety of activities, events, publications and correspondence. At the moment we have too many communications channels to choose from and the rise of individualism which challenges our ability and resources to speak to all our donors personally and authentically. Add a pandemic into the mix and we are working hard to reinvent our practises. In this chaos, opportunities for stewardship innovation abound. Focusing on written communications (and yes, videos and visuals) we will explore both the technical and creative strategies to help you sustain deep, meaningful, emotional and personal relationships with your donors.

Learning Objectives

• Build an ecosystem across your institution that will provide you with the rich content you share with your donors
• Work with communications to make your correspondence, reports and stories more personal, intriguing and engaging
• Develop and communicate about your strategic stewardship communications plan and share ideas for shaking up stewardship communications

On February 13, 2019, John and Marcy McCall MacBain announced that they were donating $200M to McGill University to create the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill, the single largest gift ever received by a Canadian organization. But visionary gifts like this one are not made overnight.

In this session, we will speak to the factors that led the McCall MacBains to make this transformational gift and explore the role of stewardship in leading donors to their full gift-giving potential.

Learning Objectives

• Factors that contribute to making donor dreams a reality (and our University’s dreams too!) – hint: capacity of institution and collaboration are key
• How Volunteerism plays an important role in creating purpose for donors
• How Stewardship plays an important role in closing multimillion dollar gifts

This session will serve to highlight the importance of stewardship in increasing the size and frequency of major gifts, including the key pitfalls to avoid and important cultural sensitivities that must be observed. Case studies will be presented and discussed.

Learning Objectives

• An insight into trends that are shaping a new fundraising world
• The importance of long-term planning and the critically important role of stewardship in the giving cycle
• How accurate and constant research is playing an increasingly larger role in securing gifts that make a difference