Return to schedule

Session 5B

Stewardship from Scratch

Margaret Smitt

Friday, September 24
9:30 – 10:30 AM (PT) | 12:30 – 1:30 PM (ET)

About the Session


Trying something new can be scary enough, but trying something new when it comes to creating a donor relations program from scratch without knowing any of your donors can be daunting. However, through collaboration with the donor relations and zoo industries, the opportunity to involve our entire organization and a lot of hard work, a donor relations program was born. Come learn about laying the foundation for donor relations and stewardship work at your organization and getting to know your supporters -- all while social distancing.

Learning Objectives

Attendees will learn how to...

  • Start a donor recognition program from scratch and pivot sharing impact to digital/virtual.
  • Build the brand of a donor recognition program.
  • Engrain stewardship into the culture of fundraising and philanthropy at an organization.

Keywords: Annual Fund, Donor Experience, Donor Loyalty, Events, Foundational Elements of Donor Relations, Giving Societies, Individualized Stewardship Plans, Major Donors, Moving Donors Through the Pipeline, Relationship-Building

Track: Foundational

Who Should Attend?
   



 
  Suitable for environmental organizations Suitable for any size shop Suitable for all levels  
 
About the Speaker

Margaret SmittMargaret Smitt
Donor Relations and Stewardship Coordinator
John Ball Zoo

Maggie Smitt is the Donor Relations and Stewardship Coordinator at John Ball Zoo located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Originally striving to be the real-life Leslie Knope, she switched gears from public administration to development. Many different steps led her to John Ball Zoo where she found herself holding a newly created position in donor relations and stewardship where she was charged with creating framework for a program that had never been done at the Zoo and also tasked to help staff, the community and their donors understand the importance of building a culture of philanthropy where one had not yet existed. Although she's not the Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation for Pawnee, Indiana, she's still passionate about organizing, color-coding, and making the people around her feel special. When not at work, Maggie likes to hang out with her husband, Ryan, and trying new breweries in West Michigan all while balancing it out with cycling and gardening.