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Nonprofit Answers Podcast helps you raise more money to help more people by answering your nonprofit leadership, marketing, and fundraising questions. Learn how to reach more donors with answers to your philanthropy and advancement questions. For Development Directors, Chief Development Officers, CEOs, Nonprofit Leaders, Fundraisers, Marketing Managers, Major Donor Reps, and Nonprofit Board Members. Learn about monthly, annual fund, major, midlevel, grants, planned giving, direct mail, email fundraising, leadership, and more.
Episodes

Monday Jun 16, 2025
062 - How Do I Create a Donor Stewardship Calendar?
Monday Jun 16, 2025
Monday Jun 16, 2025
The Donor Stewardship Calendar: Stop Losing Donors Between Campaigns
Tired of getting generic responses from ChatGPT for your nonprofit content? NonprofitPrompt provides expert AI prompts built specifically for fundraising, donor stewardship, and grant writing. Finally, AI that understands your mission. Get a free account at nonprofitprompt.com
It's March and you suddenly realize you haven't contacted donors since December. Sound familiar?
You're great at running campaigns - your year-end appeal crushed it, your spring event was a success - but then... radio silence. Donors hear from you only when you need money, and you wonder why retention rates keep dropping and supporters seem less engaged each year.
What You'll Discover in This Episode
The counterintuitive truth: The nonprofits with the highest donor retention don't ask for money less often - they ask MORE often while providing tremendous value between asks.
The game-changing strategy: How to create a systematic donor stewardship calendar that combines regular fundraising with impact reporting, turning every communication into both relationship-building AND revenue generation.
What's Inside the Framework
- Monthly communication strategy that donors actually appreciate (hint: it's not about asking less)
- The dual-purpose content formula that shows impact while creating giving opportunities
- Segmentation secrets for different donor engagement levels
- 12-month calendar template with specific examples for each month
- The integration method that makes fundraising feel like partnership, not pestering
Real Results You'll Hear About
A social services nonprofit afraid they were "too pushy" completely transformed their approach:
- 40% increase in revenue (more opportunities = more gifts)
- 30% improvement in retention (regular connection = stronger loyalty)
- Donors writing thank-you notes for keeping them informed about impact
One donor said: "I love that you keep me updated on both the needs and the progress. It makes me feel like a real partner in your work, not just someone you ask for money."
Perfect For Veterans Services (and Every Other Nonprofit)
Michael from a veterans nonprofit gets specific strategies for showing measurable outcomes - veterans finding jobs, securing housing, successful transitions - while maintaining consistent giving opportunities.
The Bottom Line
Donors don't get tired of hearing from organizations they care about. They get tired of hearing from organizations that only contact them for money or provide no value.
Ready to transform scattered, guilty communications into a strategic system that builds relationships AND raises more money? This episode gives you the exact month-by-month blueprint that turns donor stewardship from an afterthought into your secret retention weapon.
Stop losing donors between campaigns. Start building the kind of ongoing relationships that create lifelong supporters.
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