Stewardship of your bereaved supporters is a crucial part of building long term donor relationships. Here are our top tips to put a stewardship plan in place.
1. Starting out: supporting new tribute fund holders
A key point with stewarding new fund holders is speed. You need to get in touch with them fairly quickly after a new fund is set up, to introduce yourself and begin to build the relationship.
Some initial welcome communications could include:
- Telephone the new fund holder - this can tell you so much about the supporter. See our section on communicating with bereaved supporters.
- A welcome email or letter, including some information on how they can personalise their page and celebrate the life of their loved one
- ‘How to’ guides - help your supporters make the most of their tribute and tell their story
- Bereavement support information - signposting to any available services
- How their support helps - information on how you use your funds and the difference their support makes
- If a new tribute is created at the time of the funeral, contact the supporter and send a thought from your charity. You can also encourage people who cannot attend the funeral to share thoughts and pictures on the tribute page as well as donations.
Top tip:
Make sure you have your 'alerts' set up in your Partner Area so you're automatically notified of any new tributes. You can also choose to be notified of specific activities, e.g. if a tribute hits a certain fundraising amount. For more info click here to visit our section on setting up alerts.
2. Developing the supporter journey: ongoing communications
- Have a strong communication plan; create your ‘supporter journey’
- Send a supporter email newsletter
- After the first thank you send a follow-on pack with fundraising ideas and a ‘shopping list’
- Each time you contact them mention different things they can do on the page, so you don't bombard them with information
- When a tribute fund reaches a certain level of donations, recognise the supporter on a wall of remembrance or with a supporter reward scheme
- On birthdays and anniversaries, you can light a candle on a tribute page (this can be scheduled in advance - see our guide on adding candles and gifts to a tribute)
- On the first anniversary of a funeral, send a personalised card along the lines of ‘This time last year you thought of us and now we are thinking of you.’ An anniversary is a trigger for people to contribute and engage with their tribute fund
- On celebration days like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, you can create a charity specific virtual gift which either you or your supporters can add to their tribute page. Find out more about having a bespoke virtual gift for your charity - included free for our partners
- At Christmas, light a Christmas candle on tributes or add a festive virtual gift to let supporters know you're thinking of them
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, use tributes as a place to reflect and remember; this can provide great comfort to those who are bereaved and unable to attend the celebrations of life they would have liked to.
Top tip:
Create an umbrella scheme; where any actions that fundraisers and donors take can support their fund. For example, buying Christmas cards, making a regular donation, even buying raffle tickets can all be credited to their fund. This is a great way to encourage long-term supporter loyalty.
3. How to reach out to bereaved supporters
- Be personal - use the name of the deceased if possible, rather than ‘loved one’
- As soon as the tribute fund is created, offer a message of condolence if appropriate (you can set up a default message)
- Introduce yourself, provide your contact and availability details
- Listen! Understand what tribute fund holders want to get from their tributes and tailor the information you send
- Be aware that recently bereaved supporters can find it hard to retain too much information at once, so make your communication simple, short and clear
- For more advice on how to support and communicate with bereaved supporters, visit our section on Bereavement Support.
4. Review and embed your scheme: the best ways to ensure success
- Test it yourself! Understand what your tribute fund holders will see; set up a personal tribute fund yourself
- Check your website. Look at where tribute funds appear on your website and make sure all the information supporters need is quickly and easily accessible
- Ask someone to be a ‘mystery shopper’. Make sure everything works, and ensure everyone in the charity is giving out the same message
- Test your communications.
- Identify your resources. What time, budget and support do you have available? And don't forget to look at what there is already in place
- Sense check. Is your stewardship plan realistic and can you deliver it?
- Test and learn. Revisit your strategy and adapt it as appropriate, apply any learnings and communicate them to colleagues.
- Embed your tribute fund strategy. Ensure your colleagues and supporters are advocates of the scheme, and know who to signpost to.
- Consider the long-term resilience of your plan. Do colleagues understand your charity’s tribute fund scheme? What would happen if you left the charity? Have back-up information in place to ensure continued supporter care.
