Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is enjoying family and good food. This Thanksgiving, are you looking to up your stewardship game? We learn from today's guest that sometimes it really is a simple as picking up the phone.

I am reporting to you from Ithaca, New York today. I am spending the holiday with my family upstate. I want to feature some great work being done in this region. Mary Jane Bray who is the Major Gift Officer for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier is with us, to share some stewardship strategies she has found effective. MJ’s food bank acquired 7800 new donors in 2020. 22% of their new donors gave again. 35% of that group has given more than one gift. 

MJ tells us how she thanked those individuals and built relationships with them over the phone. I also asked her how persistent she was with her  calls and how she works to have donors at all levels feel appreciated. MJ has some great answers! 

Thank you for joining us today. I am grateful for our debrief community. If you have effective stewardship strategies, share them with us! You can connect on LinkedIn or instagram @devdebrief. 

Enjoy the holiday and if you are liking these episodes please rate and review the show!