Rethinking Donor Stewardship: Why Events Deserve Bigger Consideration in Your Planning

Done well, they transform one-time givers into lifelong champions who see themselves as part of your impact and want to stay involved. Plus, in case you’re searching for fundraising ideas for nonprofits, events are one of the most versatile places to start.

If you’re thinking about how to retain donors, grow your community, and increase revenue this year, it’s time to give events a bigger role in your strategy. Let’s start by defining donor stewardship and exploring why events matter so much in this work.

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What Is Donor Stewardship?

The donor stewardship process is the intentional effort to nurture relationships with donors, showing appreciation and encouraging giving beyond the initial transaction. A strong donor stewardship strategy ensures that these efforts aren’t left to chance and provides a roadmap for how and when to communicate, recognize, and engage with supporters throughout the year, including key moments such as fundraising campaigns and events. This makes donor stewardship important—it’s what turns one-time gifts into lasting support, builds stronger relationships, and keeps people excited to give again and again. Over time, that loyalty adds up to greater impact and a higher lifetime value for every donor.

To build donor relationships, consider strategic, personalized messaging across various relevant platforms. Charitable giving is a fundamental aspect of donor relationships and stewardship, and by maintaining this continuous communication, donors can stay informed about the organization’s growth and the positive impact their donations are making.

Not only is it beneficial for your organization to have loyal donors, but recent trends show that it is also cost-effective to do so. When comparing the cost of securing a new donor to retaining one from a previous initiative, one study shows that it can cost up to 7.5 times more. This is an opportunity to focus on donor retention and build a sustainable, profitable donor program. The donor retention rate, which measures the percentage of donors who continue to give year after year, is a key metric for nonprofits because a higher retention rate leads to more stable revenue and long-term growth. From the same study, “A small improvement of just 10% in donor retention rates can exponentially increase revenue for nonprofits who keep donors engaged with the organization.” Take this as an opportunity to invest in donor cultivation and strengthen your connection with supporters.

Ultimately, effective stewardship is about building stronger donor relationships, ensuring that supporters feel connected to your mission for the long term.

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So, How Do Events Fit Into Your Donor Stewardship Program?

Event-based fundraising is key to donor stewardship and retention. By integrating events into a comprehensive strategy, you can complement them with other outreach efforts, such as annual appeals, social media, direct mail, and peer-to-peer fundraising. 

What’s unique about events is their ability to offer personal, in-person touchpoints that make donors feel seen and valued. They can spark first-time gifts from new donors, re-engage existing donors who may have gone quiet, build rapport with major donors, and inspire long-term loyalty across your community. This includes not only fundraising events like walkathons or galas but also donor appreciation events that focus purely on gratitude and connection rather than immediate giving.

With Pledge It, you can simplify the process by encouraging registrations, building pre-event momentum, and managing logistics on the day of the event. Plus, events that excite your community can lead to more word-of-mouth referrals, social media buzz, and even new sponsorship opportunities. Let’s take a closer look at how events can elevate your donor relationships.

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5 Ways Events Deepen Donor Relationships

Any good donor stewardship plan begins with a meaningful, human connection, and building strong donor relationships is a process that unfolds over time. While emails, social posts, and mailings keep supporters informed, nothing beats the power of meeting in person. Events provide nonprofits with a unique opportunity to engage supporters and prospective donors face-to-face, nurture those connections at every stage of the relationship-building process, and reinforce the trust that underpins long-term giving.

When you invite donors to an event, you’re not just filling a room—you’re creating a shared experience that brings your mission to life. It’s your chance to thank them, show them the tangible impact of their support, and invite them further into your story. 

Here are five ways events can elevate your donor engagement and help transform one-time givers into lifelong champions for your cause.

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1. Donors Get to See Their Impact Up Close  

Events give your cause a face and a heartbeat. Amid all the fundraising emails, mailers, and social posts your organization sends, an event is your chance to meet supporters face-to-face and steward donors in a more personal way. This allows you to really hone in on your mission and the “why” behind the organization. Take this as an opportunity to show how donations make a real impact and change lives.

Here are just a few ways you can communicate with donors at your event: 

• Share powerful success stories from recipients of your organization
• Highlight specific stories that demonstrate the impact of a donor's gift
• Walk your donors through a program tour
• Make introductions to board members and staff
• Take donors behind the scenes of what you’re currently working on
• Invite them to volunteer at an upcoming community event
• Ask for feedback on current initiatives so they feel a part of the journey

Each of these approaches helps donors to feel more connected to every aspect of your mission. When they can share feedback and see their role in your work, their investment becomes personal. By hosting a memorable event, you’re building a stronger, more engaged community that truly believes in your cause. These efforts also ensure donors feel appreciated for their support.

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2. Shared Experiences Can Last a Lifetime 

Events have a special power: they bring people together with a shared mission. Beyond raising funds, they provide an opportunity to steward donors by understanding their motivations, showing appreciation, and inviting supporters to feel personally connected to your work. This, in turn, builds loyalty and fuels continued support. 

Here are a few ideas that we’d recommend: 

• Golf tournaments or galas. These events typically attract affluent crowds, boosting fundraising potential while opening the door to new sponsors and community partners. 
• Annual walkathons or 5K races. Outdoor events can welcome large groups, tapping into shared interests like fitness while strengthening community ties. 
• Casual happy hours or luncheons. Invite your most dedicated donors for a relaxed, personal gathering. This smaller setting encourages meaningful conversation and feedback. It’s also a great opportunity to share behind-the-scenes updates on your goals and other fundraising initiatives.

Events are also a great chance to acknowledge monthly donors and recognize supporters at different giving levels. By tailoring how you celebrate each group, you show donors that their contribution matters on a personal level, not just as another name in a mass email.

Consider what type of event best aligns with your mission and target audience. When you’re ready to start planning, Pledge It’s dashboard insights provide a clear view of your fundraising KPIs—registrations, donations, sponsorships, and more, so you can track progress in real-time and make smarter decisions at every stage.

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3. Recognizing Supporters Helps With Stewardship Efforts  

Now that you’re in the planning stages of the event, think about how it fits into your donor cultivation cycle. Events aren’t just about the day-of experience. They’re also touchpoints in an ongoing journey of engaging, thanking, and re-engaging supporters. Your goal is to make donors feel valued before, during, and after the event, so they stay connected long after a single gift.

Their contributions fuel your mission, so take time to highlight their support and show the real impact they’re making. A little gratitude goes a long way in forging a stronger donor bond and reinforcing their connection to your cause.

There are many ways to recognize donors. Here are just a few ideas to get you started: 

• Shout-outs from the stage
• Displaying their name on the donor wall or in the program
• Personalized thank-you notes that name the gift and its impact, and follow up with meaningful recognition to nurture long-term support
• Branded gifts, giveaways, or plaques
• Video messages from board members
• Spotlight recognition on social media and website
• VIP access at the event

When donors know their contributions are recognized, they’re more inclined to stay engaged and advocate for your cause. Thoughtful tokens of appreciation—like branded items—also turn them into everyday ambassadors, spreading awareness at work, at home, or online in subtle, authentic ways that help keep your nonprofit top of mind. 

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4. Opens the Door to Conversation and Feedback

Events aren’t just for sharing your mission; they’re also invaluable opportunities to listen. Hosting something relaxed and personal, such as a Lunch and Learn, creates a welcoming space for genuine conversations with your donors. Without the formality or pressure of a major gala, you can foster authentic dialogue that helps deepen relationships.

Use this time to ask thoughtful questions about what drew them to your cause, learn what resonates most with them, and invite their input on upcoming initiatives or projects. Be sure to ask donors about their communication preferences so you can tailor future stewardship efforts and ensure your outreach aligns with how they want to engage. Giving donors a behind-the-scenes look at what you’re planning not only builds trust but also signals that their opinions matter.

When supporters feel like collaborators rather than just contributors, they’re far more likely to invest long-term, refer friends and colleagues, or open the door to sponsorships and partnerships. Ongoing conversations are especially important for engaging repeat donors, as recognizing and involving them can improve relationships and encourage continued support. This kind of genuine exchange can transform casual donors into true champions of your mission.

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5. Builds Momentum for Future Gifts

Think of each event as a spark for the next initiative. Take the time to review what went well at the event and what can be improved upon. Additionally, while the event is still fresh in people’s minds, send a thoughtful follow-up that invites greater engagement. Now that your donors have seen the impact that your organization is making, they are more likely to give. 

Some examples to include in the follow-up would be: 

• Attending an upcoming event
• Setting up a recurring gift 
• Signing up to lead a peer-to-peer campaign

By keeping the conversation going with supporters, you can move the relationship forward and lay the groundwork for future events. These follow-up strategies help increase donor retention and retain donors over time, ensuring ongoing support for your organization.

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Planning With Donor Stewardship Strategy in Mind

Planning events requires strategic and thoughtful stewardship efforts. Rather than leaving it to chance, establish a plan to ensure meaningful conversations happen and help supporters move up your donor pyramid—from first-time givers to major donors. Donor segmentation is key here: understanding which attendees are new, recurring, or mid-level donors helps you tailor the right follow-up. Events are one of the best opportunities to identify who’s ready for you to begin nurturing those connections.

When engaging event attendees, use consistent messaging across all platforms that clearly communicates your mission and how they can get involved. You can also have members of your team follow up with specific segments to keep outreach personal, meaningful, and coordinated, avoiding duplicate messages or generic communication. To keep it simple, this is how you can frame your communication:  

• A pre-event countdown email, recognition during the event, and a thoughtful follow-up after the event that helps donors feel connected every step of the way. 
• Make your mission visible with a program highlight, a short video, storytelling, or a speech that shares with supporters the impact they are a part of and who they are helping. 
• Include opportunities for supporters to become recurring donors during and after the event. Talking about monthly giving as a simple way to keep the good going after the event can turn that one-time excitement into repeat donor support.

• Add personal touches to your event. Small gestures, like a name tag, a handwritten personal note, or even a custom experience based on their engagement history, go a long way in fostering a tight-knit community within your organization. 
• Use an event and fundraising platform that consolidates all the tools you need together. With everything from ticketing to peer-to-peer fundraising in one place, Pledge It helps your team stay organized and makes it easy to create personalized experiences for your supporters.

Striking the right balance in how often you communicate with event attendees is key to effective engagement. It’s essential to acknowledge that many events experience a significant fundraising surge right before and during the event itself, as illustrated by this golf marathon hosted through Pledge It. You can also plan to increase messaging during key giving periods like the holidays or Giving Tuesday, when over 30% of annual donations typically occur in just the last few weeks of the year.

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Donor Relations Grow Stronger After the Follow-Up

Now that you’ve successfully planned and executed a fundraising event, you can turn post-event hype into a successful follow-up. Donors will want to hear from your organization on the goals that were reached and the impact that was made. This is also the perfect moment to layer in donor stewardship activities: simple, intentional actions that show gratitude and invite ongoing involvement. It’s also a great moment to re-engage lapsed donors, who may feel inspired to reconnect after attending or hearing about the event.

Here are just a few of the many ways you can turn events into engagement: 

• Have your personalized thank-you messages ready to send within 48 hours, while the event is fresh in their mind. You can go a step further by segmenting follow-ups based on engagement level and commitment. If feasible for your organization, consider using handwritten notes or making calls.
• Give special recognition to those who went the extra mile and made a donation—highlight the donor's gift in follow-ups or with a personal note to show how much it means to your mission.
• Share photos, recap videos, and statistics of the event’s impact on your social media and through email blasts. You can also encourage people to share these achievements on their own pages. 
• Use this post-event buzz to invite guests to additional initiatives like volunteering, monthly giving, referrals, and committee seats.
• Highlight volunteer opportunities for individuals seeking to become more involved, as this can grow their connection to your mission and lead to longer term engagement beyond financial support.
• Create a brief survey for guests to complete, which allows them to provide feedback and rate the event. 
• Analyze attendee data to tailor your communications for future events.  

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Donor Stewardship Helps Events Build Stronger Communities

Events aren’t just about raising financial support; they’re about deepening relationships. Whether it’s a gala, race, or casual luncheon, gathering your supporters in person or virtually creates space to connect them to your mission in meaningful ways.

When donors feel included and see the impact of their support, they’re more likely to stick around for the long haul. That’s why events should do more than generate revenue—they should spark loyalty, gratitude, and a sense of belonging as part of your larger donor stewardship process.

As you plan your next event, think about how you’ll keep that connection going after the last guest leaves, through follow-up, consistent messaging, and ongoing opportunities to stay engaged. Those touchpoints turn one-time attendees into lifelong champions and amplify the sense of donor community around your cause.