Lessons in Stewardship

Welcome to fall; I love fall!  It truly is my favorite time of the year.  I know that many people enjoy this season.  I also like it because it is the time I get to read all kinds of appeal letters, smile.  I like seeing how organizations are translating themselves and how donors respond.  It all beckons back to stewardship, generosity and sharing our love of people.  With that, we decided this month we would have Sarah Downing share a message with you.  Sarah is our lead person over capturing impact for our clients.   Many of you know her and have worked with her.

Sarah captured some insights about stewardship that she gained from a Biblical parable.  I thought these insights would be helpful to share with everyone, so we are sharing them in our Bits and Bytes.  Stewardship is a practice that shows our love for people.  We see it as a privilege to come alongside all of our clients with their variety of missions and backgrounds to love people.  I hope that Sarah’s article encourages you with your stewardship impact.

Warmly and God Bless,

Jamie

Stewardship:

There are many parables and stories that have been written to give us wisdom.  Recently I was reflecting on a parable from the Bible and realized it has great application points for stewardship. 

As the story goes, a wealthy man is going away on a trip.  During his absence, he entrusts three of his servants to manage his money while he is away. The talents are given according to the ability of the servants. The first servant receives five talents, the second two talents, and to the last, one talent. The first two servants take their master’s money and invest it, doubling their allotments. But the third servant acting out of fear buried his master’s money in the ground.

When the Master returned from his trip, he met with each servant to settle his accounts. The Master was pleased with the first two servants for their faithfulness and rewarded them for their work. But with the last servant, he was angry.  He took the investment he had given him and gave it to the servant whom he had given five talents to manage for him. The story ends with the quote, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance.” (Matthew 25:29, NLT)

I’ve heard this Bible story used to illustrate stewardship in several areas of life. I’d like to use it today to get us thinking about stewardship within your nonprofit organization.  What can we learn from this story that can be applied to your organization’s stewardship practices?

First, the Master chose how much to give each servant based on their ability to manage it. To the one with the most ability, he gave the largest sum, and to the one with the least ability, he gave the least. Similarly, donors will choose not only which nonprofits they will give to this year, but also how much they will give to each. What does your organization’s track record say about its ability to receive and manage charitable gifts? How will your donors know that your organization is capable of receiving their generosity and managing it well?

Second, the Master gave his money away to accomplish something he could not do on his own. His goal was not to maintain what he had. If so, he could have buried it in the ground to keep it safe, taken it with him, or put it in the bank. But he wanted his money to be multiplied and become greater than its current value. This speaks to the very essence of charitable giving.  Donors will part with their money when they believe they can give it to someone who can accomplish something for them they cannot do on their own. What is it that you are realizing for donors that they cannot complete on their own? How are you multiplying their original investments to create greater value?

Third, when the Master returned, he wanted to know what each servant did with the talents he had given them. Donors want to know the same. They will ask how their donation was used, what was purchased and what was accomplished. Can you accurately answer them? Keep records. Know your accounts. Your ability to inform them of how their gift was used is one way in which donors will learn about your organization’s ability to steward their donations.

Fourth, there is a relationship between stewardship and donor satisfaction. The Master was pleased with the servants who managed his money well. He praised them and gave them additional resources to manage. But to the servant who mismanaged his money, he was angry and took away his talent. He gave it to the first servant who had proven himself to be the best steward of his resources. The better the stewardship, the more satisfied the donor. When gifts are well used, donors are pleased. They trust your organization to handle their money. When donor gifts aren’t used as intended, donors are, at the least, dissatisfied. They may act as the Master and choose to give their money to someone they believe can do a better job of stewarding it.

The key takeaway is that a giving relationship necessitates good stewardship. At a minimum, proper stewardship generates clarity in donor-organization relationships. Donors understand how their gifts are used and the impact being created as a result of their giving.  Meanwhile, organizations understand what donors want to realize through their giving and can help them to make decisions about their giving.

What do your donors say about your organization’s stewardship efforts? What does their giving imply? Give your donors what they need, and they will reward you by entrusting you with even more of their resources, such as time, relationships, and their ability to advocate for your organization. Then you will truly have an abundance.