Award: Gold

Institution: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Title of Entry: Mini-Stewardship Reports

About this Entry: At many institutions, stewardship reports are a fundamental component of good fundraising practices. However, these reports can be a heavy draw on time and resources. The School of Information (UMSI) at the University of Michigan saw an opportunity to streamline the stewardship reporting process to make broad reporting more feasible with limited staff and budgetary resources.

Using “mini-stewardship reports,” UMSI has been able to significantly expand the reach of reporting on fund impact. The UMSI Marketing & Communications team created a general template that the development team uses to create personalized reports. These reports are generated quickly and efficiently with meaningful content using elegant template designs and a merge system. There are a variety of purposes for the mini-stewardship reports including: endowment reports; stewardship updates; a fund description for events; and a stewardship document used in conjunction with a solicitation. Additionally, the development team uses the report to steward multiple donors who have contributed to a fund, creating a personalized feel to a larger group of donors, as well as creating personalized reports for individual donors.