I want to share a moment of clarity I had recently when I was coaching stewardship to the CEO of a charity. “Oh!” he said “donors should enjoy naches!”
Naches: taking joy and pride in the success of someone you care about.
Yiddish word, pronounced with a ‘ch’ from the back of the throat.
What he had clarified for me was the feeling you want to engender in your donors. Naches is that proud, joy-by-association boost that the close people in your life enjoy when you succeed.
So, how might this idea of welcoming others to share in your joy and success change your current stewardship? What would you do differently if you thought of your donors as your loving grandparents or your cheerleading friends?
Don’t delay, share away
Firstly, you wouldn’t sit on good news - think how quickly you jump on your WhatsApp groups when something you’ve been working towards finally happens.
Don’t be too formal
Secondly, you would be less formal (some of the time) - maybe simply emailing a photo with a brief description, not always drafting a report.
Formal reports and letters from the CEO need to be part of the mix, but only one part.
Enjoy stewardship - it’s a nice thing
Thirdly, maybe you’d see stewardship less as a boring, tick-box chore and more as a way of connecting and allowing those who care about you (and make your work possible) to share in collective naches!
Conclusion
I hope this ‘naches reframe’ helps you to make embrace stewardship as a natural part of nurturing and rewarding the group of people who play a huge, but removed, role in making your work possible.
If you can engender naches over your work and achievements, you will have secured your donors' lasting, committed support.
Ilana Jackman is a fundraising Coach & consultant, working with charities across the sector to support them to raise even more money to do even more good. To talk to her about this, or any of your fundraising challenges, email Ilana at ilana@ilanajackman.com