Case for Support
Docs + Word7 pages
Free
- Type
- Document
- Price
- Free
- Pages
- 7 · US Letter
- Style
- Editorial
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Updated
- November 6, 2026
Every page (7)
Overview
Donors lapse when nobody thanks them quickly, tells them what their gift achieved or asks them back at the right moment. This plan puts the whole stewardship cycle on a few pages: who the donors are by tier, who thanks them and when, which updates they receive, which events they are invited to and how the team measures the result.
The sample follows Northfold Group's major gifts team through 2027, with 986 donors in five tiers, thanks within two days and retention at 52% against a 58% target. Replace the tiers and donor counts, the thank-you timings, the update calendar, the event dates and the scorecard targets with your own.
Useful for
- A major gifts team presenting next year's stewardship plan to the fundraising committee of trustees
- A charity showing a new head of fundraising who thanks which donors, and by what day
- A development office setting retention and thank-you targets before the autumn appeal
What's included
- Cover page for the plan, with the committee it is prepared for and the date
- Donor tiers page with a bar chart of donors by tier and two donor personas
- Thank-you process page with a title block, headline figures and a day 0, day 2 and day 30 timeline
- Updates page with four update channels and a table of key dates and owners
- Events calendar with recognition events, site visits and donor briefings
- Measures scorecard and a Make it yours guide with five steps
How to use it
- 1
Click Make a copy in Google Docs, then confirm on the Google page. The copy is saved to your own Google Drive.
- 2
Replace the tiers, donor counts and income figures with your own, and check that the chart and headline match.
- 3
Rewrite the thank-you timeline with who thanks, how and within how many days, then fill the calendar with real dates.
- 4
Set your own retention, thank-you and income targets on the scorecard and mark each with a green, amber or red status.
- 5
Delete the Make it yours guide page, then share the plan with your trustees or present it.
What you need
Requirements
- A Google account with access to Google Drive
Works with
- Google Docs
- Microsoft Word (download the .docx)
Questions
Are the organisation and figures real?
No. Northfold Group, its people, donors and every figure are fictional sample content. Replace them with your own before you share the plan.
How many donor tiers should I use?
Five is common, but use as many as your team can personally steward. Set each tier by annual giving and give each one a named contact and a thank-you standard.
Which stewardship measures matter most?
Donor retention, time to thank and the share of gifts renewed within 60 days. Track them monthly against a target so a slip is seen before the year ends.
- #donor-stewardship
- #fundraising-plan
- #major-gifts
- #donor-retention
- #thank-you-process
- #charity-template
- #google-docs-template
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