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FreeWill's 2026 Stewardship Survey
1.
First Name
2.
Last Name
3.
Your Organization's Formal Name
4.
What best describes your cause area?
Animal-Related
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
Community
Community Improvement & Capacity Building
Crime & Legal-Related
Environment
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Health Care
Higher Education
Housing & Shelter
Human Services
International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
K-12
Medical Research
Mental Health & Crisis Intervention
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations
Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness & Relief
Public & Societal Benefit
Recreation & Sports
Religion-Related
Science & Technology
Social Science
Voluntary Health Associations & Medical Disciplines
Youth Development
Other
5.
Email
6.
How much does your organization receive in individual contributions each year?
Less than $100K
$100K - $1M
$1M - $10M
$10M - $100M
$100M+
7.
How do you define stewardship? (Select all that apply.)
Thank you letters or gift receipts
In-person or virtual visits
Personal touches, like handwritten notes or gifts
Event invitations
Volunteer and advocacy opportunities
Adding the donor to a giving/legacy society
Sending org communications
Updates on the impact of their gift
Curated experiences
Building a relationship with the donor
Educating donors on the smartest ways to give
Other
8.
Does your organization have a dedicated donor stewardship team/staff member?
Yes
No
We did, but not currently
We plan to hire someone in the next year
9.
What 3 words would you use to describe how you think about stewardship?
10.
Does your organization have a budget for stewardship activities, other than salaries?
Yes
No
I don’t know
11.
Does your organization have a formal, written stewardship plan?
Yes, and we adhere to it
Yes, but we don’t follow it
No
12.
What communication channels does your organization use to deploy stewardship touches? (Select all that apply.)
Mail
Email
Text
Web
Phone
In-person visits or events
Other
13.
Does your organization contract with any vendors to support your stewardship work? (e.g., Video creation, donor gifts, etc.)
Yes
No
I had no idea that was an option
14.
If yes to the above, what services does that vendor help you with? (choose all that apply)
Video services
Donor gifts
Stewardship mailings (other than gifts)
Other marketing and communications
Incentives for fundraisers
Planned giving websites or newsletters
Donor/Relationship management
Donor events
Other
15.
How confident do you feel in your organization’s ability to retain and deepen relationships with long-time donors?
1 - Not confident at all
2
3
4
5 - Very confident
1 - Not confident at all
2
3
4
5 - Very confident
16.
How confident do you feel in your personal ability to retain and deepen relationships with long-time donors?
1 - Not confident at all
2
3
4
5 - Very confident
1 - Not confident at all
2
3
4
5 - Very confident
17.
Which of these is a barrier to successful stewardship at your organization?
Not enough time or staff
No, or not enough, budgeted dollars
Lack of a stewardship plan
Difficulty securing donor contact info
Difficulty tracking or segmenting donors
Lack of clarity around ownership/responsibility for stewardship
Team doesn’t understand the value of stewardship
Lack of support from leadership/decision-makers
Limited data on donors
Donors do not engage/respond
Other
18.
To your knowledge, does your organization currently steward planned gift donors any differently than cash donors?
Yes
No
I don’t know
19.
To your knowledge, does your organization currently steward smart gift donors (stock, QCDs, DAFs, crypto) any differently than cash donors?
Yes
No
I don’t know
20.
How frequently do you reach out to mid-level or major donors with a stewardship message?
Monthly
Quarterly
Bi-annually (every 6 months)
Annually
Other
21.
Do you have a legacy society for planned giving donors?
Yes, and it’s active
Yes, but it’s dormant
We did, but not anymore
No, we never did
22.
How soon after a planned gift commitment is made do you typically send a stewardship communication?
Within one week
Within one month
Within three months
More than three months
23.
How does your organization currently thank donors who make a planned gift commitment? (select all that apply)
Personal letter or email from leadership
Recognition in publications (annual report, newsletter, etc.)
Invitations to special events
Small token or gift
Other (please specify)
24.
How frequently do you reach out to planned gift donors with a stewardship message?
Monthly
Quarterly
Bi-annually (every 6 months)
Annually
Other
25.
Approximately how many individuals have notified your organization of planned gift commitments?
26.
What percentage of first time givers to your org renew their support?
1-25%
26-50%
51-74%
75-100%
I don’t know
27.
What percentage of your planned giving donors make annual gifts as well?
None
1-25%
26-50%
51-74%
75-100%
I don’t know
28.
How does your organization measure success in stewardship?
29.
What resources or support would most help your team strengthen donor relations? (select all that apply)
Call, email, letter, or text templates
Samples from other nonprofits
Training or webinars
Data insights / benchmarking
Stewardship technology or automation
Dedicated stewardship strategy support
Other
30.
Is your organization a current FreeWill partner?
Yes
No
31.
Please share an anonymous story or example of successful stewardship at your organization.
