CNE Donor Relations & Stewardship 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A longtime major donor passes away. What is the MOST appropriate immediate stewardship action?
- Remove the donor from all future solicitation lists
- Send condolences to the family and explore estate gift intentions (Correct answer)
- Immediately contact the estate attorney about pending bequests
- Wait six months before reaching out to family members
Correct answer: Send condolences to the family and explore estate gift intentions
Expressing genuine condolences maintains the relationship with the family and opens a respectful dialogue about the donor's legacy.
Question 2: Which of the following BEST describes a donor recognition society?
- A legal entity that manages donor endowments
- A tiered acknowledgment program that recognizes donors at cumulative giving levels (Correct answer)
- A committee of donors who advise on grant distribution
- An annual publication listing all donors
Correct answer: A tiered acknowledgment program that recognizes donors at cumulative giving levels
Donor recognition societies group contributors by cumulative or annual giving thresholds to provide differentiated acknowledgment and benefits.
Question 3: When stewarding a planned giving donor, the MOST important ongoing action is:
- Sending quarterly financial statements
- Maintaining consistent, non-transactional communication that honors their legacy intent (Correct answer)
- Requesting annual updates to their estate documents
- Inviting them only to major donor events
Correct answer: Maintaining consistent, non-transactional communication that honors their legacy intent
Planned giving donors need relationship-based stewardship that affirms their legacy decision without constant solicitation.
Question 4: What is the primary goal of a 'grateful patient' program in healthcare nonprofit fundraising?
- To bill patients for services not covered by insurance
- To identify and cultivate patients whose positive care experience may inspire philanthropic support (Correct answer)
- To provide financial assistance to patients in need
- To collect patient testimonials for marketing
Correct answer: To identify and cultivate patients whose positive care experience may inspire philanthropic support
Grateful patient programs leverage positive care experiences to connect patients with opportunities to give back to the institution.
Question 5: A donor requests that their gift remain anonymous. The organization should:
- Honor the request in all public communications but note it internally for tracking (Correct answer)
- List the donor as 'Anonymous' only in the annual report
- Decline anonymous gifts to maintain transparency
- Ask the board to vote on whether to accept the gift
Correct answer: Honor the request in all public communications but note it internally for tracking
Anonymous gifts should be honored in all public-facing materials while still being accurately tracked in internal donor records.
Question 6: Which stewardship metric BEST measures the effectiveness of your donor retention program?
- Average gift size
- Donor retention rate year-over-year (Correct answer)
- Total number of new donors acquired
- Number of events held annually
Correct answer: Donor retention rate year-over-year
Retention rate directly measures how well stewardship efforts keep donors engaged from one year to the next.
Question 7: When a corporate donor requests naming rights for a facility, the nonprofit should FIRST:
- Accept the gift and begin rebranding immediately
- Review board policies on naming rights and consult legal counsel before agreeing (Correct answer)
- Decline to avoid perceived commercialization
- Ask the donor to fund an endowment instead
Correct answer: Review board policies on naming rights and consult legal counsel before agreeing
Naming rights agreements carry long-term reputational and legal implications that require board policy review and legal guidance.
CNE Donor Relations & Stewardship 3
A longtime major donor passes away.
What is the MOST appropriate immediate stewardship action?