Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” D. L. Moody did just that when he founded the Moody Bible Institute (Moody) of Chicago in 1886, and this principle is still practiced in the Stewardship and Development Office today.

Like many of Apra’s members, I fell into prospect development and took a step of faith when I accepted the role of donor research coordinator. I’m so glad I did! But I wasn’t the only person at Moody to fall into their profession.

In 2017, Stephen Asare, now director of the mid-level giving program at Moody, launched the donor appreciation program alongside Cherise Wilson, now director of executive and operational excellence for YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. The idea behind launching this new program was to offer appreciation to donors whose gifts were too large to be managed by the student call center but too small to be handled by major gift officers.

The number of donors in the middle was extensive, and Asare and Wilson knew that going door-to-door would not be feasible. So, what did they do? They grabbed thank-you notes, a phone, a computer, and got straight to work! The impact was immediate. Donors who were contacted began increasing their donation’s value — some even started giving monthly! They loved being contacted by Asare and Wilson because they had the opportunity to hear how their gifts were being used all while establishing lasting relationships with the Moody community. They felt seen, appreciated and valued.

In 2018, the program evolved into more than a one-time acknowledgment system. By adding additional representatives, it truly became a mid-level giving program. Mid-level reps were assigned donors to cultivate relationships over an extended period by utilizing handwritten notes, email messages and phone calls.

In 2019, metrics were established, tested with assistance from advisors at Pursuant and implemented by the development team. You can find a chart outlining the goals we established for ourselves back in 2019 and the results that followed:

Since 2020, our metrics have evolved, outcomes have been surpassed and a growing team has graduated to now being official members of the stewardship and development department — referred to as stewardship representatives. The mid-level team consists of one director (Asare), two managers (Nathan Van Hoff and David Gerena, Jr.), three senior representatives (Jay Pounder, Jeremy Kluth and Tanya Miller) and three representatives (Rebecca Schroeder, Rachel Hodges and Laura Lemus) who develop meaningful relationships with assigned mid-level donors.

With a portfolio size of over 3,000 donors, Moody’s mid-level team relies heavily on measuring success, so we refined our metrics to bring about even greater success. The refined goals set in place in 2022 can be found in the table below:

Each person who gives to Moody deserves appreciation for their support. Moody’s stewardship and development vision is to inspire a culture of transformational generosity by partnering in the Gospel for every person. To fulfill this vision, the mid-level team offers renowned experiences for ministry partners to excel in the grace of giving and make an impact through the ministries of Moody. With values rooted in trust, stewardship and partnership, the mid-level team succeeds through their genuine care for people, strong communication and collaboration skills and being self-motivated, process-driven individuals.

In July 2023, we refined the metrics one last time to reflect the staffing changes seen amongst the team. You can find our most up-to-date metrics in the table below:

With 15 attempts per day, 75 attempts per week and 300 attempts per month, the mid-level team’s goal to engage with each mid-level donor by June 30 was attainable. This was made possible as we learned how to empower a donor-first experience, define success and hire the right people

With faith, patience, persistence, attainable goals and leadership buy-in, any team can be built on a great idea. I encourage you to learn new strategies to implement change and galvanize your leadership team to see how your idea could change the future of fundraising at your organization.

As Earl Nightingale, radio speaker, author and “dean of personal development” once said, “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”

Rachel Hammond
Donor Research Coordinator, Moody Bible Institute

Rachel Hammond is the donor research coordinator for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Starting her career in advancement services at her alma mater, Hammond learned the importance of donor cultivation, retention and engagement as a student caller, call center manager and advancement intern. As a student caller, she raised funds for scholarships by establishing relationships with alumni and friends of the college instilling in her a passion for cultivation. After one year of being a student caller and securing the largest gift during the spring giving season, she was promoted to be the student call center manager where she assigned calling pools, trained students in the calling program and mentored them as they finished out their college careers. Learning the value of retention in this role, Hammond strived to see her college colleagues succeed just as she did and continue the legacy of the student calling program.

As the advancement intern, Hammond harnessed her passion for engagement and development as she built the in-house calling program, implemented the student philanthropy association and learned about each role in advancement services. This experience led her to the position she holds today at Moody, where she harnesses all the skills she learned at her alma mater as well as the ability to uncover key wealth indicators and harness her research skills to find hidden gems in the CRM.

Hammond also has a passion for serving the Apra community! She is the secretary for the Apra Indiana Board of Directors, as well as the chair of the Education and Professional Development (EPD) committee. She loves giving back to the Apra community as they have poured into her for the past two and a half years!