The Art of Appreciation: How to Build Strong Donor Relationships
Kristine Miller, CFRE, ACC

When a donor contributes to your organization, they are expressing gratitude and appreciation for what you are doing in the world! What happens when there is no reciprocal response? What happens when the donor receives only silence in return?

Without appreciation from your organization, donors:

• Experience regret and disappointment
• Never fully experience the joy of generosity
• And are unlikely to make another gift to your organization

It doesn’t take as much as you might think to build strong donor relationships.

When donors feel appreciated, they spread the word and look for ways to help others experience the same joy. Donors who feel loved are likely to become recurring donors whose lifetime value is substantially higher.

During this webinar participants will learn:

• What donors want from organizations they support
• Who should be responsible for building strong donor relationships
• What you can do right now to connect more deeply with your donors and help them feel awesome!

Kristine Miller, CFRE, ACC, is Partner & Executive Vice President with Horizons. She began her journey when she was asked to be on the stewardship team at her church. During that time, and every year since, God and God’s people have taught her so much about responding to God’s blessings and living a generous life. For the last 20 years, Kristine has worked with faith-based nonprofits and churches to help them discover the joy of generosity.

Kristine says, “This journey of discovery is one of the many ways in which God has expressed generosity to me. It is a journey that I expect will last a lifetime.” She is a blogger, book author, and frequent speaker at stewardship conferences and other church leadership events. Previously, Kristine served as the Director of Stewardship and Planned Giving in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. She has served as a vestry member at her parish and on several nonprofit boards including TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship) and Canterbury on-the-Lake, a nonprofit senior care facility in Waterford, Michigan.

A native of Ohio, Kristine did her undergraduate work in business administration at The Ohio State University and received her M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University. Kristine achieved certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC). Kristine has also achieved and retained CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) status since 2007.

Kristine co-authored the following books:
"The Generosity Challenge: 28 Days of Gratitude, Prayer, and Faith" (Abingdon Press, 2019)
"Bounty: Ten Ways to Increase Giving at Your Church" (Abingdon Press, 2013)
"C.L.I.M.B. Higher: Reaching New Heights in Giving and Discipleship" (Abingdon Press, 2011)

Kristine and her husband live in Clarkston, Michigan, and have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. Kristine has traveled extensively throughout southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. She enjoys reading, traveling, and learning about different cultures through their food.