This registration page may not work well in Internet Explorer. Please use a different browser to complete your registration.

Stewardship That Pays: How Relationship-First Direct Mail Drives Long-Term Revenue at Scale

August 6, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT)

Description

Many Direct Marketing programs still see stewardship as a cost center. Habitat for Humanity has proven otherwise—at scale. In this session learn how Habitat affords to mail 4–6 non-appeal stewardship-specific mailings, plus ongoing acknowledgements, calls, and emails – and keeps CPDR down.

Like many nonprofits, Habitat saw an increase in Direct Marketing gifts and revenue in 2020 and 2021 as attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. As time passed, retaining these donors proved challenging. Habitat implemented numerous measures in 2024 and 2025 which helped improve their overall donor retention 4.2% year-over-year in 2025. Leslie Willeford, Associate Director of Donor Development at Habitat, oversaw development of these initiatives and will share successes – and failures – which might help your organization retain more donors, too.

We'll discuss the long-term impact of stewardship on donor retention and how we utilize stewardship to see the donor as more than their wallet. With the rise of digital printing and hyper-personalization, we'll see how localized campaigns deepen a donor's emotional ROI as well. We'll also see examples of stewardship-appeal hybrid campaigns, where the focus is on the donor and their impact, while softly asking for continued support. And we will unpack learnings from prior tests that prove the value of both stewardship and solicitation - working in unison, not in competition.

Key Take-Aways:

  • Justifying stewardship expense as a worthwhile investment in donor value
  • Soft-appeal campaigns that can deepen connection, while still generating strong response
  • Personalization at scale: enabling meaningful, impact-driven engagement across multiple audiences 

Speaker:

  • Leslie Willeford, Associate Director, Donor Development, Habitat for Humanity International

ACCESSIBILITY

We will provide automated transcription at this event. If you need additional accommodations, please contact Risa Sudnow at info@dmfa.org or 646-675-7314.

Featured Sponsor

Time

1 - 2 PM

Pricing

This webinar is free to attend.

Members: Can view the recording and presentation at any time

Non Members: Can only attend the live event. They will not have access to the recording.

View Event

Contact Information

Direct Marketing Fundraisers Associaton
Name: Risa Sudnow
Phone: (646) 675-7314
Email: info@dmfa.org
We're sorry. No registrations are currently available. You may wish to contact the event organizer for assistance.
{{ vm.EventInfo.ErrorMessage }}

Select Registration Options

Edit
{{vm.regWarningMessage}}
{{vm.regAlertMessage}}

Exhibitor Opportunities

Name Price Att Qty
{{ et.Name }}
{{ et.IncludedAttendeesCount }} {{ et.AttendeeRegType.RemainingPerType }} Remaining {{ et.AttendeeRegType.RemainingPerType * -1 }} on Waiting List {{ et.AttendeeRegType.RemainingPerType * -1 }} Over Limit
{{ et.Remaining }} Remaining
 Sold out

Attendee Registration Options Total Remaining: {{ vm.EventInfo.VacantSpotsPerEvent }}

Waiting List Available
{{ vm.stats.totalAttendeesCount }} Registered , {{ vm.OverallOverAmount() }} on Waiting List , {{ vm.OverallOverAmount() }} Over Limit
Name Price Qty
{{ rt.Name }}
{{ rt.IsMemberOnly ? ' (Members Only)' : '' }}
Limit: {{ rt.LimitPerPurchase }}
Included Attendees: {{ rt.AttendeesCountPerOneRegistration }}
{{rt.Price | currency }} {{rt.PriceAfterDiscount | currency }} {{ rt.Price | currency }}
{{ rt.RemainingPerType }} Remaining
{{ rt.RemainingPerType * -1 }} on Waiting List
{{ rt.RemainingPerType * -1 }} Over Limit

{{'[[Sponsorship]] Opportunities' | localizeString:'['}}

Name Price Att Qty
{{ st.Name }}
{{ st.IncludedAttendeesCount }} {{ st.AttendeeRegType.RemainingPerType }} Remaining {{ st.AttendeeRegType.RemainingPerType * -1 }} on Waiting List {{ st.AttendeeRegType.RemainingPerType * -1 }} Over Limit
{{ st.Remaining }} Remaining
 Sold out
Continue

Registration Information

Edit

Exhibitor - {{er.Name}}

Exhibitor #{{ $index + 1 }}

Total: {{exhibitor.TotalPrice | currency}} {{ exhibitor.IsBenefit ? "- Included as a Benefit" : exhibitor.IsDiscounted ? "- Discounts have been applied" : ""}}
Exhibitor Directory
Primary Contact
Booth Information
Additional Information
Additional Items

Attendee - {{er.Name}}

{{ att.getAttendeeTerm(vm.EventSettings.AdditionalAttendeesTerm, $index) }} #{{ att.getAttendeeIndexDisplay(vm.EventSettings.AdditionalAttendeesTerm, $index) }}

Total: {{att.TotalPrice | currency}} {{att.DiscountMessage | localizeString:'['}}
A No Show fee is being assessed for {{fee.EventName}} on {{fee.EventStartLocalTimeString}}.
More Information Less information

Address

Phone

Additional Information
Event Sessions

{{slot.Name}}

{{$select.selected.SessionName}}
(full)
{{slot.SelectedSession.SessionDescription + (slot.HasFees ? " (Price: " + (slot.PriceTotal | currency) +")" : "")}}
Additional Items

{{'[[Sponsorship+]]' | localizeString:'['}} - {{er.Name}}

{{'[[Sponsor]]' | localizeString:'['}} #{{ $index + 1 }}

Total: {{sponsor.Price | currency}}
Continue

Additional Items

Edit

{{(vm.EventInfo.Terms.Donation || "Fundraising") + " Opportunities"}}

Campaign Name Item Description Amount
{{item.CampaignName}} {{item.Description + (item.ShowMinimumPrice && item.MinimumPrice ? " (Min: " + item.MinimumPrice + ")" : "")}}
Continue

Complete Registration

Edit

Terms & Conditions

No Show Policy

{{ vm.EventInfo.EventSettings.NoShowPolicy }}

Enter Promo Code

Billing Contact

Registration Protection
This event is synced to a webinar so no confirmation email will be sent from GrowthZone.

Thank you to our {{'[[Sponsor+]]' | localizeString:'['}}