Stewardship and Reporting
Presented by University Advancement
and the Office of Sponsored Programs
Stewardship and Reporting:
Stewardship is conducting, supervising, or managing something
• Turning a “no” response to a “yes” requires relationship building
and stewardship.
• Once an award is achieved, you cannot take the money and run.
• You must carefully manage the funds and the relationship with
your funder.
• Convincing a private funder to continue to support Rowan
requires diligence in reporting and communicating with the
funder.
• Good communication within our organization as well as with our
funders is key to a healthy project.
KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL STEWARDSHIP:
• BUILD A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP
• SUSTAINABILITY OF THAT RELATIONSHIP
• LONG TERM PARTNERSHIPS
Immediate Action Steps Following
Notice of Declined Proposal:
• Place follow-up phone call seeking feedback
as to why proposal was declined.
• Send thank you letter for their consideration
of your proposal. Express interest in
opportunity to submit again in the future.
Long Term Action Items Following
Notice of Declined Proposal:
• Invite funder to activities or to visit labs/projects
during school year. See handout provided which lists
things to be done in preparation for site visit.
• Send news clippings, published papers, other relevant
promotional materials.
• Seek opportunities to communicate and engage with
funder such as sending congratulatory letters when
there is news of funder accomplishments of
significance (cannot hurt to be nice!)
• Invite to be guest speaker.
• Seek referrals to other possible funding sources.
Immediate Action Steps Following Notice of
Awarded Proposal:
– Send thank you letter. It is best practice to include
sentence or two describing how the funds will be
used and whom they will most benefit.
– If appropriate, students should send thank you
notes. Such letters/notes go long way in helping
to cement the relationship with the funder.
Long Term Action Items Following Notice of
Awarded Proposal:
• Spend award AS OUTLINED IN PROPOSAL.
• Funders are not happy when the projections in proposals are
not met. Goals and outcomes should coincide with contents
of proposal against which award was made by Funder.
• When communicating with Funder, best to maintain
consistency with proposal AS SUBMITTED. Inconsistencies
and modifications to your plans as proposed lead Funder to
question your competency and reliability. Remember the
Funder awarded your proposal as submitted and expects you
manage the project as proposed.
Long Term Action Items Following Notice of Awarded Proposal
continued:
• When budget projections need to be adjusted, seek
immediate approval from the funder.
• You have a duty to your Funder to spend the money in
accordance with the representations made in your
proposal. If there are changes to the budget, they
require advance approval from your Funder.
• Before requesting a budget modification, carefully
consider if there are other ways to address the issue. You
must present good reasons for budget change(s). Having
to seek Funder approval for budget changes can
jeopardize the relationship and reduce your Funder’s
confidence in your management ability, thereby
jeopardizing subsequent awards of funding.
Long Term Action Items Following Notice of Awarded Proposal
continued:
• Send news clippings, published papers, other relevant
promotional materials.
• Many (not all) Funders want favorable publicity
concerning their philanthropic giving.
• Corporations and corporate foundations are typically
looking to promote their image, their products and
services which, in turn, leads to increased profits.
• Some grant writers include “How will this gift be
publicized” sections in their proposals showing the
funder how the gift will be recognized by the grantee.
Long Term Action Items Following Notice of Awarded Proposal
continued:
• Seek opportunities to communicate and engage with
funder.
• Send congratulatory letters when there is news of funder
accomplishments of significance (cannot hurt to be nice!)
• Invite for site visit. Refer to handout for things to do in
preparation for site visit.
• Invite to be guest speaker.
• Possibly send a small project/funder-appropriate gift.
• Acknowledge any communications from your Funder (eg., if
Funder sends reminder of when reports due-acknowledge
it!).
• Set up tickler to remind you to initiate communication (eg.,
at least quarterly).
Long Term Action Items Following Notice of Awarded Proposal
continued:
• Seek referrals to other possible funding
sources.
• Funders often collaborate with other funding
sources. Ask them for suggestions regarding
with whom else you might collaborate and/or
seek funding.
Long Term Action Items Following Notice of Awarded Proposal
continued:
• Report positive accomplishments or
challenges as they develop.
• Be truthful and up front. Avoid surprises-no
one likes to be surprised.
• Conduct yourself and your communications in
manner that you would be proud and
comfortable having appear on the “front page
of any newspaper”.
Reporting:
• If a multi-year grant, interim reporting (both
narrative and financial) is often required.
• Interim and final reports must be submitted to
funder on time, contain accurate information
and be presented in the funder’s requested
format.
After Final Report Submitted:
• Send thank you note, highlighting achievement made
possible by their funding.
• Invite funder to activities or to visit labs/projects during
school year. Refer to handout regarding things to do in
preparation for site visit.
• Send news clippings, published papers, other relevant
promotional materials.
• Seek opportunities to communicate and engage with
funder such as sending congratulatory letters when there is
news of funder accomplishments of significance (cannot
hurt to be nice!).
• Invite to be guest speaker.
• Submit new application if appropriate.
Here’s to a Project Well Done!
Office of University Advancement
Deanne Farrell
Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
x 5418
farrelld@rowan.edu
Office of Sponsored Programs
Stephanie Lezotte
Assistant Director
x 4124
lezotte@rowan.edu