By Matt Vuorela / Chief Executive Officer of Steier Group As you prepare for your next fundraising event, you likely have a mile-long to-do list. There’s the catering, RSVP list, donor expectations and so much more to think about. Understandably, preparing the fundraising speech may be far from your mind. But the right message is a powerful tool to endear attendees to your mission and inspire generosity. An effective fundraising speech builds trust and helps you serve your community. Keep reading for practical tips and templates to get results from your next fundraising speech. The Importance of a Powerful Fundraising…
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After nearly a quarter century of helping nonprofits plan, reach and exceed their fundraising goals, we’ve accomplished a lot – and learned a thing or two. Our Steier Tips page features the latest Steier Group fundraising advice from our team of experts, case studies and helpful insight to consider as you plan your next campaign.
The Steier Group is proud to present our podcast, Twelve Wicker Baskets with Christopher Beaudet. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app. In the Gospel, Jesus fed 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish. After the crowd was satisfied, there were 12 wicker baskets left over. God provides the abundance. In each episode of this podcast, we will explore, with pastoral leaders and development professionals, all the many ways God meets the spiritual and temporal needs of our parish communities, our Catholic schools and the diocesan church. And not only meets those needs but provides in abundance. The 45th…
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By Matt Vuorela / Chief Executive Officer of Steier Group When considering a professional fundraising and development firm to assist with or build a capital campaign for your church or organization, it is important to understand the role of a capital campaign manager. What does a capital campaign manager do? A capital campaign manager is the person who oversees all aspects of the church, school or organization’s extraordinary fundraising effort. From the earliest stages of planning to celebrating success, the campaign manager ensures that the campaign runs smoothly, maintains the agreed-upon timeline, meets benchmarks and goals, and remains faithful to…
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The Steier Group is proud to present our podcast, Twelve Wicker Baskets with Christopher Beaudet. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app. In the Gospel, Jesus fed 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish. After the crowd was satisfied, there were 12 wicker baskets left over. God provides the abundance. In each episode of this podcast, we will explore, with pastoral leaders and development professionals, all the many ways God meets the spiritual and temporal needs of our parish communities, our Catholic schools and the diocesan church. And not only meets those needs but provides in abundance. The 44th…
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At the Steier Group, we are often asked this question by school leaders: How do we get more alumni to give? It’s easy to think the answer to this question might be another big event – a volleyball tournament, golf scramble or downtown bar crawl. The photos look great. The energy is high. For a night, it feels like a win. But here’s the truth: unless those events are followed by personal connections, they’re just a moment, not a movement. Events alone rarely create lasting connection. Before you send out the “Register now!” emails, ask yourself: Do the same people…
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The Diocese of Wichita has a reputation that stretches far beyond this rural Kansas diocese of 90 parishes. Across the country, it’s admired as the stewardship diocese – where giving is a way of life. For the past 40 years, Wichita’s parishes have embraced the call to give generously, sacrificially and proportionally. It’s a spiritual commitment that has allowed the diocese’s Catholic schools to thrive without tuition, kept second collections off the calendar, eliminated the need for a diocesan annual appeal and fueled thriving ministries. When the diocese decided to embark on the largest capital campaign in its history, it…
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In the world of capital campaigns, where extraordinary funding is at stake and long-term visions take shape, messaging is key. But even the most compelling messages can fall flat without the visual impact to match. That’s where graphic design becomes a silent yet powerful force, an essential ingredient in the success of any fundraising effort. At the Steier Group, graphic design is more than aesthetics. It’s strategic. Our in-house design team plays a pivotal role in transforming complex campaign goals into clear, engaging visuals that inspire support. The Visual Language of Philanthropy Capital campaigns are not just about raising funds,…
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Mike Wescott and Connor Meier are in the Diocese of Wichita’s Office of Development, which helped guide the recent One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! campaign. In this conversation, they share the history of Wichita’s stewardship way of life, how it shaped the campaign and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. HOW DID THE CONCEPT OF STEWARDSHIP AS A WAY OF LIFE BEGIN IN THE DIOCESE OF WICHITA? The roots go back to the 1960s when Monsignor Thomas McGread at St. Francis of Assisi Parish began teaching that parishioners should give generously, sacrificially and proportionally of everything – time,…
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An endowment is one of the most powerful tools a church, school or nonprofit can build to ensure long-term sustainability for the organization. Unlike typical annual fundraising gifts, an endowment is a sum of invested funds where the principal remains intact, while dividends provide an expected stream of funding for programs and operations. A healthy endowment signals commitment to mission, stability during annual fluctuations and gives donors a sense that their contributions will impact the mission into the future. For organizational leadership, strategic planning before attempting to build an endowment is essential. The endeavor requires assessing organizational readiness for endowment…
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By Viken Mikaelian / Founder of PlannedGiving.com and Philanthropy.org Harvard built a $50 billion endowment — without a single weekly worshipper. Yet your church has them. Every Sunday. So why aren’t we asking for gifts that don’t come from the wallet, but from the will? I recall when I approached my former church and talked to the pastor about mentioning legacy gifts before the sermon. His answer was, “We do not do things like that here.” My current church? Different story. The CFO gets up before every sermon, gives a 2-minute update about our financial health, and reminds us to consider legacy…
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