We invite you to share these weekly Advent Guides with members of your parish, as a way to further engage your people and help everyone prepare for Christ’s coming on Christmas. Here are a few suggestions to help you distribute this resource to your parishioners: Post the guide to your parish website; include a link to download. Promote it on social media; include a link to download (sample message below). Send it out through FlockNote or similar email platform (sample message below). Print hard copies and distribute at Masses or leave in the back of church. Develop daily social media…
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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.
We invite you to share these weekly Advent Guides with members of your parish, as a way to further engage your people and help everyone prepare for Christ’s coming on Christmas. Here are a few suggestions to help you distribute this resource to your parishioners: Post the guide to your parish website; include a link to download. Promote it on social media; include a link to download (sample message below). Send it out through FlockNote or similar email platform (sample message below). Print hard copies and distribute at Masses or leave in the back of church. Develop daily social media…
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In order to support Catholic parishes and dioceses during this pandemic year, the Steier Group will be publishing a series of Advent and Christmas Guides for you to share with those you serve. These free weekly guides include ideas on how to celebrate each Sunday of Advent, as well as the day’s scripture readings and highlights from the liturgy. If you'd like to sign up to receive the guides, please do so here. We invite you to share these weekly Advent Guides with members of your parish, as a way to further engage your people and help everyone prepare for…
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When we met with Bob and Cecilia as part of their parish planning study, we asked them 12 questions. Question 10 was: “Have you considered St. Mary’s in your will?” They looked at each other and said, “we’ve thought about it, but we’ve never gotten around to it, can you help?” Yes, we can. With a phone call from a grateful pastor and a helpful diocesan employee in the development office, Bob and Cecilia completed their will bequeathing St. Mary’s their home, valued at $450,000. Would you be willing to spend a little time and money if it resulted in…
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To say that the events of 2020 flipped fundraising (and the world as a whole) on its head would be an understatement: millions sick, hundreds of thousands dead, cities and states locked down, churches and schools closed, economic struggles, millions more out of work. Some Catholic communities are suffering too. Mass attendance is down as parishes grapple with local restrictions and safety concerns. Offertory income is declining. In some extreme cases, operational shortfalls are causing Catholic schools to shut their doors permanently. All the while, pastors wonder if parishioners will ultimately return in the same numbers they did before the…
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The pandemic has created new challenges and changed the way Catholic organizations operate and raise money. At the Steier Group, we have seen the silver linings of this “new normal” and are helping our clients not merely survive this crisis but thrive through it. While the fundamentals of a capital campaign remain unchanged, the following are some of the positive developments we’ve experienced while working through the pandemic. RELATIONSHIPS Relationships are the heart of a healthy organization and the lifeblood of fundraising. Stay-at-home orders and physical distancing have forced us all to reimagine how to sustain relationships and how to…
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The global pandemic has brought uncertainly to every aspect of life. For Catholic parishes, concerns over the virus have negatively impacted Mass attendance, ministry participation and ultimately, the operating budget. But the decline in revenue doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a decline in affinity. In fact, many donors are more motivated than ever to help. Major donors repeatedly tell the Steier Group they are continuing to support the organizations that matter most to them. “You need to ask,” said Paul B. Bolus, a philanthropist in Alabama, during the Steier Group’s Donor Diagnosis live web forum. “You need to do it in…
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A physician was once seeing his patient, the principal of his high school alma mater. Asking how the school was doing, the principal shared they were trying to raise money to improve classroom technology. The doctor asked, “How much would that cost?” to which the principal replied, “We think around $50,000.” At the end of the appointment, the doctor offered to write the school a check to cover the full cost. Surprised, the principal asked, “Are you sure?” “My friend,” the doctor replied, “if someone says they want to give you $50,000, don’t ask them if they’re sure. And yes,…
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For many nonprofits, the Paycheck Protection Program provided a much-needed life raft during the early days of the pandemic. Religious organizations have received an estimated $6 billion to $9 billion in COVID relief funds. Catholic dioceses received $1.4 billion. These loans, many of which will be forgiven, have provided urgent relief, saved four million jobs and enabled nonprofits to continue to serve their communities. However, because initial PPP recipients were required to spend their loans within eight weeks, a time period which was later extended to 24 weeks, the funding is quickly running dry for an increasing number of organizations.…
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Remember when you cancelled your landline or got a new email address? Did you call this change into your parish office? Did you alert your church administrator? Likely no. Parishes and congregations are finding out during COVID-19 that membership rosters are ready for a refresh. It may be time to conduct a census. The outcome will be a roster that contains current email addresses, mailing addresses and cell phone numbers for your supporters. You also may discover that some constituents have moved away – and didn’t leave a forwarding address. The result will be a more accurate database. Is it…
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