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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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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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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By Matt Vuorela / Chief Executive Officer of Steier Group The first step in a capital campaign should always be a feasibility study. In fact, at Steier Group, we call them campaign planning studies for a reason – a well-run study will acquire the right information to allow us to customize a capital campaign plan to best achieve fundraising success. During a capital campaign feasibility study, your entire donor database is invited to participate and voice their opinions about the goals of a capital campaign. You will learn important information about the goals most important to your community and the…
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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 43rd…
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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 42nd…
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