Fundraising Best Practices from the Steier Group

Mar 12 2020

Four traits of a successful feasibility study

What if you could predict the success of your capital campaign in just a few short weeks? Good news – you can. A well-managed, successful feasibility study can help you test interest in your proposed plans, identify volunteers, hear from your key donors, and, most importantly, forecast the funds you’ll raise in your capital campaign. However, not all planning studies are created equal. Here are a few key characteristics of a fruitful study: A strong response rate: A well-managed planning study gathers a wide response across all groups of constituents. A good mantra to follow is: if you are going to…

Feb 13 2020

Nonprofits active on social media see higher donations

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

For nonprofits, social media presents a major opportunity. Nonprofits can share their stories, interact with supporters and donors, and have an impact on the daily life of their communities. As of 2019, Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of American adults are on social media. Facebook was most popular with 69 percent of adults using it. From that group, 74 percent said they use Facebook daily. Looking at those statistics, it should come as no surprise that social media can have an impact on the fundraising of a nonprofit. CatholicSocial.Media, a Steier Group partner, found that churches that post daily on Facebook…

Jan 21 2020

Strong capital campaigns follow storytelling structure

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

Facts don’t always speak for themselves. It may be obvious to your leadership that it’s time to update the HVAC system, address that longstanding debt or that your growing organization requires more space. But for your supporters to convene and push such projects to success, plain facts must be shared within the framework of a story. Fittingly, one of the most important pieces to any successful fundraising campaign is effective storytelling. All stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. In the beginning, a problem arises. The middle of the story is finding the means to solve the problem,…

Dec 19 2019

Three ways to steward a donor relationship

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

The holiday season is the perfect time to reflect on the past year. Your organization was likely blessed in countless ways over the last 12 months and you should recognize and acknowledge those blessings. It is especially important this time of year to maintain donor relationships by showing your appreciation. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to assume donors know how their gift impacted your organization. It’s easy to fall into the trap of losing touch with your donors as the months and years pass from their initial gift, but it is important to continue, and ultimately strengthen,…

Nov 15 2019

How to incorporate Giving Tuesday into a capital campaign

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

A national or regional day of giving, such as Giving Tuesday, could seem to be at odds with a complex fundraising effort like a capital campaign. Devoting time and resources to one day of fundraising could take away focus and funds from a campaign. But that doesn’t have to be the case! With proper planning and clear communications, it’s possible to successfully incorporate Giving Tuesday or any day of giving into your capital campaign. At the Steier Group, we often conclude our onsite campaign management with Commitment Weekend. It’s a chance to celebrate the fundraising success achieved during the capital campaign while…

Oct 17 2019

What is a donor advised fund and how can it help your organization?

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

The world of nonprofit fundraising is filled with assumptions and misconceptions, many of which are held and advanced by professionals within its own ranks. One such example is that foundations are made, maintained and funded by the uber-wealthy, leaving the rest of the population with only traditional gifting vehicles such as multi-year pledges, gifts of cash and stock transfers. This narrative is obviously a generalization. As proof, consider the recent offering by Schwab Charitable that allows prospective donors to open a Donor Advised Fund with a minimal contribution of $5,000. While this vehicle may allow John Doe to feel like…

Sep 24 2019

Four tips for successful year-end fundraising

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

The end of summer is a great time to review your year-end fundraising program. The fourth quarter is such an important time for nonprofits as donors decide where to send their final donations of the year. Thinking ahead now will put your organization in a great spot for a successful end-of-year appeal. Here are a few things to keep in mind as the end of 2019 approaches: Look back at your yearly goals and evaluate your performance. Were expectations unfulfilled, met or exceeded? Remember to engage your staff, donors and volunteers in this process through a year-end survey or poll….

Aug 15 2019

What to do between capital campaigns

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

You’ve just finished a successful capital campaign. Time to celebrate! All that hard work has helped you get a long-awaited project off the ground. However, you knew this project was going to take more than one capital campaign to accomplish. You’ve raised enough to get the project started, but you have more pieces that are part of your vision. And your organization needs some time in between campaigns. What do you do in between campaigns to sustain your vision and put yourself in position for a successful follow-up effort? Here are a few ideas: Effectively follow up on the first…

Jul 10 2019

Capital campaign follow-up leads to even greater success

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

So, your campaign ends with great success. Your effort raised millions, meaning you can address your organization’s pressing needs. You mark the achievement with a donor/volunteer appreciation party, say goodbye to your fundraising counsel, close the door on the capital campaign and wait for the pledge payments to arrive. Scenarios like this play out in the nonprofit community all the time thanks to generous benefactors and dedicated volunteers. But while the sacrifice of donors and the efforts of the campaign team eventually translate into completed projects or funded programs, the fundraising should not end with the conclusion of the active…

Jun 11 2019

Don’t miss out on donors by ignoring digital giving in a capital campaign

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

For a student, 10 percent is the difference between earning a grade of B or that coveted A. For a baseball player, 10 percent is the difference between being a good hitter or among the best all-time hitters in the game. For your capital campaign – and more importantly, for your cause – 10 percent is the difference between Almost and We did it! In its Charitable Giving Report, the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact reported that nearly 10 percent of fundraising in the Faith Communities sector in 2018 came from online giving. Other sectors, such as Arts & Culture, K-12 Education and Animal…

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