The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort represent philanthropic home runs. Employing social media platforms, both campaigns secured an unprecedented number of modest contributions from an international pool of donors and raised tens of millions of dollars. If you are tempted to replace personal visits with social media to secure gifts to your capital campaign, ask two practical questions: How many $10, $50 or $100 gifts do you need to fund your upcoming project? How long is the list of donors likely to give to your campaign? The ALS and Red Cross campaigns succeeded with…
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It’s time. As we enter the homestretch of the year, charitable organizations are turning their focus to year-end giving strategies. Often overlooked during this time are opportunities to present specific (sometimes creative) charitable gift planning ideas. Your donors are making plans to review their estates with accountants, attorneys and financial advisors – now is the season to educate them and present opportunities for gifts in wills, charitable trusts, life insurance policies or other deferred giving methods. Here are some ideas to enhance the marketing of planned gifts as the year comes to a close: Send a Thanksgiving Day note of…
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The importance of a well-written thank you note is arguably best defined in this comment by Dale Carnegie: “Writing a sincere thank you note is one of the professional skills that can make a lasting, favorable impression.” Acts of compassion must be recognized. No matter the size of the donation or sacrifice, people appreciate being thanked. They want to be reminded they are making a difference. And in today’s web-driven world, an email, text or tweet does not make the same impact as an old fashion, handwritten thank you note arriving in the mail. When considering who should write the…
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The building project has finally been approved and it’s time to raise funds to turn this long-awaited dream into a reality. You put your apron on because you know you’ll need to sell more than a few desserts to get where you want to go. After you, and countless others, have put in hours, days and weeks of planning and baking, you’re finally ready for the annual bake sale. When it’s all said and done, you netted $900 toward your multi-million dollar project. Sound familiar? I love a good piece of apple pie, but when your organization needs to raise…
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Let’s face it: People typically don’t enjoy asking their friends, neighbors and coworkers for money. At the Steier Group, this approach to fundraising has led to hundreds of successful capital campaigns for our clients. Our clients know our capital campaign philosophy is based on two simple premises: People give to people they know People give when asked Sometimes, our clients shy away from using personal visits as the staple in their campaigns. They would rather ask for support through group gatherings, telephone calls or direct mail. We know that our campaigns are most successful when prospective donors receive a personal…
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When you learn your organization has been named in a donor's will it can be a very exciting, but sometimes confusing, time. The planned gift may be from a faithful donor who is well known to you and your organization. But sometimes it’s from a donor who has no apparent connection to your organization, and you have no record of them in your database. In either case, you should ask three important questions after learning that someone has remembered your organization in his/her will: “Who is the personal representative?”: The personal representative (or executor) is the person named in the…
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It’s often the first question I am asked when I sit down with a potential client, “Jim, are we ready for a campaign?” The question, in theory, should be a straight forward “yes” or “no.” But as anyone who works in development knows, there are far more factors to be considered before you can make an educated answer. As you begin to consider the possibility of a capital campaign, do a quick inventory and ask yourself a few questions, but make sure you give honest answers. It’s a simple and quick exercise that will benefit you in the long run.…
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Raising large sums of money can be a strenuous process. There must be a focused investment of time and resources in order to communicate your needs to donors and ultimately secure a gift. Oftentimes, organizations get so caught up in securing the actual commitment that they neglect one of the most important steps in donor cultivation: communicating your success. Donors want specifics. They want to know how their gift is being used to further your nonprofit’s mission. They want to believe that their sacrifice – however large or small – is making a difference. The responsibility of communicating this information…
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The decision has been made, and it’s a big one: your organization will move forward with a capital campaign. These are exciting times, but your to-do list is about to grow considerably. First things first: Don’t forget your staff. Make sure employees, at every level, are notified first about this big decision. Don’t let them hear second-hand from a volunteer or donor. They deserve to hear this important news from you. Their buy-in and support are critical to the success of the campaign. Consider these additional suggestions: Meet personally with each employee. Share why you support the project. Make it…
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Capital campaigns are often times of celebration in an organization’s history. The need for funding can mean the organization is growing, expanding, serving more and doing more. From the satisfaction of securing those first large gifts, to confirming key leaders, to publicly kicking off the effort and building excitement around the long-term vision, a campaign brings a community together in the spirit of stewardship, generosity and, ideally, sacrificial giving. There are times, however, when a capital campaign can be temporarily derailed by unforeseen circumstances: the departure of an executive director or development director; a general chair unwilling to support the…
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