Diocese of Lansing

THE CHALLENGE

Catholic education has long been central to the mission of the Diocese of Lansing, yet rising tuition costs, increasing calls for special needs support and growing competition to attract and retain qualified teachers placed new pressures on schools and parishes alike. At the same time, not every parish directly operates a school, creating differing levels of familiarity and urgency around Catholic education across the diocese. Compounding the complexity, a capital campaign would carry a highly detailed structure and policy framework, along with a public goal that created heightened expectations among diocesan leadership, pastors and donors. Aligning perspectives and parish realities would be the heaviest lift of this project.

THE VISION

The vision of the campaign focused on making Catholic education across the Diocese of Lansing ever more on-mission, affordable and accessible, while also strengthening parishes and faith formation efforts at the local level. Campaign priorities included:

• Attracting, forming, training and retaining excellent, faithful teachers and administrators.
• Strengthening Catholic identity.
• Creating avenues to maintain higher teacher retention and stabilize school leadership.
• Growing tuition assistance substantially, expanding the Catholic Schools Aid Endowment and establishing new family grants to lower barriers to entry for Catholic education for affordability.
• Supporting parish schools, religious education, faith formation and homeschool programs.
• Returning a portion of campaign funds directly to parishes for locally determined needs.

THE SOLUTION

The Diocese of Lansing chose to partner with the Steier Group to provide experienced leadership, disciplined strategy and steady guidance throughout a complex and highly visible campaign. The Steier Group worked closely with diocesan leadership to navigate differing expectations, address challenges early and maintain alignment with the bishop’s pastoral vision. Honesty, clarity and consistency became hallmarks of the campaign’s management. The Steier Group invested significant time ensuring campaign managers fully understood the detailed policies and priorities, enabling them to communicate effectively with pastors and parish leaders, especially those in parishes without schools. Transparent reporting, consistent messaging and a strong relationship approach helped build credibility and trust across the diocese. Through strong collaboration and faithful stewardship, the Steier Group helped the Diocese of Lansing advance a bold, mission-driven effort that strengthens Catholic education, supports families and equips future generations to live as saint and scholars in today’s world.