Increased Giving for Capital Campaign Success

The days of only taking donations via envelope are over. You must meet your donors where they are and that includes online giving. The Steier Group will help you increase your online giving and overall fundraising through a successful campaign.

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By the Numbers

3.4

Billion Raised

123

Of Fundraising Goal

Million Raised from Foundations

States and Provinces Served

Giving Rooted in Research

A successful campaign starts with a strong foundation. Our feasibility studies assess the readiness of your parish or organization to conduct a campaign. Then a strong campaign plan sets the framework for a successful effort. That includes enhancing your online giving capabilities and increasing your annual appeal.

Best Practices for Increased Giving

One of the best ways to increase your giving is a capital campaign. While that may seem obvious as a campaign is a large scale fundraising effort, at the Steier Group we have found that a well-run campaign will also increase annual fundraising. Here are some of the reasons why a campaign is beneficial for more than just the dollars raised:

1. Donor cultivation

During the feasibility study, we will engage your entire donor base through in-person interviews, in-pew or online surveys. This provides important data for the capital campaign but also for increased giving overall. The process will uncover the best ways to reach your supporters. Which messages resonate with them. And will allow you to better cultivate your relationships with key major givers.

2. Planned Giving

The feasibility study and campaign allow you to learn more about your donors and to teach your donors about other ways they can support your church, school or organization. Throughout the process, we ask donors if they have considered leaving a planned gift. This will uncover planned gifts and inspire others to include you in their future plans. Knowing that you have support coming in the future provides even great peace of mind.

3. Exciting your donors

One of the biggest benefits of a capital campaign is the excitement it generates. Weekly offertory or annual giving is incredibly important but not fun or exciting. But building a new church building or adding on a STEM wing to a school generates buzz around the community. And while a lot of that energy is focused on the campaign, it also inspires donors to increase their annual giving because they are excited about the future of your organization.

4. Informing your donors

Additionally, a campaign allows you to communicate more frequently with donors. You can share your story and that allows them to see the big impact their annual giving has on the community.

5. Improved major gift fundraising

Sometimes, our major givers can feel like they are the only ones supporting the organization. They likely make major donations and are involved in other ways. It can often feel one sided or like others in the community aren’t carrying their weight. And there is truth there – everyone is aware of the 80-20 rule, that at least 80% of your support will come from 20% of donors. But a campaign invited the entire community to participate in a sacrificial way. Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice. When the entire community participates, it can inspire increased major gift fundraising.

What Sets Our Giving Apart

Comprehensive Donor Interviews

During the feasibility study, we conduct in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to understand readiness, capacity, and donor sentiment. This information allows us to know how best to reach out donors and which form of giving they are most likely to use.

Donor cultivation

In the study, we gather important information about your donors. And the communications strategy allows you to better cultivate your donor connections and relationships, which leads to increased giving.

Annual Appeal Increases

While we can’t guarantee your annual appeal will increase after a campaign, our results show that a major fundraising effort inspires increased giving across the board.

Backed by Catholic Giving Expertise

Our team specializes in Catholic fundraising — and every step of the study and campaign are designed to achieve your mission and vision.

Named one of the “Best Fundraising Companies in 2025” by The Lead Pastor

What people are saying about partnering with the Steier Group

“I've worked on many capital campaigns in my four-plus decades of priesthood, and can genuinely say that Steier Group is the best philanthropic consultancy organization I've encountered.”
Fr. Patrick HipwellPastor of Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church in St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Patrick's Catholic Church Capital Campaign in Elkhorn, Nebraska

“Raising $30 million dollars is not an easy task and at times it could be overwhelming. The Steier Group helped us remain focused and organized while offering encouragement. We are very pleased with the services they provided. They helped us achieve our goal and we would highly recommend them to others looking to conduct a study or a capital campaign.”
Fr. Tom Fangman and Eric CrawfordPastor and Advancement Director of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska

Newman Catholic School Capital Campaign in Mason City, Iowa.

“The results of our campaign speak for themselves and speak highly for the Steier Group. We received three of the largest gifts in our history and far surpassed even the most optimistic projections. So much of the credit goes to the Steier Group team for coaching us through the process and putting us in a position to succeed.”
Lynn PtacekFoundation Director, Newman Catholic Foundation

“The Steier Group's approach is very much rooted in stewardship as a way of life, and this focus ensured that the mission of the Church was integrated in every aspect of our campaign. This allowed us not only to raise a significant amount of funds, but to do so in a positive, faith-filled way. This approach ensured a positive experience for our pastors and parishioners - even through the challenges of COVID-19.”
Most Rev. Douglas Crosby, OMIBishop of Hamilton in Hamilton, Ontario

Connect with us today to learn more about our mission and services, or to discuss your organization’s current fundraising needs.

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Our Recent Successes

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How can the Steier Group assist you?

Connect with us today to learn more about our mission and services, or to discuss your organization’s current fundraising needs. Please provide your information and a brief message, and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can we increase our giving?

Share your story. Your donors already support your organization. But if they can see real tangible benefits to their donations, they will likely increase their giving and support.

What is online giving?

Online giving is a digital way of making a donation. Most nonprofits, churches and schools will have an online giving platform where supporters can submit a donation through a website. It allows for recurring donations, covering of credit card fees and other important attributes.

What is donor cultivation?

Donor cultivation is the act of connecting with the donors in your community. You build a relationship with them, get to understand why they support your organization and how best to communicate with them. Cultivating your relationship with donors will allow you to maintain a better connection and keep their support strong.

What are church capital campaign giving levels?

During a church capital campaign, it is common to set giving levels so that donors have options to choose from. It is common to customize the giving levels depending on the donor’s capacity. You would not want to suggest the same giving levels to a major giver capable of a six-figure gift the same giving levels chart as a smaller donor.