With a motivational capital campaign theme, Let’s Grow St. Joe!, the vibrant community of St. Joseph Catholic Church and School in Shelbyville, Indiana, embarked on an inspiring journey of renewal and expansion. From the initial stages of planning to the culmination of a successful capital campaign, a spirit of faith, community and purpose propelled St. Joseph forward, nurturing a culture of generosity. When you drive through the beautiful farmland into Shelbyville, what might catch your eye rising high above the town, are the twin spires of St. Joseph’s Parish. The 150-year-old church needed restoration and repair to bring the beautiful…
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Fr. Joseph Walsh’s invitation for the Steier Group to partner with St. Mary Catholic Church on its capital campaign came with a challenge and a request. Weekend Masses at the parish, situated in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, and near the state capitol, often draw more visitors than parishioners. Could the Steier Group create an approach to encourage these visitors to support a campaign for long overdue repairs and renovations? And the request: Would the Steier Group allow the Blessed Mother to be front and center in the campaign? The Steier Group’s response: Yes to the challenge and a wholehearted yes to…
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Watch the video above for a short message from our CEO, Matt Vuorela. When Jim Steier founded the Steier Group in the attic of the Steier family home in 1997, the idea of helping nonprofits raise $3 billion seemed unfathomable. And yet, in early 2024, the Steier Group surpassed the $3 billion milestone. This achievement is a testament to the hard-working campaign managers, management team and support staff of the Steier Group, but, more importantly, to our incredible partners. From pastors and bishops to donors and volunteers, each campaign would not be a success without the work of communities…
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Team Catholic. It is a simple idea. Every member of the community working in unity to support the Catholic Church. But, in the Steier Group’s work across North America, we’ve found that’s often not the case. You may recognize some of these issues: A pastor unwilling to participate in a diocesan campaign. A development director focused on the bishop’s annual appeal but not parish offertory. A school principal ignoring the value of its supportive parish. Some of this is human nature. We focus on what’s right in front of us. Seeing the bigger picture isn’t always possible. But working together…
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Are you concerned that a capital campaign will negatively impact your organization’s annual giving program? Contrary to this common belief, the evidence is clear that capital campaigns have a positive effect on overall annual giving. Here are a few reasons why a capital campaign will increase your yearly support: Increased donor engagement. Capital campaigns involve engagement from donors in many ways. Whether it’s participating in a study, serving on a campaign team, making a financial commitment, or attending events and celebrating milestones, this increased engagement builds stronger relationships with donors and benefactors, which leads to increased ongoing support. New donor…
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Through the Hope for the Future campaign, the Paulist Fathers raised over $30 million, far exceeding the initial public goal of $20 million. The key? The Paulists never made their campaign about money. Instead, the campaign focused on the Paulists’ mission. “Because people have been accompanied so well by Paulists over the years, people just responded,” said the Rev. Eric Andrews, CSP, who served as president of the Paulist Fathers from 2014-22. “Obviously if you don’t feel pastorally fed, accompanied and cared for, (fundraising) is going to be a heavier lift. But clearly people have benefited from the Paulist mission…
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Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Community in Katy, Texas, kicked off its capital campaign in October 2019. The campaign combined the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s archdiocesan campaign with its own needs. The community faced debt from the construction of a new school plus parish improvements and supporting the expanding school. Four months into the campaign, the world came to an abrupt stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fr. Tom Lam made two critical moves during what amounted to be an 18-month campaign pause. He encouraged parishioners to sign up for periodic messages through the parish email system. Signups exceeded the parish…
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St. Francis of Assisi in Wichita, Kansas, is the founding parish of the Diocese of Wichita’s nationally renowned stewardship model. In the 1970’s, Msgr. Thomas McGread served as pastor at St. Francis of Assisi where he developed the stewardship model currently used by the Diocese of Wichita. As a result of Msgr. McGread’s groundbreaking work, families in the Diocese of Wichita today do not pay tuition for Catholic education and there is no diocesan annual appeal. Families, pastors, diocesan leadership and all the faithful are dedicated to tithing at such a level where tuition and annual appeals are not necessary.…
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How can we ask for money at a time like this? That has been a common question from nonprofits since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020. For the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, the question arose as it was halfway through its $35 million One Heart, One Soul Campaign. After a brief pause, the diocese restarted its campaign in fall 2020, despite strict limits on Mass attendance and other COVID-related restrictions. The diocese has no regrets. “When you look at this through the lens of stewardship, through the lens of faith, it became clear that the option…
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When the pandemic shutdown much of the U.S. last year, campaign leadership with the Newman Center at Northern Arizona University (NAU) did not waver. They never hesitated in their goal to continue raising the funding needed to address their capital needs. “I thought ‘God is with us. We can do this,’” said Angela Vargas, the chief operations officer for the ministry center. She served as a leader for the Together, Let Us Go Forth Capital Campaign. While most Americans viewed the restrictions and a slowed economy through unnerving eyes, Vargas remained confident. Aware that leadership with other campaigns across the…
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