Considering a capital campaign? First, complete a feasibility (campaign planning) study. Every. Single. Time! The title of this month’s Steier Tips may generate some questions. Why invest in a study if we know we must do a campaign? We have already surveyed our supporters and know they like our plan; is a study really necessary? Those are fair questions, but modern studies accomplish so much more than testing the feasibility of your project – when done the right way. Studies have evolved over the years, so much so that the Steier Group does not call them “feasibility studies” anymore. They…
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These are unprecedented times. While there is understandably a lot of anxiety and uncertainty about what a nonprofit organization should do as the economy struggles and much of society shuts down, certain truths are unchanged. Your organization remains committed to achieving its mission, your needs are real, and your mission relies upon timely and effective fundraising. The Steier Group is no stranger to advancing our clients’ mission in times of crisis. We’ve faced the uncertainties following the tragedy of 9/11, the economic instability of the great recession, many regional natural disasters (hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc.) and, for our Catholic clients,…
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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…
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Great news! Your organization’s recently-completed planning study found strong support for a capital campaign. Your donors are fired up and ready to support such a transformational fundraising effort. You have interested volunteers and leaders excited to step up. What’s your next step? At the Steier Group, we advise our clients to start the capital campaign immediately – preferably in less than two weeks. We have found that delaying the start of a capital campaign after a successful planning study can hinder the success of the effort. In 194 church capital campaigns over the last 10 years, we found that clients…
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Can you have too much of a good thing? When it comes to an annual appeal the answer is “yes.” The Steier Group works often with nonprofits that pushed too hard and too fast on their annual appeals. “Our annual appeal brings in great returns. Let’s make it into a campaign by increasing the goals and the amount we request. We will have even bigger success!” That’s usually how the thinking goes. Unfortunately for organizations that attempt this, the end result often leaves much to be desired. Not only does it harm your annual giving program in the long term,…
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In a major fundraising effort, you will face a number of difficult questions and decisions. None may be bigger than this: Where do we begin? Simply put, the planning stages of successful capital campaigns can begin long before your initial call to the Steier Group. We want to be part of your planning process, but we also know we do our best work when we partner with you at the right time. That “right time” for your organization usually means after you have accomplished some, if not all, of the following: Strategic plan: Putting together a strategic plan allows you…
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“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) We all operate under the cyclic rhythm and pace of seasons and events important to us and our organizations. Just as our annual calendar moves through the four seasons, so too we live by other markers of time: academic calendars, fiscal calendars, tax season and more. The many Catholic clients we serve live by the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent and Easter. In addition, our communities celebrate special events yearly, from remembering the anniversary of a founding or…
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As the calendar turns from year to year, you may be tempted to closely examine your master plan with the desire to take the next step toward fulfilling that strategic blueprint. Such intentions, designed to ensure or enhance the integrity of an organization’s mission, invariably lead to a discussion of a capital campaign and the best time for leadership to accept a major undertaking. Before moving forward and accepting the challenge, all nonprofits need to answer two capital campaign questions. First, study the validity of the project. Whether considering the construction of a new building, the expansion of the current…
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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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