Hiring a fundraising consultant best practices

Mar 19 2024

Lessons learned from raising $3 billion

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…

Feb 22 2024

Fundraising trends to watch this year

By Sarah Deeney Steier Tips

It’s a new year, and while the basic formula for fundraising may seem the same, in many ways the landscape for organizations that rely on generous donations is new terrain. Though the latest news for inflation is more hopeful, there is still some uncertainty about whether that will hold steady or if it is a short relief. New technology is also something fundraisers will need to know more about as new capital campaigns are considered by many organizations. These factors and others contribute to fundraising trends in 2024: Establishing donor trust: Between inflation and greater pressure for charitable organizations to…

Jan 09 2024

How to maximize your grant writing potential

By Brian Norton Steier Tips

When you launch a capital campaign and you’re faced with the work that goes into such an effort, it’s easy to dream that some billionaire or foundation will swoop in and award you a massive grant that will fully fund all of your projects and initiatives. Unfortunately, that’s almost certainly not going to happen. Never say never, but you can’t rely on a guardian angel to save the day. You need to put in the work to establish your goals, recruit your volunteers and leaders, and figure out how much to ask and from whom – and then actually make…

Sep 15 2023

Lessons from Twelve Wicker Baskets

By Sarah Deeney Steier Tips, Steier Wire

Launched in February 2022, Twelve Wicker Baskets, the Steier Group’s podcast, broadly explores all the many ways God meets the spiritual and temporal needs of parishes, Catholic schools, dioceses and beyond. The idea for the podcast arose when firm management began to reflect on 25 years of service and how to engage the depth and breadth of knowledge that has accumulated over many different capital campaigns for Catholic dioceses, churches, schools and organizations. “We wanted to connect the work of the development professional and the pastoral leader with the deep roots of stewardship in the Catholic tradition, and it’s become…

Sep 01 2023

Team Catholic: Dream big, then do the work

By Sarah Deeney Steier Tips, Steier Wire

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…

Aug 15 2023

Steier Group promotes Matt Vuorela to CEO

By Sarah Deeney News, Steier Tips

After five years serving as the firm’s president, the Steier Group has promoted Matt Vuorela to Chief Executive Officer. “This is an acknowledgement of the work that Matt is already doing,” Steier said. “He’s serving the Steier Group in such an important capacity. I think it is only right to acknowledge the tremendous work he is doing in leading the firm.” Steier will continue his duties as the founder of the Steier Group. Now with the new title of Chairman of the Board. “I’m all in for the Steier Group,” Vuorela said. “I’m excited to keep growing the work that…

Nov 09 2021

Endowment campaign strategies that work

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

For many nonprofits, raising money for an endowment is the ultimate dream. To have the resources and support necessary to increase an endowment beyond an organization’s operating needs seems like a challenging, yet desirable goal. When you think of an endowment campaign, you might generally think of large nonprofits with endowment funds in the hundreds of millions. While those large institutions are often the most prolific endowment fundraisers, more modest sized nonprofits can and should raise endowment dollars when they are able. Small nonprofits, those raising $5 million per year or less, should generally focus on expanding their general and…

Sep 08 2021

Finding fundraising success during a crisis

By Jim Steier Steier Wire

In addition to our diocesan partners, the Steier Group helped churches, schools, Newman Centers and Catholic Charities across North America weather the pandemic storm. Many of these organizations stayed the course even as lockdowns occurred. Thanks to nimble adjustments, changes in strategy and tailoring fundraising goals to the new state of the world, each found fundraising success. Here are a few campaigns that were successful in 2020: ST. ANNE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON In late 2019, St. Anne engaged the Steier Group to direct the final wave of their Generations of Faith Capital Campaign. At that point, the campaign had…

Aug 12 2021

How to plan a capital campaign launch

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

I wish I could say that a capital campaign launch was as easy as 1-2-3 – meaning you have three easy steps to follow. The process contains more steps than that – and each is critical to your organization’s success. The first step is to determine the need for a capital campaign. Do you need to build an education center? Do you need to reduce debt or strengthen an endowment? Do you need support for operations? Notice the emphasis on “need.” We know from experience that donors prefer to fund needs rather than wants. Donors will support projects that are…

Jul 14 2021

What are the responsibilities of a capital campaign manager?

By Jim Steier Steier Tips

As you consider hiring a professional fundraising and development firm to help with your campaign, you might pause to think: “What will a manager do for me?” Or “How can a manager lead us on the path to success?” Capital campaign managers play a crucial role in any fundraising effort. They set the lead in planning, executing and monitoring projects. Campaign direction and progress revolves around the manager completing their tasks while assisting others with their work. Here are the key duties you should expect your manager to accept during a campaign. Communicating with donors and leadership: External and internal…

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