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Fundraising database management best practices

Jan 22 2021

Lessons learned during the pandemic will stick with fundraisers

By Steier Tips

The extreme nature of the changes to society during the pandemic challenged fundraisers to evolve our strategies – almost overnight – in ways that were and still are unimaginable. In our current environment, with social distancing restrictions, quarantines and face masks, there is one constant – there is no magic recipe for fundraising. There are, however, many tools that can be adapted strategically by an organization to ensure fundraising success. They helped many nonprofits stay above water in 2020 and will be just as important in 2021 and beyond as vaccines roll out and things evolve into a new normal….

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Jul 17 2020

Now’s a great time to conduct a census

By Steier Tips

Remember when you cancelled your landline or got a new email address? Did you call this change into your parish office? Did you alert your church administrator? Likely no. Parishes and congregations are finding out during COVID-19 that membership rosters are ready for a refresh. It may be time to conduct a census. The outcome will be a roster that contains current email addresses, mailing addresses and cell phone numbers for your supporters. You also may discover that some constituents have moved away – and didn’t leave a forwarding address. The result will be a more accurate database. Is it…

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Feb 11 2019

Major donor engagement is key to fundraising success

By Steier Tips

How well do you know your major donors? Your answer to that question is key to your organization’s chance for fundraising success, especially during a capital campaign. After 21 years of service and more than $2 billion raised for our clients, the Steier Group has learned that there are three critical success factors of a capital campaign: strong leadership at the CEO level, a compelling project vision and a dedicated volunteer force. Even when these factors are met, however, capital campaign success is not guaranteed. Our campaign managers often encounter nonprofits who have misidentified the engagement level of their major…

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Sep 11 2018

Growing your donor database with innovative technology

By Steier Wire

How does an abbey and prep school in Southern California have donors in more than 41 states and 11 countries? The case for support from Catholics and others living in Southern California is obvious — the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s provide numerous services to the local community on a daily basis. But there are undoubtedly great nonprofits and religious organizations having an impact in each of those states and countries. So how did St. Michael’s grow this support from outside its obvious target area? In part through developing its advancement office’s skills in an emerging piece of the fundraising…

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Sep 06 2016

Powering your capital campaign with data

By Steier Wire

Good data is the cornerstone of a modern, successful fundraising effort. A solid capital campaign database with updated contact information and previous donation information proves vital to a successful effort. The Steier Group helps our clients use wealth research to get a feel for what is possible through a campaign. Then we use that data to design compelling infographics that inspire donors to give. For our diocesan clients, the effective use of data can add millions to a campaign total. Database management An updated capital campaign database is a powerful tool for any diocesan fundraising effort. It’s the key to…

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Dec 07 2015

Avoid losing touch with your donors by conducting a census

By Steier Tips

A common dilemma facing nonprofits prior to the start of a capital campaign or planning study is an out-of-date database. Despite the fact that the database is among an organization’s most valuable fundraising tools, it often goes neglected with thoughts of updating it ignored until a large stack of “return to sender” surveys or letters arrives in the mailbox. Such an approach can prove costly, not only in lost postage and materials, but more importantly, lost contact with a nonprofit’s most valuable resource, its donors. To avoid such a predicament, it is wise to take a periodic roll call of…

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Jun 03 2014

Don’t lose touch with donors during migration of snowbirds

By Steier Tips

As you are probably aware, the term “snowbird” refers to a northerner who moves to a warmer southern state during the winter months. The majority of the year they live in the area they consider home, but when the temperature dips, they relocate to a secondary residence to enjoy a milder winter. Generally, snowbirds begin their migration around the holidays and don’t return until late spring. Many organizations in colder climates have supporters that fall into this category, and it is imperative that you implement a plan for maintaining contact with them. Here are suggestions for keeping the lines of…

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