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Online fundraising best practices

Feb 22 2024

Fundraising trends to watch this year

By 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…

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Jan 24 2023

2023 fundraising trends to watch

By Steier Tips

At its heart, fundraising is a simple process that can lead to big things – people asking people to support causes dear to their heart. But, as you know, that doesn’t mean that fundraising is easy. While the US is still recovering from the pandemic and dealing with inflation, the data for fundraising shows that things are still looking strong and optimistic. In the Fundraising Effectiveness Project’s most recent report, they found that while the number of donors were down 7%, donations were up 6.2%, thanks to major donors. GivingTuesday estimates that giving in the United States alone totaled $3.1 billion representing…

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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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Jun 03 2020

Live forum: Eliminating the Envelope

By Steier Tips

Religious organizations – when faced with plummeting financial support from their members because of COVID-19 – flocked to provide a platform for online giving. What often took parishes and congregations months to convert turned into a transition of days by necessity, Jared Fritz, Pushpay’s marketing manager, told forum participants that focused on “Eliminating the Envelope.” The forum was hosted by the Steier Group. Fritz shared statistics with participants that reinforced the value of providing donors with a platform for online giving: 74% of churches offer some type of online giving. Less than 15 percent donate by using checks. More than…

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Feb 13 2020

Nonprofits active on social media see higher donations

By Steier Tips

For nonprofits, social media presents a major opportunity. Nonprofits can share their stories, interact with supporters and donors, and have an impact on the daily life of their communities. As of 2019, Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of American adults are on social media. Facebook was most popular with 69 percent of adults using it. From that group, 74 percent said they use Facebook daily. Looking at those statistics, it should come as no surprise that social media can have an impact on the fundraising of a nonprofit. CatholicSocial.Media, a Steier Group partner, found that churches that post daily on Facebook…

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Nov 15 2019

How to incorporate Giving Tuesday into a capital campaign

By Steier Tips

A national or regional day of giving, such as Giving Tuesday, could seem to be at odds with a complex fundraising effort like a capital campaign. Devoting time and resources to one day of fundraising could take away focus and funds from a campaign. But that doesn’t have to be the case! With proper planning and clear communications, it’s possible to successfully incorporate Giving Tuesday or any day of giving into your capital campaign. At the Steier Group, we often conclude our onsite campaign management with Commitment Weekend. It’s a chance to celebrate the fundraising success achieved during the capital campaign while…

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Sep 24 2019

Four tips for successful year-end fundraising

By Steier Tips

The end of summer is a great time to review your year-end fundraising program. The fourth quarter is such an important time for nonprofits as donors decide where to send their final donations of the year. Thinking ahead now will put your organization in a great spot for a successful end-of-year appeal. Here are a few things to keep in mind as the end of 2019 approaches: Look back at your yearly goals and evaluate your performance. Were expectations unfulfilled, met or exceeded? Remember to engage your staff, donors and volunteers in this process through a year-end survey or poll….

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Jun 11 2019

Don’t miss out on donors by ignoring digital giving in a capital campaign

By Steier Tips

For a student, 10 percent is the difference between earning a grade of B or that coveted A. For a baseball player, 10 percent is the difference between being a good hitter or among the best all-time hitters in the game. For your capital campaign – and more importantly, for your cause – 10 percent is the difference between Almost and We did it! In its Charitable Giving Report, the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact reported that nearly 10 percent of fundraising in the Faith Communities sector in 2018 came from online giving. Other sectors, such as Arts & Culture, K-12 Education and Animal…

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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 11 2018

Developing your digital fundraising toolbox

By Steier Wire

Even if a comprehensive digital marketing platform isn’t right for your organization, there are many big and small ways you can increase the strength of your online fundraising efforts. Here are a few tips you can implement now to develop your digital fundraising toolbox: Online giving platform. If you do not currently have a way for donors to support you online, find one! The Steier Group has partnered with aware3 to provide a capital campaign online giving solution to clients. Use social media. If your organization does not have a social media presence, you are missing out on ways to…

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