Working with my dad, Larry Stelter, has definitely been a unique family experience—one that I wouldn’t change for the world. Growing up, I assumed that everyone worked countless hours and frequently traveled across the country. My dad never slowed down, and still truly hasn’t. When I was younger, I hoped to grow up to beContinue reading 3 Important Things I Learned from My Father, Larry Stelter
410.02 billion dollars. That is 2017’s record-breaking number for charitable giving, reported by Giving USA 2018. As you may recall, in their 2017 report, the Giving USA Foundation stated that 2016 reached new philanthropic heights with an impressive $390.05 billion in charitable giving. 2017, not to be outdone, made history—yet again— with their figure generouslyContinue reading ‘Giving USA 2018’: Banner Year for Philanthropy
In her continuing series, we welcome special guest, Stelter Editorial Director, Katie Parker. Impact stories, donor stories—the fundraising industry offers many compelling storytelling opportunities. However, a poor story can cloud your message and take up real estate that could have been leveraged to drive results. The best stories have three qualities: They communicate, they resonate and,Continue reading [Infographic] The Path to a Great Story
A few weeks ago, my brother Jeremy and I met up at the American Council on Gift Annuities Conference in Seattle. Jeremy is Stelter’s director of business development for the Western U.S. and has helped fundraising professionals grow their gift planning programs through research-based marketing strategies for more than 15 years. While together, we talkedContinue reading A Planned Giving Conversation Between Stelter Brothers
The 2018 conference season is in full swing! One of the premier conferences we have the pleasure of attending every two years took place last week in Seattle—The American Council on Gift Annuities Conference. My brother Jeremy and I had the opportunity to attend together. We spent most of our time connecting with our nonprofitContinue reading Top 3 Takeaways from ACGA
It’s finally starting to feel like spring here in Iowa (at least for the next couple days), and the spring conference and speaking season has fully commenced. This time of year is equally exhilarating and exhausting as I find myself all over the country (from Boston to Seattle and Indianapolis to Dallas…and everywhere in between)Continue reading Conversations at 30,000 Feet
April is National Volunteer Month. For those of you who work in the nonprofit world everyday, volunteers are your lifeline. We can talk all day about targeted campaigns, donor lists and multichannel marketing, but without volunteers to go out into our communities, advocate your mission and support you with their time and service, you’d beContinue reading Stelter’s Volunteers: Helping Our Iowa Community
Do you ever walk into a place and just feel it—an energy, a buzz, a vibe? Do you think you have it at your organization? 4 Internal Benchmarks That Your Nonprofit is Thriving Before you ask yourself if your nonprofit’s “thrive-ability” emanates from just these four things—is it really that simple?!—realize they’re broad indicators. ButContinue reading Is Your Nonprofit Thriving?
Nearly half of nonprofit leaders left or planned to leave their position within the next two years, according to The Nonprofit Sector’s Leadership Deficit by The Bridgespan Group. More surprisingly, the major reason for leaving wasn’t retirement. Rather, 12 percent of nonprofit leaders left their positions to go to other organizations—making this the leading reasonContinue reading How You Know Nonprofit Work Is Right for You
Hearts, chocolate, roses—love and sweet things are in the air today. The sweetest notion? Couples really do love … giving together. “Giving is a source of agreement among couples.” —2017 Fidelity Charitable survey A 2017 Fidelity Charitable report found that more than 80 percent of its donors make giving decisions as a couple, including whichContinue reading The Secret to True Love: Giving as a Couple
Research from The Bridgespan Group shows that demand for effective nonprofit leaders today is as high as ever. While demands are being met by filling executive director and other senior management positions fairly quickly and fairly well, the challenge still persists: How do we find a leader who is not only good at what heContinue reading How to Lead like a Boss When the Going Gets Tough
With each new year comes a fresh start, whether that be for your physical fitness regime or your planned giving efforts: Use it to your advantage. 2017 was a year of learning, growth and—as always—change. Kickstart 2018, and your planned giving program, with these ideas: 1. Targeting vs. “Spraying and Praying”—Use our research to yourContinue reading Planned Giving Marketing Trends of 2018
There’s a bit of a chill in the air. Perhaps you’ve felt it? Welcome to January 2018. Sure, we all shake and shiver this time of year. But do you also feel mentally frozen, about being back to work after the glowing holidays while staring at another 12 months of a full calendar? Instead ofContinue reading How to Make 2018 What You Want It to Be
From our biannual Stelter Olympics to my weekend soccer league, I can be a bit competitive. Like most of us, I strive to be the best at what I do—especially in the professional sense. I believe this is because the better we are at what we do, the more profoundly we can affect the livesContinue reading How to Be Better at Being You
End-of-year is here, friends. Not news to you, is it? You’re living it, coming off a weekend of thanks and giving to barely catch a breath before heading into the season of goodwill and a surge in year-end giving. Let’s throw in yesterday’s Giving Tuesday and it’s all a flash before your eyes. Brace yourselfContinue reading How to Use Year-End Numbers to Increase 2018 Fundraising
