Does your development team need guidance on building relationships with potential major donors?
Are you struggling to tell your organization’s story in a compelling yet positive way?
Does your board understand fundraising and their role in it?
Betsy brings fundraising expertise and experience with a positive attitude to help you raise funds and reduce stress.

Alan Houston, Betsy Steward, Kevin Bovet, Matthew Polenzani.jpg

Fundraising is a team sport!

Betsy helps nonprofits succeed in fundraising by coaching development staff and executive directors, and by educating boards so they understand their role in fundraising. When the board and staff work together to engage donors, much more money is raised, resulting in a much bigger impact for the people being served by the nonprofit. More money = more mission!

  • "Choosing Betsy Steward as our organization's first Development Director was the best hiring decision I ever made. We worked together for 10 years, during which time Betsy's unwavering optimism, relentless work ethic, thirst for continuous learning and improvement, and determination to keep human connection at the center of all our fundraising helped the organization succeed beyond our wildest dreams. She also has a wonderful sense of humor (critical in surviving the ups and downs of fundraising!) and finds true joy in connecting donors to causes they care about."

    - Cora Greenberg, WCA Executive Director during Betsy’s tenure at WCA, now retired

  • “Betsy is the consummate professional, and her knowledge of the not-for-profit world is vast. Her easy way with people and her extensive fundraising experience helped us to expand our network of supporters and yield unexpected revenue for our organization. What an asset to Westchester Children’s Association she was!”

    - Lisa Kahn, former Board Member, Westchester Children’s Association

  • “Betsy helped us to manage and prioritize our fundraising and donor outreach efforts. Her coaching helped us develop new skills and she empowered us to make our vision a reality. With her help, we raised more money than we thought was possible. Consequently, our programs are flourishing, and our children and families are thriving.“

    - Shawn Cribari, Director of Development, Ossining Children’s Center

  • “While I was not a total novice at public speaking, in just a few sessions of one-on-one practice, Betsy helped me refine and elevate my process in a way that ensures that every time I approach a public speaking opportunity, my presentation is smooth, my tone and language is appropriate, and I'm able to convey exactly what I need to. She also taught me that showing people who I am and infusing my own personality are just as important as the content that needs to be shared. Thank you, Betsy, for empowering me!”

    - Vanessa Pairis, Board Chair, Ossining Children’s Center

  • “Betsy is such a skilled zoom presenter, and she explained the materials and concepts in a way that was easy to absorb. I keep thinking about her planning and scheduling recommendations, and how so much of the success in this realm is based on doing the work diligently, being organized, and following up!”

    - Suzanne Gardos, Manager, Community Engagement, Nonprofit Westchester

  • "Betsy helped me get past my fears of everything I had built up major gifts to be. She broke it down. Showed me that planning and practice make anything possible. Betsy reminded me that being asked to participate in important work is powerful. Her coaching allowed me to start making major gifts calls one at a time. I am so glad I asked for her help."

    - Erinn Burch, Executive Director, United Way of Eastern New Mexico

  • "I have known Betsy Steward as a boss, consultant to my organization’s capital campaign, and friend. She has as thorough an understanding of what it takes to be a successful development professional as anyone I have ever met. Betsy is a talented teacher and is always willing to go the extra mile to share what she has learned to help organizations get the best results possible. Betsy also has a great sense of humor: She will make you laugh, whether you feel like it or not!"

    - Maureen Natkin, Vice President of Development at Westhab, Inc.

  • “Betsy's the real deal. She combines emotional intelligence and kindness with deep professional expertise and sophisticated best practices in fundraising and nonprofit management. This unique and winning combination makes her a first-rate advisor for big and small non-profits alike, and allows her to move from the board room to the front line without missing a beat. She's a joy to work with, and always gives 100% to her clients.”

    - Sonja Carter, JD, Principal Development Strategist at Florida State University (and former colleague of Betsy’s at the Heller Fundraising Group)

 
 

Betsy and the team at Westchester Children's Association

 
 

Areas of Expertise

  • Major Donor Cultivation and Solicitation Coaching

  • Coaching Boards on Fundraising

  • Communicating with Donors through the Written Word

  • Making Presentations

  • Back-Office Organization

  • Fundraising Best Practices

The Fundraiser’s Blog

 

How to Handle “No” from a Nonprofit Donor: Fundraising Skills I Learned in my Opera Career

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Handwritten Notes,
the Secret Weapon
in Fundraising

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Nonprofit Major Gift Solicitation as Performance: Personal Preparation

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Would your Nonprofit pass a Development Audit? 
A 10-Point Checklist
with Tips

Read more