Betsy Steehler

Betsy has been leading successful annual giving programs and strategic marketing initiatives for health systems, higher education institutions, nonprofits, and museums for nearly two decades. She is passionate about helping organizations engage their constituents and build their donor pipelines through data-driven strategies combined with industry best practices.

Betsy started out as a student call center manager at her alma mater, SUNY Oswego. After graduating magna cum laude with a B.A. in Public Relations in 2005, she joined the University of Rochester’s Annual Giving team, where she spent the next nine years growing the direct mail and email fundraising programs for Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hospital, Thompson Health, Golisano Children’s Hospital, Wilmot Cancer Institute, Flaum Eye Institute, Visiting Nurse Service/Meals On Wheels, Memorial Art Gallery, Mt. Hope Family Center, and various clinical departments. During her tenure, Betsy achieved a 40 percent increase in direct marketing revenue for these entities, and she also played an integral role in building UR Medicine’s grateful patient program and the first University-wide employee giving campaign. In 2015, Betsy was recruited by the Rochester Regional Health Foundation to lead the five-hospital health system’s Annual Giving programs. She built a team that was responsible for all omni-channel solicitation of donors under $25,000, as well as stewardship of donors under $1,000. The programs she oversaw accounted for nearly 90 percent of RRH’s annual donor base and raised $1.4 million in 2020. Betsy and her team increased donor acquisition by 300 percent and donor retention by more than 500 percent over a five-year period by significantly expanding digital fundraising and launching the first system-wide employee giving campaign, consecutive and mid-level giving societies, a monthly sustainer program, a donor thank-you calling program, and a peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

Betsy’s approach to developing Annual Giving campaigns and strategic marketing initiatives is not one-size-fits-all. She creates plans that are tailored to the specific needs of each organization, taking its goals, strategic priorities, budget, and resources into consideration. By analyzing historical giving patterns and donor behavior, she formulates tactics designed to maximize donor participation and ROI. Betsy’s unique ability to “see the big picture,” connect the dots, and attend to every detail make her an invaluable partner to her clients. Not to mention, she has a knack for storytelling and persuasive writing!

Betsy is a Syracuse native (go Orange!) and currently resides in Brighton with her husband, two young children, and rescue dog. She enjoys traveling, hiking, going to concerts and festivals, and supporting her local community.