Our Approach

We believe that building relationships with donors over time is at the very core of the fundraising process.

Donors need to be taken seriously—not just when asked to give, attend an event, or volunteer—but from initial contact and throughout their lifetimes.

Taking Donors Seriously®

The FOCUS Group Philosophy

Case
The case statement presents your mission, programs, plans, financial needs and strategy to raise the required funds. It presents a clear picture of why your organization exists and where you are going. A case statement is a presentation tool used when meeting face-to-face with major donors and also serves as the basic source for all communications and events.
Leadership
Successful fundraising depends on the support of key leadership within an organization. The FOCUS Group works together with you to ensure unity of purpose, development of staff, and cultivation of volunteers who partner with you to raise support for your organization.
Prospects
Analyzing a list of current and potential donors maximizes fundraising by honing in on the top prospects for your mission. The FOCUS Group identifies prospects most likely to invest in and be an important part of what you’re doing through a variety of research tools, including Generosity Screening, Snapshots and Biographies. We identify prospects with three characteristics: capacity, inclination, and generosity.
Strategy
While we believe that you should take every donor seriously, we do not believe you should treat every donor the same. The FOCUS Group will help you identify the key donors in the smallest group needed to most effectively and efficiently reach your fundraising goals.
Plan
A monthly timetable is key to maintaining focus and achieving goals. The FOCUS Group establishes a customized plan which lists activities and due dates based on the overall timetable for your current development plan.

We offer a wide range of training options for organizations of all sizes and budgets. From our trademark Taking Donors Seriously® interactive online course, to staff and volunteer coaching and individual executive counsel, The FOCUS Group will set your team up for success.

What We Do

"The goal is to provide the highest quality of service and the highest return on investment, now and over time."

- Brad Layland,
CEO of The FOCUS Group

Emphasizing the Fundamentals
We focus on specific, time-tested principles rooted in over 30 years experience advising many clients in a variety of situations.
STICKING TO THE JOB WITH ENTHUSIASM
The clients of The FOCUS Group expect professional attention and timely communication. Our firm offers both and continually initiates with clients throughout all aspects of campaigns and projects.
DEFINING THE CHALLENGE WITH CLARITY
The FOCUS Group promises integrity. Frequently, consultants must ask hard questions or provide counsel that is not particularly welcomed. Clients do not engage The FOCUS Group to tell them what they want to hear. They expect our firm to give accurate analyses and recommend effective strategies.
STREAMLINING THE STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
Our firm equips clients to build and maintain lifetime relationships with their major donors. Twenty percent of donors give eighty percent of the goal, so we show clients how to cultivate authentic relationships with the top twenty percent of their prospects. Rather than creating work for clients, we help them eliminate ineffective activities.

EMPLOYING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY
The FOCUS Group invests resources annually to ensure availability of the best technology. Our firm is familiar with the latest applications and works with clients in using these tools. In fact, The FOCUS Group has developed its own software, Windshield2020®, a specially designed and patented system for managing campaigns and annual funds, and also developed Taking Donors Seriously®, our online fundraising training program in which countless people around the world have been taught fundamental principles and practices for taking their donors seriously over a lifetime.
KEEPING THE HORIZON IN VIEW
The FOCUS Group takes our clients seriously, keeps our promises, and finishes projects on time. Clients come back again and again because we’ve earned their trust. The FOCUS Group enjoys a long and diverse list of repeat clients, all over the world, some who have been counting on us since our firm was founded in 1982.