by Brad Layland, Chief Executive Officer & Senior Consultant
Over the last few decades, I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with thousands of major donors—men and women who have quietly and faithfully built wealth and then chosen to give it away with remarkable generosity.
Some of these people lived in beautiful homes and gave away millions. Others lived simply and gave sacrificially. But again and again, I’ve seen the same patterns emerge. They are often unspoken, but I have seen them lived out. And somewhere along the way, I started calling these principles I’ve noticed “The Three Secrets of Life.”
They are:
- Buy appreciating assets.
- Trust in compound interest.
- Build your life on Jesus.
These three truths show up in story after story, and nowhere more clearly than in one particular conversation that’s stayed with me ever since.
Years ago, during a capital campaign, I met with a donor who stepped forward as the lead giver. His support was incredibly generous, but what impacted me even more was his spirit: humble, thoughtful, and joyful.
At lunch one day, I asked him, “How did you build your wealth—and how did you become so generous?”
He didn’t give a polished answer. He just smiled and said something like:
“I worked hard. I lived simply. I invested early and stuck with it. And I’ve always tried to keep Jesus at the center of everything.”
He didn’t frame it as a formula. But as I walked away from that conversation, I realized he just described the kind of life I want to live.
It wasn’t flashy. But it was steady, faithful, and anchored in purpose.
1) Buy Appreciating Assets.
The donors I’ve learned from don’t spend money trying to impress other people. They don’t chase trends. They invest in things that grow: real estate, businesses, portfolios, and sometimes even people.
They understand the difference between consuming and stewarding, between spending and investing. They look for value that increases over time, and they stay away from debt that drags them down.
You could sum it up like this: They think long term.
That’s true in how they handle money and how they live.
2) Trust in Compound Interest.
Whether it’s in your investments, your relationships, or your character—consistency compounds.
The donors I admire didn’t get lucky. They got wise.
They started early, stuck with simple plans, and trusted the process. Over time, those small decisions became significant results.
Compound interest is one of the most powerful forces in life—not just financially, but spiritually and relationally, too.
The people I want to emulate understand that lasting fruit grows slowly. And they’ve embraced that rhythm.
3) Build Your Life on Jesus.
Of all the patterns I’ve seen, this one matters most.
The truly generous people—the ones who give with joy, not stress—have one thing in common: Jesus is at the center of their lives.
He’s not a side note or a Sunday activity. He’s the foundation. He shapes how they see money, time, people, and purpose. Their giving isn’t just philanthropy, it’s worship.
And the contrast is striking when I meet others who say they believe in Jesus but live as if money or status is their true pursuit. The peace just isn’t there.
The donor I mentioned earlier didn’t talk much about his faith, but you could feel it in everything he did. His life was rooted. Steady. Fruitful.
What I’ve Learned
These aren’t revolutionary ideas. They won’t go viral on social media. But they are the foundation of a good life.
And they aren’t just true for major donors. They’re true for me. And for you.
So I’ve made it my goal to live this way:
- To invest in what grows.
- To be patient and trust the slow work of good decisions.
- And more than anything, to build my life on Jesus.
Because the more people I meet who live like this, the more I think:
“That’s who I want to become.”
We’ve been privileged to help many organizations be more effective in their fundraising by learning and implementing relational fundraising principles in their work with donors. Want to talk?