Services
FOCUS on Consulting- Capital Campaign Counsel
Every nonprofit planning a capital campaign wants to be successful. The FOCUS Group offers expertise focused on meeting capital campaign challenges head-on, as well as being attuned to the culture and personality of the client. The FOCUS Group takes clients through a carefully-crafted campaign strategy, driven by the experience our firm has to offer, yet individually tailored to meet the needs of the organization.
A key step in launching any fund raising initiative is preparing the case. This is especially true in planning a capital campaign. The FOCUS Group works with clients in a fairly intense process to develop thoughtful case statements that build the organizations’ brands and make compelling arguments for why donors should give. The cases available here are for campaigns where The FOCUS Group serves as counsel and these organizations have approved making their cases available to the public. The FOCUS Group hopes these cases will be helpful to other nonprofits and encourage the development of strong and compelling cases for their missions.
Download Sample Campaign Cases
A testimonial from Barry H. Corey, President, Biola University
While serving at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, we launched our $54 million campaign. I knew we needed some help.
We selected The FOCUS Group to come alongside and guide us. Bill Hautt and his team did not bring a superimposed formula. Thoughtfully we walked through the challenges with focus and discipline, wisdom and fresh ideas. The personal touch made a huge difference. I trust you will see his firm’s giftedness, integrity, experience and wisdom.
And by the way, the end of the story at Gordon-Conwell was that the campaign ended on time, above goal and under budget.
Windshield2020®
Today’s fundraising software focuses on demographics, giving history, tracking donor contacts, and accounting. This data is important but is the “rear-view mirror." Campaigns need a Windshield to know the best & worst case scenarios, key campaign leaders & their prospect assignments, key strategies & timing, financial potential, focused plans with top gift projections, strategies, dates, and total campaign view with risk analysis. Campaigns need rear-view mirrors AND Windshield2020® for powerful campaign management.
FOCUS on Research- Prospect Research Services
FOCUS on Research maximizes fundraising by honing in on the top prospects among your donors and prospective donors. The FOCUS Group creates in-depth profiles - a clear, long-range look at silent or active major gift partners for your organization - helping identify which prospects will invest in and be an important part of what you're doing.
The FOCUS Group recommends "Wealth Screening" for a large list of prospects, then "Snapshots" on the best prospects identified in the screening. After reviewing the "Snapshot" reports, The FOCUS Group recommends "Biographies" of your very best prospects to get the complete picture.
FOCUS on Research offers the highest quality custom prospect research prepared by experienced consultants without the overhead costs of having a researcher on your payroll. Even medium and small nonprofits can compete effectively and affordably with larger nonprofits.
FOCUS on Foundations- Foundation Services
FOCUS on Foundations is a service to help nonprofit organizations develop effective foundation strategies. Each organization is unique and deserves a unique approach in working with foundations. The FOCUS Group's goal is to help your nonprofit succeed in research, soliciting grants and cultivating long-term relationships with foundations. FOCUS on Foundations tailors its services to your needs and complements your staff's skill set.
Taking Donors Seriously® Training in Fundraising
Thousands of staff members of nonprofits across the country attend countless fundraising seminars, conferences and workshops every year. Most of these participants would readily attest to the value of this training. Yet, the average tenure of professional development staff people is 18 months, and there is no end to expressions of frustration about fundraising by field staff who have to raise their own budgets.
Is there a contradiction here? Possibly not.
Fundraising is one of those things that is closer to common sense than theory. Since this is the case, the disparity between the enthusiasm for fundraising training and long-term results may be due to the fact that the training is too far removed from the realities of the streets where the fundraisers walk.
The Taking Donors Seriously® seminar is the only training program on the market developed for community nonprofit and local offices of national and regional organizations.
A testimonial from Denny Rydberg, President, Young Life
There was a time in Young Life when fund raising was seen by most as a “necessary evil.” Today, however, our staff holds donors in the highest regard and views them as essential partners. Not coincidentally, our change in attitude has been paralleled with a steady and sustained increase in our financial health. If you chart the transformation in our thinking and behavior, you will find the introduction of Taking Donors Seriously® from The FOCUS Group at the fork in our financial road. What seemed like a radical departure from traditional thought years ago, however, has become commonplace in our culture and conversation. That’s great news because-while TDS is still radical and refreshing-it is now an integral thread woven through the fabric of Young Life.
A testimonial from Terry Stokesbary, Senior Program Director, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is committed to building the capacity and improving the quality of organizations within the nonprofit community. The FOCUS Group, led by Dr. Bill Hautt, has contributed a great deal over the past six years to this commitment. Each year its training and coaching expertise help selected organizations significantly improve their fund development efforts. The success of The FOCUS Group has led to stronger organizations, which will ultimately mean that the communities in which we live will be better served.
FOCUSed Counsel- Executive Coaching in Advancement
The FOCUS Group has developed major donor concepts that are not commonly recommended, and our clients believe these concepts serve them well. The FOCUS Group’s Senior Partner, Dr. Bill Hautt, has worked effectively with a number of CEOs and tailors his work and recommendations specifically for each client. The leaders he works with believe these strategies are helping them as CEOs maintain a balance between fund raising and their other pressing agenda.
FOCUS on Planned Giving- Deferred Giving Counsel
FOCUS on Planned Giving is a resource for nonprofits to identify and secure legacy gifts, often donors' largest single gift. By some estimates $100 trillion will pass from one generation to the next by 2050.
FOCUS on Planned Giving helps nonprofits design and implement successful marketing and donor management strategies to secure planned gifts.
Too often, planned giving programs operate in silos or on a parallel track outside of the major donor program. The FOCUS Group will provide counsel to integrate a planned giving program into the mainstream of clients' fund development operations to achieve greater efficiencies and an increased number of gifts.
Nonprofits served by FOCUS on Planned Giving will be positioned to achieve a record number of planned gifts in the years ahead.