The Focus Group

The FOCUS Group believes that building relationships with donors over time is at the very core of the fundraising process. Ongoing relationships give donors opportunities to play significant roles in the advancement of causes they believe in. To maximize donors' impact, a nonprofit must know the donors. That is, know who the donors are, what kinds of roles they might play, when they can give and when they can't, and when they can volunteer and when they can't. Nonprofits need to take donors seriously. Not just when asking them to give, inviting them to an event, or recruiting them to volunteer. Donors need to be taken seriously from the initial contact and throughout their lifetimes. Since 1982, The FOCUS Group has counseled nonprofits across the US and Canada in Taking Donors Seriously®, our firms' training in working with major donors. The FOCUS Group works with clients in: defining their case in the most authentic and motivating way, identifying leadership and prospects who truly care about the cause and the case for support, crafting strategies based on the identified leadership and prospects, and formulating a plan to carry out the strategies. Some of the characteristics clients mention in describing The FOCUS Group include high integrity, principle-based, out-of-the-box strategists, people who know their craft, system specialists, marketing oriented, and technologically savvy. The FOCUS Group challenges clients to think in fresh and creative ways about their missions and programs and to use ingenuity in working with donors. In working with clients, our firm endeavors to apply the best available technology and the marketing expertise that enable clients to demonstrate to donors how they can achieve their philanthropic objectives. We serve clients whose missions range from higher and secondary education, to agencies serving the disadvantaged and the disabled, to youth, relief, and arts organizations across the US and Canada. The goal is to provide the highest quality of service, giving clients the greatest value now and over time.