Brad Layland | CEO, The FOCUS Group | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Takeaways For most of my adult life, I’ve considered my heart one of the strongest parts of my body. I’ve run 75 marathons and am looking forward to 76 (New York City Marathon in November), completed two Ironman triathlons, and spent decades logging countless hours

Brad Layland | CEO, The FOCUS Group | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Takeaways This year, I’m completing my seventeenth year at The FOCUS Group. Recently, I came across a photograph from a staff retreat in 2010. I was with three colleagues and at some point during the retreat we went fishing (see picture below). It’s one of those

By Brad Layland, CEO, The FOCUS Group | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Takeaways One of the themes God has been impressing on my heart lately is that leadership isn’t primarily about strategy, vision, or even character. Those things certainly matter, but underneath them lies something much deeper. At its core, leadership is a worship issue. That realization

By Brad Layland, CEO, The FOCUS Group | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Takeaways One of the most valuable lessons I learned from Bill Hautt, the founder of The FOCUS Group, was surprisingly simple: “The best time to raise money is when you don’t need it.” At first glance, that sounds backward. Most organizations begin fundraising when they

By Brad Layland, CEO, The FOCUS Group | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Takeaways Recently, I read an article titled The Parable of the Stored Loaves and Fish: When Donor-Advised Funds Become Spiritual Warehouses by Dr. Scott Rodin, Chief Strategy Officer for The FOCUS Group, and Roland Warren, President and CEO of Care Net. Their article challenged me, encouraged me,