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 …
The Best Time to Raise Money Is When You Don’t Need It
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 …
My Experience With Donor-Advised Funds: A Tool for Giving, Not Storing
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, …
When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough: A Lesson In Stewardship
By Brad Layland, CEO, The FOCUS Group | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Takeaways Can a donor give away a valuable piece of property, see the community benefit from it, and still lose a $665,000 charitable deduction? According to a recent Wall Street Journal article about a blunder that cost two donors a $665,000 tax-deductible donation, the answer …
When the Engine Goes Quiet: A Lesson at 500 Feet
By Brad Layland, CEO & Senior Consultant | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Insights This past weekend, I made a mistake. Not a catastrophic mistake. Not one that made headlines. But one that could have. And like most mistakes, in both flying and fundraising, it didn’t start in the moment. It started long before I ever got in the …
Tear Down These Walls
by Brad Layland, CEO & Senior Consultant | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Insights False idols in ministry leadership rarely appear as rebellion. They often look like competence, control, or approval. Leaders can begin trusting results, performance, or their reputation more than they trust God. Spiritual freedom in leadership begins when we allow God to tear down the walls …
Living in Between Grief and Gratitude
by Brad Layland, CEO & Senior Consultant | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Insights: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”— Genesis 50:20 ESV This well-known quote from Joseph didn’t roll off his tongue when he was a teenager. He certainly didn’t say it from the bottom of the pit or when …
Where Hope Really Lives
by Brad Layland, CEO & Senior Consultant | Author of Turning Donors into Partners Key Insights: I’ve had Amy Grant’s new song on repeat lately. If you haven’t listened to it yet, I’d encourage you to pause and do that first: Amy Grant – The 6th Of January (Yasgur’s Farm). It’s one of those songs that sneaks up …
A Confession: The Quiet Temptation of Leadership
I have always loved how honest the Bible is with its leaders.
From Florida to Frankfurt to France
Culture changes. Language changes. Contexts change. But people? People are people.