May 7-9, 2025
offered by The FOCUS Group
Take Your Fundraising to the Next Level!
Fundraising may be hard work, but you don’t have to do it alone. Join us at TFG institute to make your fundraising more effective and, ultimately, further your mission.
The FOCUS Group Institute is a two-day, in-person professional development opportunity. Experienced instructors will guide you through our proven material and ensure you have a clear plan to make your day-to-day work more effective.
You can choose from three tracks:
1) Preparing Your Organization for a Capital Campaign - WAIT LIST
2) Launch Your Legacy Gift Program on a Lean Budget - WAIT LIST
3) Cultivating Major Gifts Training Intensive - WAIT LIST
WHEN
6 pm Wednesday, May 7 through 12 pm Friday, May 9, 2025
WHERE
Embassy Suites, St. Augustine, FL (closest airports JAX and MCO)
COST
$995 per person (includes all training, materials, and meals)
Lodging - Participants may stay at the Embassy Suites or elsewhere nearby
All tracks are now full. Please reach out to Sue Ellen (seaucremann@thefocusgroup.com) if you would like to be added to the wait list.
Track #1
Preparing Your Organization for a Capital Campaign
If your organization is ready to grow to the next level by acquiring property, expanding your facilities, building capacity, or funding key strategic initiatives, it may be time to consider a capital campaign. But how do you know if you are ready? Topics include:
- When and how to launch a capital campaign
- Role of your strategic plan
- How campaigns differ from annual fund
- Preparing your board and staff
- Key "must-haves" for a successful capital campaign
Ideal for: Teams thinking through all aspects of carrying out a campaign—invite your President, Development Director and a Board Member to come join us. (We believe this is so important that your third registration is free! This track only.)
**WAIT LIST ONLY**
Track #2
Launch Your Legacy Gift Program on a Lean Budget
The 70 trillion dollar wealth transfer is coming—is your organization ready?
You may be putting this off due to staffing limitations, but we have good news: You can actually start now with the staff you have by using committed volunteers and the right plan. Join us for this boot camp to learn how to do it.
Why is legacy giving so important?
- A legacy donor's future gift is typically larger than their lifetime giving.
- Planned giving has been shown to increase annual giving.
- Legacy giving is a crucial part of securing your organization’s future.
- Every day that you delay starting is potentially lost revenue.
At the end of our time, you will have:
-A program you can implement immediately
-Customized prospect strategies for your donor community
-Steps to get started with marketing
Ideal for: Development or organizational leaders who want to start their legacy giving program and work with limited staffing and resources.
**WAIT LIST ONLY**
Track #3
Cultivating Major Gifts Training Intensive
What are the most effective ways of cultivating major gifts? Are your gift officers fully trained for the important role they are called to? Whatever their title, the individuals who invest in your key donor partnerships are absolutely essential to your mission. This comprehensive training will provide the support and knowledge they need to thrive and excel in their role.
Ideal for: Major gift officers or any development leader who cultivates your most significant donor relationships.
**WAIT LIST ONLY**
“Thank you so much for the time and energy put into the Institute. It was well done and well worth the time and effort.” - a recent TFG Institute participant
“I felt prepared and excited to return and get started!” - a recent TFG Institute participant
“I would ABSOLUTELY recommend offering this again. The practical training and ready encouragement I received transitioned my mindset and moved me into a space of truly believing we could do this.” - a recent TFG Institute participant