Bill Hautt Email and Phone Number

For 32 years Bill Hautt served a variety of nonprofits as a consultant with the firm he founded, The FOCUS Group (formerly FOCUS Consultants). The “focus” of the firm was capital campaigns, and over the years, this was 90% of the firm’s work. He also created a fundraising training program, Taking Donors Seriously™. He led numerous seminars across the US and Canada as well as in South & Central America and the UK.In 2016 he launched Strategic Advancement Counsel, LLC, to encourage clients to think strategically and creatively in campaigns and engaging major donors. He is advising clients to focus on strategies that leverage their time and efforts. Since Hautt had an educational background and was head of independent schools for 11 years, the bulk of his firm’s clients were schools, colleges, and seminaries. Another constituency was Christian nonprofits serving young people, e.g., Young Life, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, YWAM. In the early 2000s, along with his consulting work, he served 4 years as Chief Development Officer for Young Life.He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Houghton College and Northwestern University. Following a brief stint teaching, he earned a Doctor of Education degree majoring in Educational Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. He received an International Paper Company Foundation Fellowship while attending Teachers College.Taking Donors Seriously™ is a registered trademark of The FOCUS Group, Inc.

With decades of experience in the fundraising arena, Bill Hautt is widely respected for his ability to train executives and advancement teams in effective principles and techniques to engage and mobilize donors while keeping a campaign moving towards its goal. He has partnered with numerous non-profits over the years, including serving as a Chief Development Officer for Young Life and fundraising counsel for such organizations as InterVarsity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, The Stony Brook School, and YWAM.

Pro bono consulting to help small non-profits (annual revenue $150 - $500k) that are well-led with a clear vision but stymied by fundraising. Teach fund-raising principles and practices that will help them break through the fund-raising barrier and achieve the hopes and dreams they have for their missions.