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Focus on the Family went through a third round of layoffs Friday, but has yet to publicly announce details.
The Christian pro-family group informed those affected by the workforce reduction during department meetings last week, according to Colorado Springs-based newspaper The Gazette.
“Today is family time,” said Gary Schneeberger, a spokeperson for FOTF, on Friday. “We’ll have more to say publicly about our reduction in force on Monday.”
Although no official details have been released yet, it is most likely that the latest layoffs are due to drop in donations. The previous layoffs – 149 people in 2008 and 75 positions in 2009 – resulted from decreased donations due to the economic downturn.
The 2008 workforce reduction, which included an additional 53 positions left vacant for a total of 202 jobs eliminated, was the largest job cut in the history of the Colorado Springs-based ministry.
Over the past eight years, Focus on the Family has reduced its workforce from 1,400 to 860 people.
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Focus on the Family’s budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 was $138 million, down from $160 million for 2008-2009. The budget for 2010-2011 is expected to be even lower.
Nearly all of Focus’ income (95 percent) is derived from donations, with book sales making up only the small remaining portion.
Besides job cuts, the budget shortfall has resulted in FOTF ceasing to print four of its eight magazines and passing its Love Won Out conferences on homosexuality to another ministry.
Popular magazines such as Plugged In and Brio & Beyond are now available only online. And last fall, the Love Won Out conferences were transferred to Exodus International.
Influential Christian right leader James Dobson founded Focus on the Family in 1977 in Colorado Springs, Colo. In 2003, he resigned as the ministry’s president and in 2009, as its board chairman. His final Focus on the Family radio program, which reached more than 220 million people in 155 nations, was in February. Dobson and his son, Ryan Dobson, launched a new talk radio ministry in May called “Family Talk.”
Focus on the Family is now headed by Jim Daly, who serves as its president and chief executive officer.
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