Prospect Research for Fundraisers: The Essential Handbook

Praise for Prospect Research for Fundraisers "I love the way this book is designed 'to engage and deepen the relationship an organization has with its donors, friends, and beneficiaries' because it makes prospect research an 'inclusive' and 'inviting' part of the fundraising process." —Laura Fredricks, author of the book The Ask and e-book Winning Words for Raising Money "Prospect research is a field which, over the last decade, has dramatically changed how we do our fundraising, planning, and strategy development. This book provides the tools for the novice and the expert, the professional and the lay volunteer, the curious and the academically inclined. I highly recommend Prospect Research for Fundraisers for today's philanthropic community. A must-have resource tool for every fundraising organization." —Sue Paresky, SVP, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts "Filla and Brown's Prospect Research for Fundraisers will transform the way you think about prospect research. Until now, you've probably viewed prospect research as a single function tool. With this book you can arm your nonprofit with a super-duper multi-tool to identify capable and interested donors and board members, and track donor progress to reach major gift goals and more." —Karen Eber Davis, expert on nonprofit income and innovation, author of Nonprofit Income without the Mystery "Modern development offices that embrace and leverage the partnership between researchers and fundraisers are able to strengthen the practice and success of their fundraising efforts through improved donor engagement and increased gift revenues. Filled with practice advice, case studies, and sample techniques, Prospect Research for Fundraisers is a robust exploration of the purpose, value, and impact of an effective prospect research program that can be adopted by any size or type of nonprofit organization. Through shared commitment and purpose, fundraisers and researchers alike can learn and grow from the guidance and best practices gleaned from this valuable resource for fundraising professionals." —Elizabeth Crabtree, Assistant Vice President for Strategy and Resource Development, Brown University "Helen and Jennifer are adding a worthwhile book to nonprofit shelves with Prospect Research for Fundraisers . The magic behind the research curtain will become clear to fundraisers as they move through definitions and processes that lead to big or bigger gifts. Insight from the field helps readers put themselves in the prospect research success story. The best part? Learning the high point of value a well-designed research function can have for any nonprofit lies within these pages." —Cecilia Hogan, author of Prospect Research: A Primer for Growing Nonprofits ; Director, University Relations Research, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington

Foreword xiii Acknowledgments xvii Introduction xix CHAPTER 1 The Big Picture 1 What Is Prospect Research? 1 Why Do Prospect Research? 4 How Does Research Fit into My Work and into the Gift Cycle? 7 Communication 10 Dispelling Myths and Corroborating Evidence 11 Summary 12 For Further Reading 13 CHAPTER 2 Identifying New Prospects 15 Overview: Why We Identify New Prospects 15 Capturing and Maintaining Constituent Information 18 Manual Prospect Identification Methods 24 Wealth Screenings 27 Surveying 40 Simple Data Mining 41 Advanced Data Mining 43 Donor Modeling 45 List Rental 46 Summary 49 For Further Reading 51 CHAPTER 3 Researching Prospects 53 Different Levels of Research 54 Types of Donor Profiles 55 Assembling Your Research Toolkit 61 Search Techniques Every Fundraiser Should Know 65 Capacity Ratings: Putting the Information Together 79 Summary 82 For Further Reading 83 CHAPTER 4 Donor Relationship Management 85 What Is a Relationship Management System? 87 The Three Moving Pieces 89 Creating Your Own System 93 Summary 115 For Further Reading 116 CHAPTER 5 Managing Prospect Research 117 Managing to Your Fundraising Goals 118 Hiring Employees and Volunteers 125 Skill Sets for Hiring 129 Managing Expectations 132 Defining Common Terms and Using Forms 134 Purchasing Resources 136 Options for the One–Person (or Small–Team) Development Office 144 Summary 148 For Further Reading 149 CHAPTER 6 Ethics, Risk, and Data Protection: What’s the Big Deal? 151 Starting with Donor Trust 151 Risky Business 152 Ethics 154 Legal Issues 155 Outside of the United States 157 Some Practical Tips 158 Summary 159 For Further Reading 159 CHAPTER 7 International Prospect Research 161 Making International Fundraising Work 162 Getting Started with International Prospects 167 Summary 169 For Further Reading 170 CHAPTER 8 Trends and Opportunities: The Future of Prospect Research 171 Big Data and Segmentation 172 Data Visualization 174 Relationship Mapping 175 Social Media and Social Scoring 178 Content Curation 180 What the Future Might Look Like 185 Summary 186 For Further Reading 187 Appendix A: AFP Code of Ethics 189 Appendix B: Donor Bill of Rights 190 Appendix C: APRA Statement of Ethics 191 Appendix D: APRA Skill Sets—Advanced 193 Appendix E: APRA Skill Sets—Fundamentals 196 Appendix F: APRA Skill Sets—Relationship Management 199 Appendix G: APRA Skill Sets—Research Management 202 About the Authors 207 Index 209

JENNIFER J. FILLA operates Aspire Research Group out of Florida, providing prospect research services to organizations across the country. Prior to founding Aspire Research Group, she served as associate director of development at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a member and past trustee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Suncoast Chapter, and was most recently the 2010–2011 president of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, Florida Chapter. HELEN E. BROWN is President of The Helen Brown Group LLC and a twenty-plus year veteran in the field of prospect research. She is a former director of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and currently serves as chair of the APRA Chapter Relations Committee. She is a past president of the New England Development Research Association. In 2006, she received the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.