We are proud to share that a few APRA Carolinas' members will present at APRA's Prospect Development 2016 in Nashville. Congrats to Elizabeth Roma (Helen Brown Group & President-Elect of our chapter), Missy Garner (Clemson University & our chapter's Western SC Regional Representative), Vicki O'Brien (University of South Carolina, & our Midlands SC Regional Representative), and Abigail Mann (University of South Carolina, & one of our wonderful blog writers). If you are attending the conference, we encourage you to show support to your fellow Carolinas' chapter members.

Click on the presentation title below to view more details. 

Missy Garner  How to Find the Golden Prospect Pool

Time: Jul 27, 2016 (09:00 AM - 12:00 PM)

Prerequisites : Attendees should be able to lead organization conversations to develop portfolio creation and dissolution and maintenance procedures. Creatively suggest criteria for portfolio assignment dependent upon fundraising role and seniority. Shape or develop metrics used to measure portfolio performance. Finally, a mastery of how to best utilize existing resources for portfolio management.

Presentation Description:  In this session the presenter will use data results from a Segmentation Project to demonstrate how to build an internal rating and confidence level system to uncover best prospects and ultimately develop a “Golden Prospect Pool” for each Development Officer. Other major topics of discussion include tracking methods, metrics, ROI, and goal-setting.

Elizabeth Roma & Rachel Dakarian 20/20: Strategic Vision for Today’s Philanthropic Realities

Time: Jul 28, 2016 (10:30 AM - 12:00 PM)

Presentation Description:  Presenters will provide an overview of the current landscape in philanthropy and issues that have received recent press coverage. Presenters will discuss how the trends we are observing impact all nonprofits, regardless of size or sector, and what attendees can do to help their respective organizations thrive in the world of fundraising today. Attendee participation is encouraged. Topics covered might include (but are not limited to):

• Megadonors/Megagifts 
• Prospect research under fire/Protection of personal data 
• Due diligence fails 
• Data security 

Vicki Leigh O'Brien & Abigail Mann Predictive Modeling – Or How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Database

Time: Jul 29, 2016 (10:30 AM - 12:00 PM)

Presentation Description:  “How does affinity influence an individual’s giving?” University of South Carolina Prospect Research staff asked themselves that question two years ago – and have been working to answer it ever since. This session will provide an in-depth look into how USC’s shop created a “homegrown” predictive model using attributes in the university’s database to predict the outcomes of future solicitations and identify high quality prospects with a strong affinity for the university. Topics covered will include categorizing and weighting indicators of affinity, running a linear regression, and interpreting its results to give the model meaning. The aim of this session is to present a methodology than can be applied to and tailored to the needs of other prospect research shops. This presentation will expand on material presented at the Fall 2015 APRA Carolinas conference.

In addition, while in Nashville -- be sure to join us for a social event on Thursday, July 28th!

We have been invited to join in on Mid-Atlantic’s chapter happy hour at the APRA Int'l Conference!

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center's Conservatory Bar

Thursday 7/28/16

5:30 -7:00 pm