Written by: Lindsay Rogillio, University of South Carolina & APRA Carolinas' Road Trip Scholarship Recipient 

As one of the newest members of the University of South Carolina’s Prospect Research shop, every day here presents itself as a learning experience. Relatively new to the field of prospect research, I began working with USC’s Prospect Research team as a graduate assistant in 2014 before being hired as a full time research analyst earlier this year; essentially, one could say that I have “grown up” in this particular shop, learning to weave my various skills and experiences in a new direction, cultivating the ability to effectively mine data, manipulate a particular CRM, write concise but information-packed research reports, and incorporate the processes and procedures of prospect research as I work with my colleagues. As I am only familiar with USC’s Prospect Research shop, I was eager to further explore the field of prospect research by spending time with another team in the Carolinas and experiencing how other shops operate. APRA-Carolinas’ Road Trip Scholarship presented the perfect opportunity to get just that experience.

With my road trip date set for late October, I was happily welcomed by Director of Prospect Research Missy Garner and her team at Clemson University. In addition to spending a bit of time with Missy, I was also scheduled to spend time with each member of her team to learn about the various aspects of each person’s job and how each researcher spends their work day. I thought this was an excellent way for me to not only get a sense of the big picture and how the research team works with Clemson’s development officers, but how each researcher’s responsibilities contribute to the cohesive working of an efficient team.

Having only ever worked within Millennium management software, observing the Clemson team’s use of Raiser’s Edge was insightful; the opportunity to survey the numerous similarities and differences between the two database systems brings a new appreciation for Millennium, along with a bit of envy at the bells and whistles of Raiser’s Edge! Additionally, one of my goals in obtaining this scholarship was to learn of new aspects of prospect research I may as yet be unaware of, and to perhaps observe the techniques and methods of other researchers that might better inform my own research process. Sitting down with Analyst Rick Loveday was fascinating as he showed me the dashboard he built from scratch in Excel that the team uses to visualize portfolio valuations and various other data points concerning prospects and development officers’ progress. Analyst Elaine Terry’s explanation of how the team divvies up the responsibility for reviewing the local newspapers and then compiling and distributing that information to the development officers via listserv was an intriguing idea that I plan to suggest for the USC Research team. Hearing Analyst Tyler Cantrell talk about his specific duties concerning corporation and foundation relations research made me appreciative that USC has a separate team dedicated to CFR that mostly handles their own research (I’ll admit…CFR research is not my favorite…).

Talking with Missy, Team Lead Sheri Pequeno, Analyst Gail Reignier, and Senior Director Larissa Kelly helped inform my understanding of the role of a prospect researcher in a more holistic sense; I realized my perspective regarding what prospect research is, what a prospect researcher does, and the value of prospect research itself was both very insular and disjointed in a way. I realized I tended to think of the team I work with and the work I produce as an island of sorts, completing projects for development officers and senior leadership without really understanding how the work contributes to USC’s development goals as a whole. Even as I was evaluating the inner workings of Clemson’s Research Team, listening to Missy, Sheri, and Gail explain to me their particular processes and procedures allowed me to re-evaluate my perception of how my work and USC’s prospect research team fits as a necessary cog within the larger USC Development wheel. Mentally comparing how our teams work differently to achieve essentially the same goal of advancing each university allowed the big picture to come into view, but only once I was a step removed from my own office.

Continuing to learn and absorb knowledge is a perpetual personal goal of mine that carries over into my career. Although new to the field, any opportunity to further my knowledge of prospect research promises to make me more confident in my abilities and day-to-day duties as well as a more skilled and competent researcher; to that end, the opportunity afforded to me through APRA-Carolinas’ Road Trip Scholarship was immensely helpful and has brought me a renewed enthusiasm in delving deeper into this field. Special thanks to Missy, Sheri, Gail, Elaine, Rick, Tyler, and Larissa for making me feel welcome and for taking time out of their day to show me their ropes, so to speak!