About 2021’s Professional Development Scholarship Winner: Bridgette Holley, Advancement Researcher and Advisor at HOPE International, was the 2021 Apra Carolinas Professional Development Scholarship winner. She used her scholarship dollars to purchase recorded sessions from Apra University and the PD2020 Virtual Conference.
About HOPE International: HOPE International is a faith-based non-profit that provides underserved and impoverished individual and businesses with savings services, microloans, and small business loans to restore dignity and break the cycle of poverty in underdeveloped nations.
About Apra Carolinas Grants & Scholarships: We strive to put professional development in reach of all Apra Carolinas Members, without the limitations of their organization’s professional development budget. The Professional Development Scholarship is a $1,500 award available annually to any Apra Carolinas member to cover professional development by Apra International or Apra Carolinas. Our 2022 Application will open 1/1/2022.
Additionally, we offer a Road Trip Grant ($300) to cover travel expenses for an Apra Carolinas member to travel to another organization for the day to learn about procedures, a specific project, or some other Prospect Development related topic. In response to COVID, we also opened a membership scholarship; a merit-based scholarship that considers financial need. Awardees will have their annual membership dues covered by Apra Carolinas - unlocking all of the Apra Carolinas programming for the calendar year. Details about these awards can be found on our Scholarships and Grants page.
The Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been doing prospect development?
Almost four years. My first advancement services role was from 2008 to 2011. I was hired as a prospect research analyst at North Carolina State University along with four other analysts. Our manager was director of prospect research at the time. Before we came on, she was a one-person shop. I was tasked primarily with helping validate the results of a database screening during the public phase of the university’s first $1 billion campaign. I also did research on individuals, corporations, and foundations. There was another division focused on prospect management, so my work was strictly research.
I joined HOPE International in December 2020, nearly 10 years after my previous experience in prospect development. There is an advisor component to my role, so for the first time, I am involved in consulting with front-line development staff about data analytics and management in addition to research.
What does prospect development mean to you?
We all have God-given gifts, talents, and abilities to steward well. I would say the highest area of stewardship is relationship. I define my role in prospect development as helping people grow intentional relationships in a healthy and sustainable way that honors Jesus Christ. I love working with data, particularly making connections, like seeing how patterns in historical data can inform future decision-making.
How did you use your professional development scholarship?
I know the value of APRA conferences, having attended, "Envisioning the Future, Leading the Change" in Denver, CO in 2008. Nevertheless, I decided not to attend the virtual conference this year knowing that had nearly a decade of change in the industry to catch up on. I used my scholarship for on-demand learning through APRA University to get up to speed.
Do you have a favorite on-demand learning session?
I purchased a few standalone sessions, and a couple of bundled sessions centered around a common theme. My favorite is the 2020 Plug In to Campaigns Recordings Bundle.
What is one thing your organization is doing really well and you felt affirmed in while viewing any of the sessions?
There was a session in the bundle about the Importance of innovation, intentionality, and risk in virtual engagement. I felt affirmed that HOPE pivoted exceptionally well as an organization when everything went virtual in 2020. Many of the things discussed have been implemented.
Is there anything that you’d like to implement at your organization as a direct result of experiencing APRA University?
Creating a prospect development road map using the pattern from this presentation, basically a framework for change based on input from various stakeholders and observations. Combined with my understanding of agile principles, like the concept of a minimum viable product, it would be a living framework. So you see, some things we might dream of doing could be tried using tools we already have in our hands instead of waiting for the perfect database object.
How would you recommend that the next recipient of the scholarship use their funding?
Think about the roadmap of your year. Decide what type of learning is most needed for the short-term so that you can apply it immediately with the hope that its effect will have long-term benefits for you and your organization.
