Prospect Research: Our Rookie Year
A chance encounter at the UNC System Symposium brought new prospect researchers Michele and Jenny together. “We ended up sitting next to each other during a session - specifically, the segmentation session hosted by Chris Copsey and Lakshmi Gopakumar,” said Jenny, “and Michele offered me a piece of gum. When we started talking, we realized we were both in Year One of our positions, and we were amazed at the similarities between our paths to our new careers.”
Michele Cheek
Current position: Prospect Development Analyst, UNC Greensboro
Former Career: 30 years in social work, case management, nonprofits
Jenny Bunn
Current position: Prospect Research Manager, UNC Asheville
Former career: 20+ years in community and educational theatre
How did you even come across this job?
Michele: Years ago, I completed a year of service as an Americorps VISTA. A benefit was several thousand dollars in an education award that could be applied to student loans or to further my education. The catch? Use the award before the age of 55. Years passed and not wanting to waste an opportunity, I applied and started UNCG’s graduate certificate program, Nonprofit Leadership and Management, in 2021. One evening class of Spring 2022, we had a guest speaker, the phenomenal Ms. Rachael Walker, and she piqued my curiosity as she outlined her career and her work in prospect research and development. I started asking questions, not only of her, but to myself. Could I do this? Do I want to do this? The resounding yes was echoed by my professor and advisor encouraging me to apply for an opening with the UNCG prospect research department. It came down to this: Transferable skills and the willingness to learn something new. To try a new and different career that provided what I needed professionally, financially, and personally.
Jenny: I had basically burned out of my last job. I had worked for almost 20 years at our community theatre, and while I loved the mission of that organization, a schedule that included so many nights and weekends had become too hard. So, after taking a few months to indulge in baking classes at our fabulous community college, I started looking for a new job. My husband suggested checking out positions at UNC Asheville, and I really had been thinking more about marketing and communications, but I was intrigued by a job titled “Prospect Researcher.” I honestly did not even know a job like this existed before that moment! Once I read the job description, I realized that I had done a lot of the same type of work at the theatre - in addition to marketing, I had been responsible for database management, pulling lists, and creating custom fields to track engagement during our capital campaign.
What appeals to you about this career?
Michele: I was given the privilege of joining the UNCG prospect research team in July 2022. I will be honest, the past 14 months have been an adjustment from what was my previous 30 years. It has also been 14 months of “I like my job and want to go to work each day”. Internally, my supervisor and colleagues have been incredibly helpful, supportive, and insightful; externally Apra Carolinas and Apra International have also been part of my learning process and growth.
Jenny: I truly love the research. I love learning about the millions of different things people do that make them unique. This is as close as I’m going to get to being Nancy Drew! I like finding interesting campus events and sending them on to our terrific gift officers so that they can think about the donors who might want to attend them. And I may be alone in this - but I like creating event briefs!
I also really like the lack of chaos in my office. I feel like I have time to think and plan, and that the sense of urgency that I often felt at my prior job has been dialed down. We’re actively encouraged to get in a walk during the day. It’s also amazing to work at an organization with a large staff across the campus. That it’s not just nine people trying to manage everything from event parking to donor acknowledgments to programming to press relations 24/7.
I have also found the prospect research community to be so supportive and helpful. The APRA daily listserv is so interesting and informative. I wasn’t able to attend the APRA International conference this year, but am looking forward to the APRA Carolinas one next month. I have loved the webinars and online roundtables that have been offered - both by APRA Carolinas and by other APRA chapters. There was a GREAT one hosted by APRA Michigan this month!
How do you describe your job to others outside of the industry?
Jenny: This is not easy! I have a couple of sentences - “I analyze data that supports the work of our gift officers.” or “I look for ways that connect people’s philanthropic goals and values with the University.” That sounds more noble than admitting that I have read through a backlog of Facebook comments to confirm a divorce.
Michele: I share with others, whether they are in their early stages of a professional career, or seeking out a new path, to consider prospect research. It involves more than what it sounds like. I summarize my role as Prospect Research and Development as the opportunity to identify and research donors that will financially contribute to UNCG. To support our gift officers and fundraisers by analyzing data and providing information beneficial to their efforts. To assist our Advancement Operations department in the maintenance and integrity of our data.
A big thank you to Michele and Jenny for sharing their stories. If you have a topic or a blog post idea, email us at apracarolinas@gmail.com.
