Mimi Slade is the recipient of the 2019 Apra Carolina’s Professional Development Scholarship, which can be applied to any professional development activity offered by Apra Carolinas or Apra International. A Prospect Research Assistant at the University of South Carolina, Mimi used her $1,500 scholarship to attend the Apra PD Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Blog Post Editor Ashley Smith interviewed Mimi to learn about her experience.

Tell us a little about yourself.  How long have you been doing prospect development?

I grew up in Columbia but left after high school to attend Clemson University. However, I knew I wanted to return to my hometown after I graduated in 2017. I’ve been doing prospect development for over two years now. I like to tell people that I graduated from college on a Friday and began my prospect research position the following Monday.

What did you think of Phoenix? Was this your first time visiting the city?

Phoenix was hot! Thankfully, it was a dry heat unlike the hot, humid summers we experience here. Not only was this my first time visiting Phoenix, but it was also my first trip to the western part of the U.S. I flew to Arizona a couple of days before the conference started and did some sightseeing at the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Antelope Canyon.

Have you attended an Apra PD conference prior to this year? 

This was my first time going to Apra PD. Until this year, I had only attended conferences put on by our local Apra chapter.

Why did you choose this conference?

Apra PD offered many opportunities for me to network. I wanted to meet other people in the prospect development field and learn how other institutions run their shops.     

Did you have a favorite session?

I really enjoyed the sessions that focused on relationship building and collaborating with the development officers, like Empower Yourself to Improve Gift Officer Relationships and Strategic Discussion – Stepping Away from Cleanup and Focusing on Meaningful Conversations. The session on improving gift officer relationships was especially helpful because the information on relationship building and communication was drawn from psychology and personality studies. For me, it was a different approach to that topic, and the information I learned could be used for relationship building both in and outside of the prospect development profession.

Did you notice any common themes throughout the sessions? Anything that was new to you?

One common theme I noticed was the importance of tailoring the information I find to the specific needs of the requester. For example, knowing when to really dig into the weeds and present highly detailed information or knowing when just a summary is needed. I also liked learning about visual data tools and how presenting information in charts and graphs can really enhance what I’m trying to convey in my communications.

Did anything unique stick out about this conference as compared to others you’ve attended?

I was struck by the large number of people who attended Apra PD. The conference drew a diverse crowd, and it seemed like there was a session for everyone. I especially liked meeting prospect analysts from different countries and also analysts working at organizations outside of higher education.

Would you recommend that the next recipient of the scholarship use their funding on this conference?

Definitely! I had an incredible experience at the conference, and I’m thankful for all the opportunities I had to network with colleagues and see how other organizations are handling similar challenges. I feel the prospect development community is full of people who are generous with their time and knowledge and want to help others become better prospect researchers and analysts.

Is there anything that you’d like to implement at your organization as a direct result of attending this conference?

Before I left for the conference, my team was working though the logistics of organizing quarterly meetings with development officers. During the sessions, I learned how other institutions organized these meetings, which gave me many useful ideas on creating agendas, knowing who should be in the meetings, as well as what documents to send the development officers before and after each meeting.