In the Office of Development at the University of South Carolina, it is the Prospect Management team’s responsibility to make sure contacts entered into our CRM by Directors of Development (DoDs) are accurate.  Last fall we did a study and discovered that 78% of the contact entries made by DoDs needed some form of correction, whether large or small, by the Prospect Management team.  During the study, we discovered numerous mistakes made by DoDs— contacts entered in the wrong stage, blank fields, manager conflicts, asks entered with no manager assignment.  Each mistake required our attention and knowledge of how to correctly document contact entries in our CRM.

As the Associate Director of Prospect Management, I knew there had to be something I could do to eliminate these errors and improve our business processes in order to have accurate, reliable data in our CRM. While attending the 2017 Apra Carolinas fall conference, I participated in a group discussion about prospect management and quickly realized this was an industry-wide issue with others experiencing the same problems with contacts being entered wrong or not entered at all into CRMs. This common complaint gave me the motivation I needed to work on improving the process or to provide an alternative to the traditional method of contact report entry into our CRM. 

I saw the Prospect Management team as the professionals inside the database reviewing an average of 300 records a week, and the DoDs as the professionals outside the database meeting with constituents and donors.  Because the Prospect Management team members are among the primary stakeholders and subject matter experts when it comes to entries into the CRM, my plan was to develop a system for DoDs to submit to the Prospect Management team information about their fundraising efforts that did not require the DoDs to log into our CRM and make their own contact report entries.  This would hopefully free the DoDs to do what they do best which is raise money and enable my team to do what they do best which is manage data entry in our CRM.

My plan was to create an online contact report form for DoDs to fill out and submit to the Prospect Management team to make the entry correctly in our CRM. This simple form was accessible online by computer, tablet, and smart phone to help our DoDs who travel frequently.

The goals of the form were to:

•       Help ensure accuracy with contact entries

•       Increase accuracy of data in the reports we provide to leadership

•       Decrease the time it takes DODs to document their efforts

•       Eliminate the uncertainty of where a contact needs to be entered in our CRM

•       Eliminate the time it takes to correct entries

•       Decrease number of questions for DoDs regarding their entries

The project started with six DoDs from different divisions who committed to a six week test run of the online form. When they discovered the form could be submitted via their smartphone, they quickly became advocates.  They became even bigger advocates when they realized they could use “voice to text” on their smartphones to fill in the form.  The Prospect Management team members were on board with giving this project a try; however, they expressed concerns about how to keep up with the new form while also continuing their regular routine of reviewing contact entries.  These concerns were quickly laid to rest when it became apparent the online form was quicker when compared to the amount of time it took to identify and correct existing errors made by DoDs in our CRM.

Throughout the six week test run, we received great feedback and excellent recommendations for improvements to the form.  Among the improvements was the inclusion of specific fields to help save steps.  For example, we added a field so a DoD can submit one form to add multiple entries, for example when they send out numerous emails to schedule appointments.  A form does not have to be filled out for each constituent receiving an email instead one form is filled out for the entire email recipient list.  We also added a field to ask the DoD would like to be assigned as a manager; this prompts us to assign them as a prospect manager without them having to do anything else.  We are also able to capture new biographic data with a field that asks for updated employment or address information. We even have a field asking if the gift capacity rating seems accurate.  If it doesn’t seem accurate, we forward the form to our Prospect Research team who re-screens the constituent’s gift capacity rating.

The six week test run was a tremendous success; we quickly saw a decrease in corrections needed on contact report entries. The results were presented to senior level management who, with no hesitation, quickly saw the value of the online form and asked that I do a presentation on the form at our division’s quarterly all-staff meeting.  The form is now a part of our regular business processes to offer DoDs the online form as a method for getting contact reports entered into our CRM.

Use of the online form is optional and has been in use approximately six months; 50% of our DoDs are using the form and a staggering 1,700+ online forms have been submitted.  The popularity of the online form continues to grow alongside our quality in communication with DoDs.  If DoDs are contacted, they are now contacted in a positive way and not because of a problem with an entry in the CRM. Even DoDs who made little to no effort to enter their contacts are using the form, which means their activities are being entered and are accurately reflected in our reports.

Ultimately, we have made the contact report review process more efficient and decreased the number of corrections needing to be made to entries. Our overall experience with the implementation of the form has been positive and we’ve seen excellent results in terms of data accuracy.  

Dawn Wyatt

University of South Carolina

Associate Director of Prospect Management

Amy Jackson, Director of Research for Prospect Development at Wingate University, is the recent recipient of the Professional Development Scholarship awarded by Apra Carolinas to an upcoming leader in the prospect research industry.  Recipients receive a $1,500 scholarship to be applied toward professional development activities offered by Apra Carolinas or Apra International.  Amy used her scholarship to attend the ARC Conference held March 13 - 15 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Vicki O’Brien, Associate Director of Prospect Research at the University of South Carolina and Apra Carolinas Blog Coordinator, spoke to Amy about the ARC Conference to learn more about her experience.

Vicki:  One thing I love about working in the prospect research industry is that it is a constant education, and there are so many opportunities for professional growth and development through attending conferences.  What made you decide to apply your scholarship toward ARC when there were other conferences to choose from—APRA Chapter conferences, APRA International, APRA regional conferences, etc.?

Amy: Being new to full-time prospect research, I really felt that the regional conference was the best way to “get my feet wet” given the smaller size and numerous opportunities throughout the conference to have conversations about prospect research with others in the field relatively close by.  Also, the timing of ARC was perfect based on my other work-related commitments and responsibilities.  I’m looking forward to attending other APRA professional development offerings and plan on using my remaining scholarship funds to attend the Apra Carolinas Fall Conference in Wilmington.

Vicki:  I was lucky enough to attend the conference myself, and I have to say that my favorite thing (besides the fruit tart desserts) was the “Share the Knowledge” session where everyone in attendance was encouraged to chat about what they do at their prospect research shops.  Did you pick up any neat tips or tricks during this session that you are going to implement?

Amy: The breakfast buffet was a highlight for me, ha!  I really enjoyed the “Share the Knowledge” session as well.  One thing I picked up that I’m going to implement -- having gift officers identify the “Top 10” from their portfolios and then setting google alerts based on those names.  I’ve got google alerts for mentions of the university and some of my own prospects, but I hadn’t thought about using them to assist gift officers with people already in their portfolios.   

Vicki:  Several topics were discussed during the 3-day conference.  What topics stood out to you as setting the pace for the future of prospect research?  Are those topics we all need to focus on as the landscape of prospect research is being re-defined with new tools and techniques?

Amy:  I think analytics and predictive modeling stood out the most in looking at the future of prospect research.  We’re going away from traditional research and profiles and relying more on data mining and scoring based on affinity and capacity to identify major donors and drive fundraising.   

Vicki:  At the conference there were researchers representing large, medium, and small prospect research shops.  Additionally, there were prospect researchers from several types of non-profit organizations ranging from museums to hospitals to religious-based organizations to higher education institutions.  There was diversity among the prospect researchers attending the conference. Despite the differences in size and type, did you identify any common characteristics all prospect research shops share?  

Amy:  You’re right.  The crowd was diverse, which I loved, since my background is in the arts and now I’m working in higher education.  I think the one thing shared by everyone, no matter the shop size or focus area, was the desire to learn and improve.  We all want to be better at what we do and how we support our executive leadership, gift officers, and other team members. 

Vicki:  Conferences are always so exciting for me, and I genuinely return to my office feeling inspired to be an influencer and initiate change.  Is there one thing that you are committed to making happen at your organization as a direct result of attending the conference?

Amy: After a conference I feel ready to take on the world!  For my organization, I am committed to making data cleanup a top priority.  For myself, I will dedicate more time for webinars and online training sessions. 

Vicki:  Would you recommend ARC to the next Professional Development Scholarship recipient or anybody in prospect research for that matter?

Amy: Absolutely!  Session presenters covered a variety of relevant topics, exhibitors shared worthwhile information regarding available products and tools (good swag, too), and the chance to interact with other prospect research professionals in this particular setting was truly invaluable. 

Vicki:  Thanks so much, Amy!  I’m glad I was able to learn more about your experience.  You offered some great insight into what’s happening in prospect research today.  Is there anything else that you would like to share?

Amy: I would like to thank the Apra Carolinas Chapter for making it possible for me to attend ARC this year.   It was truly a meaningful, wonderful experience. 

Are you going to ARC next week in Atlanta? We're so excited to brag about the number of connections Apra Carolinas has with ARC 2017. Plus, you can still register.

First, Missy Garner, director of prospect research at Clemson University, is this year’s chair for the conference and Krystal Wilson, manager of prospect development at Appalachian State University, is a member of the committee and a presenter. 

Vicki Leigh O’Brien

Associate Director of Prospect Research, University of South Carolina

"Will the Mouse Take the Cheese? – A Curious Experiment in Portfolio Building and Marketing with the Collaborative Efforts of Prospect Research, Annual Giving, and a Development Officer"

Monday, March 13, 1:30-3:00

Larissa Kelly

Senior Director, Advancement Services, Clemson University

"Want to be a Better Manager? Be a Better Project Manager!"

Tuesday, March 14, 1:30-3:00

Elizabeth Roma

Assistant Director, Research, The HelenBrown Group

Angie Stapleton

Research Associate, The Helen Brown Group

"Collective Giving: Philanthropy as a Team Sport"

Tuesday, March 14, 3:15-4:15

(Get a preview through Angie’s blog post.)

Krystal Wilson

Manager of Prospect Development, Appalachian State University

"The Art of Collaboration"

Wednesday, March 15, 8:30-10:00

Thank you, Missy, Krystal and the entire committee, for organizing an incredible few days in Atlanta!

#ResearchPride

How will the Apra Carolinas Road Scholarship help you no matter your level of experience or the size of your organization? Think about this...

Are you about to implement a new prospect management tracking system?

Asking yourself what's the best way to get my fundraisers to objectively review their portfolios before your campaign (I may/may not be thinking of someone in particular with over 500 names in his/her portfolio)?

Wondering how you can start incorporating analytics in your work?

Thinking of "automating" your profiles from always updating word documents?

You've been asked to show ROI for all those referrals you've made (and of course the fundraisers have picked up the phone to call), but you don't know where to start? (Ok, that last one might be me projecting from my old job.)

Or maybe you need some perspective from how "we've always done it this way?"

The “road trip” is a scholarship program to cover travel expenses for a member to spend a day with someone within the Carolinas to learn about processes, procedures, CRM, a specific project, or so forth. One road trip scholarship will be awarded annually. The scholarship will cover travel expenses (gas, meals, and 1 night of lodging) up to $300. The recipient will be asked to write a blog post about his/her road trip experience.

To apply: 

Applicants must be current members of Apra Carolinas. Please send a narrative to apracarolinas@gmail.com with Apra Carolinas Road Trip Scholarship as the subject. Applicants should state in 500 words or less the purpose of the visit and express financial need. Applicants will also need to provide the contact information of the person with whom he/she would like to schedule a meeting, and confirm that his/her supervisor has approved the road trip. Dates for the visit can be finalized once the scholarship is awarded.

The deadline for applications is March 17, 2017. The recipient will be notified by April 1, 2017. Travel should be completed by December 31, 2017.

Apra is coming to the Southeast! Join us at the Apra Regional Conference (ARC) 2017, March 13-15 at the Atlanta Airport Marriott for dynamic speakers, technical deep dives and the sharing of best practices. Whether you bring your entire team or if you’re flying solo, you will come away from this unique event with the connections and tools to solve the challenges you face every day.

We're covering a lot of topics in just a few short days, including:

• What A Wonderful World: Strategies & Tactics for International Fundraising & Prospect Research, Jay Frost, Senior Partner, Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners
• Collective Giving: Philanthropy as a Team Sport, Elizabeth Roma, Senior Researcher & Angie Stapleton, Research Associate, The Helen Brown Group
• Turning High Tech into High Touch: Transforming Data Into Actionable Insights,  Dr. Molly Wasko, Associate Dean, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• The Art of Collaboration, Krystal L. Wilson, Assistant Director of Prospect Management and Research, Appalachian State University
• From Easy to Tricky: Scraping Online Data,  Marianne M. Pelletier, Managing Director, Staupell Analytics Group
• Trends and Innovations in the Ever Changing Field of Prospect Research, Nick Sollog, The Sollog Group
• Want To Be a Better Manager? Then Be a Better Project Manager, Larissa Kelly, Senior Director, Advancement Services, Clemson University
• And much more!

ARC is kept intentionally intimate to have plenty of time for networking and idea sharing. Our special Chapter Networking session is the perfect opportunity to connect with old friends and make new ones with local members.

Register by February 13 for the greatest savings. APRA-Carolinas members receive the Apra member discount by using code “arcse17”. Need help convincing your boss? Download our justification letter for assistance.

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!

Written by: Elizabeth Roma, The Helen Brown Group & President-Elect of APRA-Carolinas

I remember the feeling of dread that would run through me in my early days as a researcher when a search for my prospect’s name in SEC filings returned a page full of hits. I felt overwhelmed by the unfamiliar forms and their language and anxious that I would miss (or misinterpret) important information on the individual I was researching. Eventually, thanks to the help of many skilled researchers who generously shared their knowledge with me and the comfort that experience brings, I learned to keep calm and slog on through the filings, and now I love it when my prospects show up in SEC filings.

Here are my top 10 tips for using SEC documents in your research. I hope you will find them helpful!

1.       Know the reporting requirements. Before you get started, it is important to know what information you can and cannot find. Here are the basics:

·         Public companies in the US are required to report the compensation paid in the last three years to the company’s chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and the three highest paid executive officers, other than the CEO and CFO, who were serving as executive officers at the end of the last completed fiscal year.

·         They are also required to report compensation paid in the last year to members of the company’s board of directors.

·         Company insiders (officers, directors, or holders of more than 10% of any class of stock) are required to report purchases, sales, and holdings of their company’s securities.

2.       Know the forms. You can save yourself a lot of time if you know which forms to search for the information you need. The forms you will probably use most frequently are:

·         Form DEF 14A More commonly known as the proxy statement, this form is filed by a company prior to an annual meeting in order to update shareholders on items that will be brought to a vote. It contains bios of directors and executive officers, as well as information about compensation of directors and officers and information about insider securities holdings.

·         Forms 3, 4, & 5 are filed by individuals and used to report insider holdings. Form 3 is the initial filing, which an individual must file within 10 days of becoming an officer, director, or holder of more than 10% of any class of stock. Changes in ownership are reported on a Form 4, and a Form 5 is used for deferred reporting.

·         Form 10-K is a comprehensive financial report that must be filed annually by publicly traded companies. It contains detailed information about the company’s finances, including disclosures of risks the company faces, which can provide important context for prospect researchers.

·         Form S-1 is known as a prospectus and is filed by companies preparing for an initial public offering. The prospectus contains background information on the company’s operations, management, and ownership, as well as information about the underwriters of the IPO and the planned offering price. If significant changes occur after the prospectus is filed but before the IPO, they will be reported on a Form 424.

·         Form 8-K is used to report “material events” that could have a significant impact on the company’s business. Examples of these events include mergers, executive changes, and patent rulings.

3.       Start with the basics. The specifics of your prospect’s situation and the scope of your research will determine the level of detail you need to provide, but in many cases you can probably find what you need to know about compensation and stock holdings by checking the proxy statement and the most recent Form 4 filed by your prospect. If there are extenuating or unusual circumstances or you are doing a deep dive into financials in order to help craft an ask that is planned for the near future, you might need to delve deeper.

4.       Use multiple sources to check each other and yourself. Most screening tools offer information about stock holdings and/or compensation, and there are also free tools that allow you to look up insider holdings by an individual’s name. (J3SG.com is a favorite of mine.) These tools are a great first step, but they are not perfect, so always make sure to go directly to the filings to verify that the information other sources report is current and accurate.

5.       Read the footnotes. That’s where the good stuff is! Footnotes contain a treasure trove of information about executive perks like security details and use of company cars and airplanes, and they can also contain clues about family members and charitable giving. Pay particular attention to footnotes that explain the nature of indirect ownership of stock holdings. Often they will be held in trust for an individual’s spouse or children, who might be named in the filings, or by a family foundation.

6.       See if someone else has already done the hard work. Let’s face it: sometimes the legal terms used in SEC filings can be pretty obtuse. If the language is particularly challenging or the situation seems especially complex, it’s worth a quick news search to see if a financial reporter has already deciphered the filings for you. You might get lucky and find an article that explains the exact situation that has you stumped.

7.       Use a cheat sheet. Not sure which form will have the information you need or what in the world carry trade is? Look it up in a reference resource. I like Investopedia, and the SEC has many helpful explanations on its site.

8.       Look for patterns. Does your prospect sell the same amount of shares every month or every quarter? This might be evidence of a stock trading plan set up to help diversify your prospect’s holdings or ensure a steady cash flow when compensation is largely made up of stock. Either way, it’s worth checking the filings to see if you can find an explanation. Looking at the list of recent transactions by your prospect in Yahoo! Finance or a similar tool is a great way to quickly spot patterns. You can work backwards from there by using the transaction dates to find the corresponding filings.

9.       Search for salary comps. SEC filings can help even if you are researching an individual who works at a private company. If you can find a few publicly traded companies in the same industry that are roughly the same size and (ideally) in the same region, you can use the reported compensation figures for executives at those companies to help you estimate what your prospect might be making at a private company. This is not an exact science, to be sure, but at least you can make an educated guess.

10.   Phone a friend. If you are fortunate enough to work in a shop with other researchers, ask for a second opinion when you aren’t sure where to find information or whether you are interpreting it correctly. If you are flying solo, reach out to other members of your local APRA chapter when you get stuck. If you find yourself consistently feeling unsure when you are asked to review SEC filings, ask your boss for some extra training in this area. At one university where I worked, we invited a professor from the business school to spend a couple of hours going over SEC filings with our entire research staff. We all learned a lot, and it didn’t cost a penny.

Although financial documents can be intimidating, they are a wonderful source of information for prospect researchers. I hope that these tips will help you get started. And I would love to hear your favorite tips for researching public company insiders!

Guest Author: Liza Turcotte, Senior Consultant at Target Analytics, a division of Blackbaud, Inc. (APRA-Carolinas Sponsor)

Liza.Turcotte@blackbaud.com 

For all the annual giving folks out there…

Annual giving is one of my favorite fundraising things to talk about.  I “cut my teeth” running an annual giving program, so the topic has a special place in my heart when I work with Blackbaud’s clients.

It has a special place in nonprofit offices everywhere too.  It’s how you acquire donors, educate them about your essential mission, and hopefully grow their passion into a long, loyal relationship.  Some of your annual giving donors will even grow into major and planned giving, and that’s beyond exciting, isn’t it?

With that in mind, how can the data you have on hand (yours, ours, or otherwise) help your annual fund get more done for your organization?  Two of my recent clients are trying new tactics, and I thought I’d pass them along in case they’re helpful to you too!

• Are you mentioning planned giving as part of your annual fund mailings and communications?  If not, how can you work it in?  I am working with a client who asked us to take a custom look at their database to determine which prospects are likely to give through certain vehicles, like annual, major, and planned gifts.  We discovered a lot of prospects sharing high annual and planned giving affinity, and it turns out they have noticed planned giving communications inspire a lot of annual gifts.  They haven’t tried it “the other way” though, so they plan to use an upcoming mail solicitation to highlight a donor who is both an annual and planned gift donor to share the idea with a good audience for a blended message.

• When do you introduce your annual fund donors to higher touch cultivation?  Another client is thinking about this differently to address a gap between the experience of annual fund donors and major gift donors.  The pipeline hasn’t been as healthy as they would like—but their staff is small and the bandwidth is limited.  To get started they identified a small group of “up and coming” prospects who will make up a portfolio for the annual fund manager.  She will ensure these prospects get some personal outreach and start a higher-touch experience.  The idea is that when they are ready for a more significant relationship, the cultivation process will feel familiar and seamless.

And if you’re a little lost in the process or it’s time to revisit a long-standing approach, give us a call.  There are lots of ways Target Analytics can help you understand your donor base and potential (you can explore here).

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

Written by: Lisa Ukuku, The Citadel Foundation

Here at The Citadel Foundation (TCF), gift officers set travel to prospects or donors around one or two anchor visits usually from constituents in their portfolios. Once a gift officer (GO) has set up an appointment with his or her anchor, they send a request form to research and ask us to create a list of additional prospects within a 50 mile radius of the preferred address of the anchor visit(s). The process for developing the list has become automatic and we typically sort the prospect list in three ways:  largest total gifts, propensity score, and zip code.

This list is usually condensed, (unless the GO wants to see everyone) with only the top donors in the area where the GO is visiting. According to the travel location, the list may contain 30 names or it could contain up to 300 names. The affiliation of the prospect is indicated on the list, which could be an alum, an alum from The Citadel Graduate College (CGC) or a parent of a current cadet/student. We also show the last action or contact that anyone from TCF has had with the prospect so that the GO can see the last time the prospect was visited or if they were ever seen at all.

Research spends a lot of hours fine tuning the list to make sure we are forwarding the best of the best prospects in the area requested. It could take us up to three days to return the names to the GO’s. We also attach any miscellaneous notes to the email when we send the list to indicate any additional information we may learn about some of the prospects on the list. There are situations where the prospect may already be assigned to a GO but has not been seen in a while so we will suggest the traveling GO speak with the assigned GO to see if they could visit the prospect. As a side note, if the assigned GO has a strategy in place that we were not aware of (not noted in the database) we support his or her decision for another gift officer not to visit at that time. If a prospect is a current parent, we consult with the parent program GO who will confirm with the appropriate campus entity that the cadet is in good standing prior to the meeting.   

So this all brings me to the question in the title of this piece. Should there be a minimum number of visits to justify a GO’s travel? What would your reaction be, after spending three days developing a list of prospects, and finding out the GO scheduled three visits? As a researcher, you may feel a little let down when you learn this. We are wondering if any development shops have a policy that sets a minimum number of required visits for GO travel. If so, we would love to hear from you. We are interested in knowing how many visits should be set per day and the standard duration of travel. If two or more GO’s are traveling to the same area, should they both go on the same visit or each have their own separate visits scheduled?  How many visits should be set if the trip also includes an alumni event on one of the three days? 

We would love to hear your feedback! Please feel free to reply to us with your questions or comments.