AFP SEWI January 2017 Educational Luncheon 

Bringing focus to fundraising through prospect research

Prospect research empowers fundraisers with the information they need to ask for the right gift from the right donor at the right time to fund the right initiative. Indeed, many major gift donors expect fundraisers to base their cultivation and solicitation on data driven strategies. They expect you to have done your homework, just like they have done to build successful businesses and create private wealth. But, many shops lack the time and resources to develop a prospect research program, much less to hire a full-time researcher.

This session, presented in collaboration with APRA Wisconsin, will introduce you to the concepts and practice of prospect research, including ratings and profiles, and provide tips and tools to help you make time for prospect research every day.

Key takeaways include:

• The vocabulary of prospect research
• Prospect research data sources and ethics
• Creating capacity ratings and other ratings
• Understanding the utility of prospect research profiles

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Sarah Bernstein, Philanthrodata

Sarah Bernstein is the owner and principal consultant of Philanthrodata, a fundraising intelligence and information management consultancy. Sarah’s passion is to help nonprofits develop database and prospect research solutions so they can better serve their donors and fuel their missions. Before establishing Philanthrodata in 2014, Sarah worked as the director of research at Marquette University, and director of development research and systems at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. She is the past president of APRA Wisconsin, and a member of APRA, AFP, and AASP. She has a B.A. in Film and M.A. in Art History, both earned at UW-Milwaukee.

ABOUT APRA WISCONSIN:

APRA-Wisconsin is a state chapter of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, an international organization for people interested and/or working in the field of prospect research. The chapter strives to:

• Facilitate fundraising research education
• Be a source of advancement research information
• Encourage professional development among members
• Advance cooperation and collaboration within the field