This is what it means to have prospect research support...

Dear Diary,

When a new development officer joins an organization with prospect researchers, and has never had access to research, portfolio management, or capacity analysis – when and how are they prepped on the role of prospect research? Or its role in the overall fundraising strategy?

Some organizations provide brown bags and formal informational sessions while others try to only target new-comers. But the knowledge gaps, and lack of communication and respect suggest that there is still a lot of work to be done.

To understand prospect research support in all of its glory, there needs to be an understanding of roles:

1.    Researchers are here to identify the prospects that you should be qualifying, engaging, and soliciting.

2.    They are here to support you, and communication is crucial.

3.    While conducting research there is an understanding and analysis of the prospect, but you (the development officer) get to know them in a completely different way than the researcher since you are external facing. So, when you are requesting targeted questions, accept the fact that there are certain questions that research cannot answer because it is something only you can answer when engaging with the prospect.

4.    Update the researcher on your progress with the prospect – the information or stories that you share are not only interesting, they inform the research and fundraising strategy.

5.    Research can be qualitative and quantitative – the prospect’s journey, philanthropy, career, and financial analysis are parts of the prospect story that is told in a profile.

6.    When you are utilizing the organization’s CRM, your researcher can also provide you with data and research in an organized format.

I want to note that the misunderstanding of supportive roles is an industry issue that affects all organizations from small to large, and new to old. We are in the people business and as prospect researchers try to provide excellent customer service – respect the ways in which they are supporting you, in fundraising, to achieve the overall fundraising goal.

Until next time, October 15th!