Fundraising SIG Report – 16 March

“Building Relationships to Grow your Fundraising”

Four fundraising professionals from both the secondary and tertiary sectors spent an afternoon discussing the importance of prospect research and how to build prospect profiles.

Firstly, what is the aim of prospect research and profiling?  It is to provide an analysis of the prospect to assist fundraisers with solicitation.  The more you know about the prospect, the more successful your relationship will be.

Where do you source the Information? Information is all publicly available (websites, public databases and media releases).  Never include information that is not verified or is not relevant to your objective. Be aware of the privacy laws surrounding what information you can hold.

What are strategies for researching? 

• Names:check the spelling of names, abbreviated names (Jon/Jonathan) and partner’s names. 
• Use advanced search tools: and (+), Or (/) and Not (-) eg: Andrew Forrest + Twiggy Forrest.  Search
• Search specific sites: Andrew Forrest Site:.au (only Australian)
• Phrase searches: include quotation marks “Andrew Forrest”

Rating your prospects guides fundraisers with a starting point. The ideal donor has:

Linkage                                    Interest                                   Ability

Fundraiser can rate the prospects against these three factors on a scale one to five.  5/5 Hot, 4/5 Warm, 3/5 Cool, 2/5 Cold, and 1/5 Don’t bother. 

Profiles are not limited to individuals, it can include corporate businesses, PAFs and Trusts.

A copy of a Prospect Profile and Rating Chart is AVAILABLE HERE.

Overall the attendees agreed if you have time to include prospect research in your fundraising plan, you will find it rewarding.