Position: Director of Prospect Management and Research
Apra Member for: 3 years
- How long have you worked in prospect research and how did you get involved in this profession? I've formally worked in the profession since 2014, when my new VP rearranged my position to include a more significant prospect research element. I attended my first Apra International conference that summer and was hooked. Informally, I learned about prospect research in 2007 when my former institution hired a Prospect Researcher for our campaign. My curiosity led to me learning a lot from her about how to interpret wealth screening information and prepare profiles.
- What does a typical day at work look like for you? What I love about being a solo shop is that I really get to control how my work day looks, so there isn't a typical day. I have been building our program at UCM since I was started in January 2016, so some days it's a lot of prospect identification, some days it is full of meetings with fundraisers to talk about portfolios and strategy. Every day is an adventure! Today's adventure is cleaning up some action data, proactive identification and portfolio updates.
- What do you like most about being a member of the APRA? The camaraderie of this community is like nothing else I've experienced professionally. I love that if I have a question, I have multiple avenues to find an answer, whether it's the list serve, educational offerings or just a host of helpful colleagues who give of their time to help our profession succeed.
- What is your greatest professional achievement? I don't think I've achieved all the greatness I can yet, but so far my greatest achievement is being able to contribute to our Apra community by sharing my knowledge at conferences and serving my Chapter. I emjoy helping others find their passion for this work and helping other small shops figure out how to be awesome.
- What is the most important professional goal you are currently pursuing (i.e., attaining a degree, preparing to give a presentation, launching an initiative at work or in your community)? The most important one for me is just to build the best program I can for our University. Sometimes this has meant scrapping something a few months after it launches, but I appreciate I have the freedom to try new things and the support to pivot when needed.
- Is there a resource, i.e., book, blog, website, etc., that you would recommend to other APRA members? I just read Josh Birkholz's Fundraising Anayltics book last summer, and it is a great piece for any professional's library. I am a huge fan of Twitter and follow many colleagues there, several of who blog. I always read Jennifer Filla's and Helen Brown's posts when they show up in my feed, as well as Apra North Texas Weekly Round-up post.
- What is the best piece of professional advice you have ever received? Always leave your hat hanging by the door, which came from my last boss. Not that she wanted me to leave, but she firmly believes if you are going to be the best you, you have to be open to new experiences so you can pursue your passions. She is an amazing mentor and really invested in and supported me on my journey to my current role.
- Are there any particular stories, insights, etc., from your experiences in prospect research that you would like to share with our colleagues? My two best tips are to utilize Apra and be willing to fail. Those two things have gotten me this far!