By Laura Avery, Prospect Research Analyst, QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation
In Summer 2015, I had the opportunity to attend my first APRA International Conference in New Orleans. Thank you to the APRA Canada Chapter and the APRA Canada Radhika Jaggernauth Memorial Scholarship!
As a new prospect researcher, the conference was an amazing opportunity for me to become immersed in current trends and themes in prospect development, research, and analytics. I was able to meet prospect researchers from across Canada, the US, and around the world. I encourage everyone interested in future conferences to apply for the scholarship. When I think back on the conference, here are just a few of many highlights:
The Keynote Speeches
The keynote speech by Dan Pallotta challenged us to think about charity in new ways, focusing on investment and impact instead of overhead. You can read more about Dan and his mission at http://www.danpallotta.com/ and http://charitydefensecouncil.org/
David Lawson’s keynote presentation for the Data Analytics Symposium was a call to action to embrace analytics and cognitive computing. Corporations are using analytics in sophisticated ways to sell products or services; charities can use analytics to make the world a better place. Cognitive computing initiatives such as IBM Watson are changing our relationship with data from master to partner.
Meeting fellow Canadian researchers
A number of APRA-C members presented excellent sessions. It was great to have Canadian content and representation at an international conference. My co-worker Melissa Young, Manager of Prospect Research at the QEII Foundation, also attended the conference. We had the chance to meet other Canadian delegates at the APRA-C dinner at Broussard’s, a Creole restaurant in the French Quarter.
Innovations in Prospect Development
Melissa and I brought back many insights from the conference that transformed our practice at the QEII.
A common theme in many presentations was the need for Development Officers to focus on their top prospects. We developed a new inclination rating system to help Development Officers better manage their portfolios day-to-day. I also developed a pivot report in Raiser’s Edge for Development Officers’ Top Lists, allowing Development Officers to filter their lists by many variables.
Another theme was that Prospect Research professionals at top organizations are shaping strategy by providing timely, mission-critical information and recommendations. As a profession, we’re moving away from creating full profiles for every research request, and focusing on what Development Officers need to know to move the prospect closer to making a gift. Rather than requiring full profile information before we move a profile into the “Research” phase, we now provide a snapshot and create profiles when Development Officers really need them – before an ask.
The Data Analytic Symposium inspired me to ask more questions and try out more queries in our system, focusing on variables like the velocity of a donor’s giving pattern. The results have been promising so far; we have uncovered a number of donors in our Annual Program with higher capacity and we learned about a future bequest to our organization.
The Location
Writing about NOLA in the middle of a Maritime winter is a welcome escape. Exploring the music, food and history of the French Quarter after conference hours was a must. It was a wonderful experience (although I recommend visiting in March, not July, if you have the option). Thank you APRA-Canada!
