New Researchers Symposium

Full participation in APRA: Inspiring Excellence 22nd Annual International Conference is applicable for 18.25 points in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.

Download the continuing education tracker to view credit hours allocated for each educational session.

Wednesday and Thursday, July 29–30

Read what previous New Researcher Symposium attendees shared about their experience.

Get on the development research career fast track during the New Researchers Symposium. This symposium — especially suited for researchers with less than one year of experience — is a two-day learning opportunity focused on the fundamental yet essential elements of prospect research. Fundraisers and other development professionals who are interested in learning about research methods and technologies, and managers new to supervising researchers are also encouraged to attend.

This intensive seminar’s newly updated and expanded curriculum ensures that participants have the latest and most relevant information from which to launch an exciting new career in prospect research or hone existing skills and knowledge.

An open forum dialogue with faculty will end each day and provide attendees with an opportunity to ask questions, exchange ideas and share experiences.

Who Should Attend

New researchers with less than one year of experience
Researchers who want a refresher course on fundamental research skills and concepts
Development professionals with research as one of many responsibilities
Fundraisers who want to learn how to approach and conduct basic research functions on their own
Directors and managers of advancement services who want to understand how to effectively train and support prospect research staff

Sponsored by:

2009 conference overview

Program Highlights
Day One
Day Two
Faculty

Day One — Wednesday, July 29

7:30am – 8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30am – 9:00am Welcome and Introductions

9:00am – 10:15am The Role of Research in Development

10:15am –10:30am Break

10:30am –12:00pm Ethics, Risks, Confidentiality and Donor Privacy

12:00pm – 1:30pm Lunch (on your own)

1:30pm – 2:15pm Organizing and Managing the Research Operation

2:15pm – 3:15pm Web Searching Tools and Techniques

3:15pm – 3:30pm Break

3:30pm – 4:00pm Resources, Services and Publications

4:00pm – 4:30pm Question and Answer Period

The Role of Research in Development
Understand the fundamental concepts of fundraising and how the research function is an integral part of a high-performing development operation. Learn how research can best impact fundraising, including how research interacts with every area of development, the fundamentals of prospect relationship management and what research should focus on during each phase of a campaign.

Ethics, Risks, Confidentiality and Donor Privacy
Discuss contemporary issues in ethics and privacy facing the nonprofit community today and review ethical principles of the fundraising research profession. Examination of case studies regarding best practices and guidelines for protecting donor rights, include how to manage day-to-day activities and establish appropriate operational guidelines.

Organizing and Managing the Research Operation
Learn how to set up or improve your research office functionality by establishing protocols and systems to handle and track requests, organize electronic and print filing systems, create forms and checklists, streamline and automate processes, and manage the expectations of fundraisers and supervisors.

Web Searching Tools and Techniques
Learn how to master Internet search techniques and sharpen technology skills to make research time as productive as possible. Discuss how to balance biographic, financial and philanthropic information among the fast-changing world of free and fee-based electronic resources, including a review of PUSH technology, RSS feeds, news services, online directories and research libraries. Learn advanced techniques such as Boolean logic, adjacency and field searching as well as how to evaluate the quality of Web resources.

Resources, Services and Publications
Examine the availability and effectiveness of resources, services and industry publications essential to fundraising research. Discuss vendor services including an overview of major screening and database vendors, types of products available and how to stretch your resource budget.

Day Two — Thursday, July 30

7:30am – 8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30am – 9:00am Corporate and Foundation Research

9:00am – 10:00am Researching Individuals: Part 1

10:00am –10:15am Break

10:15am –12:00pm Researching Individuals: Part 2

12:00pm – 1:30pm Lunch (on your own)

1:30pm – 2:30pm Proactive Research: An Introduction
to Prospect Identification

2:30pm – 2:45pm Break

2:45pm – 3:30pm Introduction to Relationship Management

3:30pm – 4:00pm Question and Answer Period

Corporate and Foundation Research
Foundation and corporate giving programs that provide funding for nonprofits are among the fastest-growing elements in philanthropy. Learn how to research and evaluate foundation and corporate grant opportunities that match organizational programs and priorities. Discuss online resources as well as how visiting local libraries and grant centers can enrich the information available to you.

Researching Individuals
Part 1
Discover the resources, methods and strategies for unearthing information about individuals including understanding what you need to know before getting started and how to verify basic biographic and contact information. Learn how to determine the best sources for finding biographical information, approaches for finding new prospects and how to equip fundraisers with meaningful information that promotes relationship-building with prospective donors. Understand how to discern various types of requests and create customized reports and formats for relaying information to fundraisers.

Part 2
Review sources for locating common wealth indicators such as income, real estate and public stock holdings, and examine other indications of wealth as observed by philanthropic behaviors, political contributions, and family and private foundations. Understand the fundamental concepts and receive an overview of creating estimation strategies and rating methodologies for determining gift capacity.

Proactive Research: An Introduction to Prospect Identification
Review the essential components of traditional prospect identification techniques, including reading and extracting information from newspapers, magazines and industry journals, and conducting list reviews and industry or occupational analyses.

Introduction to Relationship Management
In this session, learn how to plan, record and report significant movements in the relationship between your organization and your prospects. Topics will include how to establish policies for portfolio accountability for your organization, how to manage and direct prospect assignments and tracking, how to coordinate prospect moves, how to establish and maintain portfolios for frontline fundraisers, while working as a team and how best to communicate information that assists fundraising strategies.

Faculty for this program includes:

Elizabeth McHugh
Liz McHugh Elizabeth McHugh is an independent consultant. Previously, she was Vice President for Prospect Research at Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation. In her role there, she was responsible for prospect identification, moves management, database integrity, screening, prospect research and cultivation. Before joining Scottsdale Healthcare, McHugh spent 20 years at the Arizona State University Foundation where she built a sustaining prospect management department that assisted in the success of the ASU Campaign for Leadership, which raised more than $550 million.

McHugh is a member of APRA, AHP, AFP, AASP and APRA-Arizona. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of prospect management and research at APRA conferences, virtual seminars and chapter meetings as well as local AFP meetings. She was a member of the APRA Board of Directors for six years and a founding member of the APRA-Arizona chapter. McHugh was the recipient of the 2006 APRA Distinguished Service Award.

Michael Quevli
Michael Quevli began his career in prospect research in 1996 at AIDS Project Los Angeles. He was at the Keck School of Medicine of USC for seven years and was responsible for overseeing the Development Research team before joining Kintera P!N in 2005. Quevli was the membership chair for two terms with the California Advancement Researchers Association, where during his tenure membership increased from 165 to 300. He has served on the board of the LaurelGrove Theatre, has been a consultant to various nonprofits in Southern California and served three consecutive terms on the Stephens College Alumnae board.

Quevli has been a frequent speaker for APRA and APRA chapters, and was an instructor at the College of Extended Learning at Cal State Northridge in prospect research and prospect management. Quevli is a recipient of the 2004 CARA Service Award and the 2007 Stephens College Alumnae Service Award.

Mark DeFilippis
Mark DeFilippis joined The Nature Conservancy in 2007 as the Associate Director of Prospect Development. DeFilippis oversees a large staff of research analysts in support of the Conservancy's multi-billion dollar Campaign for a Sustainable Planet. He was previously the Director of Advancement Research and Prospect Management at the University of Georgia where served on staff for over 11 years. DeFilippis served two terms on the APRA Board of Directors, moderates the PRSPCT-L listserv, and is a founding member of the Association of Advancement Services Professionals. He earned a BA from Virginia Tech and an MEd. from the University of Georgia.

Guest faculty includes:

Helen Brown
Helen Brown, a development professional since 1987, is President of The Helen Brown Group (HBG), a full-service prospect research consulting firm working with clients internationally. Brown is president of ShareTraining, a Web-based training company specializing in prospect research and fundraising. Before founding HBG in 2002, she established and directed advancement research departments at Northeastern University and at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Brown serves as special advisor on fundraising for the board of the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester, England, is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and a member of the board of directors of Factary Ltd. Brown is past president of the NEDRA and the 2006 recipient of the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.

David Eberly
David Eberly is Director of Prospect Research and Management at Children’s Hospital Trust Boston. During his more than 25 years in the fundraising field, he has divided his time between higher education and healthcare.

He served as Director of Research at Tufts University, Directory of Development Services at the Harvard Medical School and Director of Resource Development at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government before returning to the research field in 2003 at Children’s Hospital. Eberly currently sits on the HIPAA Steering Committee of Children’s and is a member of the Ethics Subcommittee of APRA. He is a past president of the New England Development Research Association and recipient of its Ann Castle Award. Eberly has consulted widely for institutions in higher education, health care and other member organizations.

back to top