It is hard to believe that 2008 is coming to a close. It has been a year of many forward-thinking and positive changes for APRA, but also a year where economic turmoil around the globe challenges the philanthropic and fundraising community just as it affects many other sectors of the economy.

 

Elizabeth_Crabtree

 

David_Eberly

So now people want speed and accuracy? What are they thinking? What they’re thinking is we live in a real-time world where having the right information at the right time can be the difference between success and failure. In the world of fundraising, it can mean the difference between meeting goals or not.

When raising money in real time, the question is not what was my prospect worth when the research was done, rather it is what is my prospect worth today? This is truer than ever as we are faced with the new global economic realities where wealth can evaporate in a matter of minutes or be made just as fast.

 

David_Lawson

One of my favorite TV personalities is Susan Lucci from "All My Children." She is a favorite, not because I am a soap opera junkie, but because of her positive and never-ending enthusiasm for her profession as an actress and her ever-changing role on the show over many years. As an actress, Lucci maneuvered her character’s role, depending upon the circumstances, and endured endless changes in colleagues, scripts, storylines and writers. Her tenure on the show garnered her many daytime Emmy nominations. Year after year, I was inspired by Lucci’s ability to remain positive after each nomination, yet when the winner was announced the prize was not in the cards for her. She endured and remained the consummate professional — until the time was right, and that Emmy was hers.

 

Elizabeth_McHugh

Call me a geek, but I was incredibly excited when I discovered Crystal Reports. If you’ve worked with a mainstream fundraising database like Raiser’s Edge, Banner or BSR Advance, you know that its built-in reports can range from serviceable to astonishingly inadequate. By contrast, specialized software such as Crystal Reports allows for the creation of reports that can pull out even the most obscure data in a format that actually looks attractive. I have found that adding these custom-designed reports to the research department’s menu of services can also positively influence the reputation of researchers among our colleagues. Our proficiency in building effective custom reports gives us the power to shape how our fundraisers see key strategic information.

 

Gina_Rich

As researchers we take great pride in our work product. We spend countless hours reading, deciphering and synthesizing large quantities of information into concise reports for the benefit of our customers. The integrity of the research profile (or whatever form research is developed in your shop) is paramount. We work hard to make sure that the numbers are accurate, the data factual and the information relevant for fundraisers who are pushing through this tough economy in hopes of closing on that transformational gift. But what happens when our customers don’t understand the importance or sanctity of the information in their hands? And how do we as researchers guide them in the right direction or deal with the repercussions?

 

Kim_Pace