Apra Fundamentals: Relationship Management
This course will be held during Prospect Development 2026 on Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
Who Should Attend
This program is intended for professionals new to prospect development or those seeking practical strategies to improve portfolio optimization and collaboration between prospect development teams and frontline fundraisers.
Learning Objectives
Through this curriculum, participants will:
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Apply core principles of portfolio management, prospect strategy and metrics to immediate organizational needs.
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Navigate data governance and ethical considerations within the CRM to manage complex data sets.
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Develop practical strategies to enhance the partnership between prospect development and frontline fundraising staff.
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Interpret and visualize portfolio data to clarify strategic impact and inspire action.
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Utilize storytelling techniques to provide clarity and drive the philanthropic mission forward.
What Else Is Included
Registrants receive access to a private online community to network with peers, access resource materials and engage with faculty experts.
Mandatory Pre-Event Learning: To prepare for the live education, participants must complete approximately four hours of online module training. These sessions, ranging from 20 to 60 minutes, cover:
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Relationship Management Overview
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Optimized Portfolio Markers
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Straightforward and Explainable Projections
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Supporting Frontline Success via Data Interpretation
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Data Visualization and Storytelling
Meet the Speakers
Sarah Cadbury, Executive Director of Prospect Development
Sarah Cadbury is the executive director of prospect development at Temple University, where she leads a team of six talented professionals. Together, the team is building a comprehensive prospect management program, with innovative business practices and robust reporting in order to facilitate strategic engagement of donors. She is also a consultant with Huron, where she works with a variety of clients to build impactful prospect development functions. Prior to this role, Cadbury served as director of prospect research and management at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she led all aspects of prospect research and management. She provided insight and direction to leadership to develop strategic initiatives and establish goals, including setting a $525 million campaign goal and initiating the museum’s first prospect identification program, which elevated the major gifts program.
Tayler Lee, Director of Pipeline & Prospect Strategy
Tayler Lee serves as the director of pipeline and prospect strategy for NC State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, bringing 9 years of experience to her role in higher-education advancement. Tayler provides insights on college strategy and initiatives, special projects, campaign planning and goal setting. She is responsible for developing and managing comprehensive prospect pipelines for the university's largest fundraising team, which contributed over $478 million toward the university's last $2 billion goal. She also served as a subject-matter expert during the university's recent CRM conversion and currently serves on the CRM optimization steering committee as NC State prepares for its next capital campaign.
Karin McDowell, Director, Prospect Development
Karin McDowell is director of prospect development at BWF and has more than 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She lives in Atlanta, Illinois (home of the American Giants Museum!) with her partner, Jon. Karin and Jon have three kids—Ian, Reid and Alexa, two dogs—Louis and Sheldon, and Reid has a cat named Larry the Chalupa. Karin completed her master's in philanthropic studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, Indianapolis, in May 2026. When she has a moment for herself, she likes to read, crochet and sew quilts and clothing.
Cynthia Mikimoto, Associate Director of Prospect Management
Cynthia Mikimoto serves as associate director of prospect management at Caltech, where she partners with development officers to ensure their portfolios remain accurate, current and strategically aligned. Cynthia plays an active role in onboarding new team members and meets regularly with frontline fundraisers to serve as their strategic partner. Collaborating with the information services team, she works to provide insights and the story within the data for fundraisers. Mikimoto brings more than 20 years of experience in prospect management, prospect research, leadership briefings, donor relations and event management. At Caltech, she has implemented automations related to portfolio review notifications, list reviews and stage management. She served as a faculty member in the Introduction to Relationship Management course for Apra PD last year and has presented on the critical collaboration between fundraisers and prospect development at conferences each year since 2023. In recognition of her leadership and contributions to the field, Cynthia was elected president of Apra’s California chapter, CARA, in 2025. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Loyola Marymount University.