Rebel Saffold III Director of Development Services Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School www.twitter.com/rebelsaffold About Rebel… • Education – Political Science and Humanities – Information Management • Decision Support Systems – System Clean Up • Data Integrity – System Development • System Design – Reporting • Efficient • Accurate • Timely Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School • Located in Saint Louis, MO • PK-12 Independent School • Located on 100 Acres • Started in 1859 • 8,500 Living Alumni – 50% Alumni Outside Saint Louis • 1,200 Current Students • 950 Current Parents MICDS Development Office Staff • 8 Full-time staff members – Director of Development • Executive Assistant to Director of Development – Director of Development Services – Director of Alumni Relations – Director of Annual Fund • Annual Fund Associate – Director of Donor Relations – Director of Special Projects Lets Jump Right In The New World of Advancement • Acceptance of technology • Intuition is no longer the “best option” • Prospect Research becoming widely accepted • Most successful fundraising efforts embrace and integrate prospect research in standard operating procedures • Unique points of view should be accepted and embraced • Research: – A methodical investigation into a subject in order to discover facts, to establish or revise a theory, or to develop a plan of action based on the facts discovered. What Will Be Covered? • What it means to be data-driven? • What it takes to be data-driven? • What is Prospect Research? – Why do we need to do prospect research? • Examples of data-driven decision-making • Decision Support System? – What is it and how do I use it? • Ethics in Advancement and Prospect Research Data-Driven Decision-Making Data-driven decision-making is a diagnostic tool that, encourages – development offices to tailor efforts to meet the specific needs of the institution. Data-Driven • The process of making strategic decisions based primarily on data. – Standardization – Data Organization – Coordinate efforts – Utilize your information system to full capabilities – Transition your information system into a “Decision Support System” – Use information, data, and knowledge available to you The Human Piece of a Data-Driven Environment • Office Culture – Top down buy in • Expect resistance! – Drive all staff to the Database (Decision Support System) • Expect resistance! – Eliminate mini pockets of data (spreadsheets, shadow databases); Should not be encouraged • Expect resistance! – Communicate to staff what data you have collected and what data you want to collect OK, so I have data. Now What??? • Know your data – Understand what specifically is important to your institution • Who are the important constituents (types) • How important is tracking event attendance • Legacies • Organize your data – Data entry should be processed allowing drill down techniques in all areas • Your system should allow drill down to specific areas – Volunteers: Annual Fund, Alumni Relations, FY, etc. – Giving: Pledge, Payment, Gift, FY, Write-offs – Employment: Matching Company, Match Rate OK, so I have data. Now What??? • Clean your data – Determine what’s important – Provide easy access to what’s important – Eliminate consistent problems • Lost Coding vs. Lost-OK • Ex-students vs. Alums • Deceased/Lost/No mail – Constituents should not have all 3 codes • Look long term for data uses – Collect anything and everything • What is not valuable now could be your gold mine in 6 months Standardization • Document and create polices and procedures – Data entry – Coding – Profile change submission – Reporting What is Prospect Research? • It Depends??? – The collection, analysis and mining of data to: • Identify new gift or engagement opportunities or potential. • To further qualify known donors in an effort to advance a fundraising program. – Prospect management How to perform Prospect Research • Google, Google Alerts, Bing, Social Media… • Your organizations Information System • Development Staff • Prospect Review Sessions – MGIC – Major Gift Identification Committee (pronounced MAGIC) • Peer Review • Prospect Screening – GG&A, WeathEngine, HEP, etc How to perform Prospect Research • Contact Reports • Data Modeling and Analysis – Can be done in house • The kitchen sink… The MGIC • Major Gift Identification Committee – Director of Development – Director of Donor Relations – Director of Development Services • Director of Annual Fund* • Director of Alumni Relations*
*on an add need basis
The MGIC continued… • Weekly sessions – Maximum of 90 minutes – Review of all gifts from the previous week: • Coded major gift prospects • Donors of gifts over $1,000 – Actions items • Based on roles of the MGIC team • Action Items, session facilitation, follow up and reporting driven by… – Prospect Manager assignments – Constituent review – Internal prospect coding assigned • Capacity • Inclination Benefits of Prospect Research • Constant pool of potential prospects • Diversify prospect pool – Planned Giving prospects – Annual Fund Leadership gift prospects – Relationship building • Connect with someone who has relationship with prospect – Hidden Gems… • Build relationships with other members of development – Learn strengths of staff • Update constituent information • Stewardship efforts The Results of Prospect Research Donor Profile • Prospect profile should include just enough info to take the next step with the prospect – Create levels of research to match stage in donor cycle – Should include at least two of the following: • Capacity, Inclination (interest), giving history if available • Employment when available • Information without analysis is useless! • Make sure that information used from databases, contact reports, etc. are verified on any research profile Prospect Profile: MGIC Prospect Profile: Tear Sheet OK so I have prospects, now what? Prospect Management • The formal process of indentifying and managing the 5 steps of the donor cycle – Identification – Qualification – Cultivation – Solicitation – Stewardship • This process should be proactive and reactive Development Decision Support System Development Decision Support Systems (DDSS) is a specific computerized information system that supports development office decision-making activities. A properly-designed DDSS is an interactive software-based system intended to help development offices compile useful information from raw data, documents, personal knowledge, and wealth screening to identify potential prospects, solve problems and make strategic decisions. Benefits of a Decision Support System • Flexibility • Customization • Ad Hoc • Designed with specific users needs addressed • Trial and Error • Direct access to the most important data • Efficiency • User driven Decision Support System MICDS Decision Support System Ethics • EVERYTHING IS CONFIDENTIAL!!! – Yes, the information gathered can be from public places, but organized in a profile this information is very confidential. Ethics • Requirements for ethical prospect research – Accurate – Honest – Relevant – Confidential Ethics • Keep everything in-house • Only development professionals • All requests for prospect information should be formally discussed • Develop organization policy to institutionalize information protection – Confidential agreements should be on file for all development staff and volunteers Ethics • Examples – Guidelines for Confidentiality and Privacy
– Confidentiality Agreement
– AFP Donor Bill of Rights
– Ethics Policy and Procedures Statement
Ethics • Resources… Take-Aways • Have a plan of action • Align research goals with the organization’s strategic plan • Balance proactive and reactive research strategies • Work closely with your development team • Maintain confidentiality with research findings • Decision support systems are great tools; valuable in all areas of development • The collection and utilization of data is vital to the success of any development office • Prospect information is available; seek and you will find Questions? Intuition vs. Data-Driven Decision Making Rebel Saffold III Director of Development Services Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School 314-995-7370 rsaffold@micds.org www.twitter.com/rebelsaffold