Small Shop Research 12 2007

Workshop Series

Every Boat Needs a Navigator

Small Shop Research

Wesleyan UniversityMonday, December 2, 2007

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

David M. SterlingDirector of Advancement Operations

Western New England College

December 3, 2007 2

Purpose and Outcomes

How do you run an effective research operation with: Limited funds; Limited staff; Limited time; Unlimited needs?

Ideas, tools, and techniques to help you: Achieve research

needs; Coordinate prospect

management; Manage information

flow; Meet “other duties

as assigned.”

Session Purpose Session Outcomes

December 3, 2007 3

What is a Small Shop?Characteristics

Number of Researchers? 1, 2 or 3?

Number of Front-Line Fundraising Staff? Ratio of Researchers to Front-Line Staff

‘Paper’ Ratio Compared to ‘Reality’ Ratio

Organizational Characteristics Type and Scope of Organization Size of Organization Number of Constituents Fundraising Goals

December 3, 2007 4

What is a Small Shop?Organization

Local Statewide Regional National Internationa

l Global

Scope

December 3, 2007 5



l Global

Educational Healthcare Cultural Social

Service Foundation

Scope Type

December 3, 2007 6



l Global


Service Foundation

Alumni Members Staff Volunteers Patients Community

Scope Type Size

December 3, 2007 7



l Global


Service Foundation

Alumni Members Staff Volunteers Patients Community

Scope Type Size Capital

Projects Major Gifts Planned

Gifts Annual

Giving

Goals

December 3, 2007 8

Small Shop IssuesFocus

Fundraising Efforts and Goals? ‘Start-Up’ for Major Gifts

May Have History of Membership/Annual Gifts

Prospect Identification ‘Mature’ Fund Development

Expanding Prospect Pool and Activity Know Your Mission Critical

Responsibilities Make Sure Your Boss Agrees With Them

December 3, 2007 9


When a New Task is Presented or Presents Itself, Think: What Happens If This Does Not Happen By X

or Ever? What Happens to Your Other Responsibilities?

Avoid “Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time” Make Sure You Have the Time and Resources

For Example: Extensive Data-Mining and Analysis

December 3, 2007 10


Moving the Mission Forward: Research

Purpose Depth/Breadth

Prospect Management Short Term/Long Term

Data Integrity Knowledge Management

December 3, 2007 11

Small Shop IssuesAccountability

‘Dos’ and ‘Not Dos’ Define What You Do

For Example: Run Prospect Management Lists

Define You Do Not Do For Example: Run Mailing Lists

Line Between ‘Do’ and ‘Not Do’ Blur Easily Especially if a Small Shop Gets Smaller

December 3, 2007 12

Small Shop IssuesResponsibility

Not Necessarily the Same as Accountability For Example: Gift Entry is a Different

Office You Have a Responsibility to Make Sure that

Incorrect Gift Records are Corrected.

More Responsibility for Success More Opportunity for Responsibility

December 3, 2007 13

Small Shop IssuesDelegation

Do You Have Anyone to Delegate to? Support Staff Students Interns Volunteers

Focus on Mission Critical: What You Keep What You Delegate What Gets ‘Put Aside for Later’

December 3, 2007 14

Small Shop IssuesResources

Time – Your Most Critical Resource 365/7/24 plus 1

365 days a Year 7 days a week 24 hours a day

Plus 1 brain

December 3, 2007 15


Internal - People Know What You Know

Do Not Let Your Knowledge Walk Out the Door

Peer Screening Staff Leadership Key Volunteers Donors

December 3, 2007 16


Internal - Fundraising Database Master the Database Report Creation and Generation Data Entry – Especially Prospect

Information Focus on Mission Critical

Address(es) Employment Relationships Prospect Management

December 3, 2007 17


Internal Paper Files

Beware of Too Much of a Good Thing A Great Filing Scheme Without a Record Manager

is Just a Good Idea Electronic Files

Requires Established Procedures and Protocols For example: How will files be named?

Institutional Library (Educational Organizations) Investment/Finance Office

December 3, 2007 18


External – Free Search Engines Public Records

Property Appraisers [some have fees]

State Corporation Records [some have fees]

EDGAR (Securities & Exchange Commission) Public & School Libraries

Some Institutional Libraries May Require User Fee

December 3, 2007 19


External – Free Search Engines

Use Your Favorite but Compare to Others Do Advanced Searches – ‘Fishing for Prospects’

Set Up Alerts Walk on the Wild Side of the Net:

myspace.com

December 3, 2007 20


External – Free (mostly) Public Records

Property Appraisers Christina Pulawski’s “Tax Assessor Database”

http://www.pulawski.net/ Vision Appraisal Technology

http://www.visionappraisal.com/databases/ State Corporation Records

Portico (University of Virginia): http://indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/businesses.html#inc

http://www.pulawski.net/



http://www.visionappraisal.com/databases/



http://indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/businesses.html

December 3, 2007 21


External – Partially Free Newspapers and Business Publications

Short-term Archives Often Free Long-Term Archives Fee-Based

Many Fee-Based Resources Offer Some Free Content

December 3, 2007 22


External – Fee-Based Factors to Consider:

What Can You Afford? Do You Have a Corporate Credit Card?

What are Your Information Gaps? For Example: Private Company

Information Is there an a la carte option? Is there an Annual Fee? Is there a Free Search Option?

December 3, 2007 23


External – Fee-Based (examples) AlumniFinder

Pay for Service Bills – Does Not Require Credit Card

iWave Annual Fee

Dun & Bradstreet D&B Small Business Solutions

Annual Fee Plus Fee-for-Report Discounts on Reports and Free ‘Corporate Profile

Reports’ Factiva

Annual Fee and Pay for Viewed Results Searches Free

December 3, 2007 24


External – Demographic/Donor Screening Valuable for Unexplored Constituent Base Valuable for Accessing (indirectly) Expensive Resources Expensive - Money

Using Targeted Populations Helps Control Cost Expensive – Time

Be Aware That Utilizing Screening Results is Very Time Intensive

External – Consultants and Free-Lance Researchers May be Very Useful for Getting Research Done on

Defined Population or Group of Prospects

December 3, 2007 25


The Budget Fixed: $2,322 Variable: $2,732

Item Amount Type Cost Type

Accurint $1,409.70 Online Service Variable Boston Business Journal $226.00 Publication Fixed Business West $24.00 Publication Fixed BusinessWeek $119.97 Publication Fixed CASE $358.75 Books Occasional Chronicle of Higher Education $140.00 Publication Fixed Chronicle of Philanthropy $72.00 Publication Fixed Clkbank.com $49.95 Online Service Variable Dun & Bradstreet $693.03 Online Service Variable EDGAR Online $219.45 Online Service Fixed Factiva $206.10 Online Service Variable Forbes $79.95 Publication Fixed Foundation Center $497.50 Online Service Fixed Guidestar $300.00 Online Service Fixed Highbeam.com $129.95 Online Service Fixed Legacy.com $2.95 Online Service Variable Newslibrary.com $5.80 Online Service Variable Obitsarchive.com $5.80 Online Service Variable The Republican $364.00 Publication Fixed Wall Street Journal $99.00 Publication Fixed Worcester Publishing $49.95 Publication Fixed

$5,053.85

December 3, 2007 26

Small Shop IssuesIssues & Concerns

What are your issues, concerns and problems?

What are your solutions?

December 3, 2007 27

Small Shop IssuesIssues & Concerns

What are your issues, concerns and problems?

What are your solutions?

December 3, 2007 28

Small Shop Opportunities Access

Closer to the Top Leadership and Donors Influence

Closeness Provides Opportunity to Influence: Ask Amount Cultivation and Solicitation Strategy

Influence Must be Earned Involvement

Access and Influence Create Opportunities for Involvement

December 3, 2007 29

Keys to SuccessPrioritize

Time Daily Weekly Monthly Annually

Responsibilities Interests

December 3, 2007 30

Keys to SuccessAutomate & Systemize

Let Your Database Do as Much as Possible For Example: Prospect Profile

A ‘First Contact’ Usually Needs Only the Information Already in-Hand

“If its not in the database, it did not happen!” Contact Reports & Events

‘Empower’ Front-line Staff Establish Standard Reports and Formats

December 3, 2007 31

Keys to SuccessDefine

What are You Trying to Accomplish: Prospect Identification?

Annual Fund Planned Giving Major Gifts

Major Gift Strategies? Campaign

Comprehensive Targeted

What You Can Accomplish! Not the same as: What can you accomplish.

December 3, 2007 32

Keys to SuccessStrategize

Think Strategically Know the Big Picture Be a Chief Strategic Officer (CSO)

Plan Tactically The Steps to the Big Picture

Be the Navigator The Navigator Charts the course:

To the final destination Around the rocks dead ahead

December 3, 2007 33

Questions & CommentsWhen You Know Where You Are Going,

the Voyage is Smoother!Be the Navigator!Be the Navigator!

Good Sailing&

Thank You