Learn. Innovate. Connect.
Become a Fundraising Intelligence Asset
Receive expert, practical instruction and hands-on training in fundraising research and prospect management. Join our community to tackle real-world challenges with personalized support and proven resources.
Learners
Workshops
Courses
Prospect Research Institute is powered by Aspire Research Group LLC
Step-by-step instruction
Professional Development For Fundraising Research And Prospect Management
You have it in you to become a Fundraising Intelligence Asset, leading your development officers to the biggest and best donor prospects!
- But how do you get practical instruction on exactly what you should be doing in your job?
- And how can you solve problems and negotiate your career pathway?
Because after trying to piece together your training from blog articles, free webinars, and boot camps, you are probably still struggling to figure out how to do your job better. It doesn’t have to be this hard!
We created training opportunities that blend step-by-step instruction with expert coaching and peer conversations.
Kickstart Your Career
If you’re just starting in fundraising research and prospect management, our Career Agent Training is the perfect first step. Designed for beginners, this program gives you the foundational knowledge and practical skills to navigate the world of prospect research with confidence. With expert-led instruction, real-world examples, and hands-on practice, you’ll learn how to identify top donor prospects, manage data effectively, and grow your career from day one. Start strong with training that sets you up for success!
Helping you become a Fundraising Intelligence Asset in 4 ways
Career Agent Training
New researchers gain skills in three key areas: prospect research, prospect management, and fundraising analytics.
Research Asset Membership
Stay current with hot topics, learn from your peers, and advance your career with group coaching.
A la carte Catalog
Learn and refresh skills as you need it with live and on-demand trainings across a wide range of topics.
Private and Group Training
Enhance your team’s skills with custom trainings and group rates to fill your training gaps.
Join the Community
Training to elevate your career
Getting started is easy
Training to elevate your career
Getting started is easy
Step 1:
Discover Your Training Match
Choose the learning opportunity to suit your career goals: Membership, Career Agent Training, or the a la carte catalog.
Step 2:
Start Learning Right Away
This structured learning track is designed to equip you with the essential skills for success as a career agent.
Step 3:
Learn, Grow, and Thrive All Year Long!
Enjoy 12 months of expert-led training, ongoing support, and a community that’s as committed to your success as you are.
Ready to Elevate Your Fundraising Career?
BECOME IRREPLACEABLE One step at a time
How can Prospect Research Institute help?
At the Prospect Research Institute, we understand the challenges of navigating through mountains of data and identifying the right donor prospects. That’s why our training is different. With a proven track record of training over a thousand professionals we equip you with the tools and support to solve problems in real time and advance your career with confidence.
Research in Fundraising
Training in this domain is all about the intersection of research and fundraising and the art and science major gifts.
Prospect Research
Learning in this domain covers a wide range of topics including skills in prospect identification and all things profiles.
Fundraising Analytics
Every researcher needs to know enough about analytics to perform in a data-rich environment and this domain meets the need.
Prospect Management
The Institute teaches you to apply a fundamental framework to facilitate and track donor movement along the major gift pipeline.
Careers
Explore the field of research and prospect management, which has grown rapidly into a profession.
Join the Community
Words from happy Researchers
Success Stories
★★★★★
I love your Master Class format – small group, clearly defined curriculum, solid professional information and resources and focus on discussion. But most importantly I was impressed and delighted to see that you incorporated an additional and extremely practical layer of knowledge, through hands on experience with tools (pivot tables) or resources (Candid). This adds real value to the educational experience you offer.
Betsy Mehlman
2020-Master Class
★★★★★
Jen’s course on insider stock and compensation was informative, interesting, and well-thought out. Jen broke down the complicated material into digestible pieces. She showed us resources that I use in my day-to-day research that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. Jen is always quick to respond and has been helpful even after the class has ended. She answers questions thoroughly and is always pleasant.
I was able to take what I learned from the course and present the material to our front-line fundraisers. One fundraiser told me after my presentation that she discovered one of her donor’s compensation was much higher than she thought. So, already, this information has come in handy! Thanks again Jen!
Kim Anthony, San Francisco CA
Insider Stock and Compensation
★★★★★
The Capacity Rating Workshop was really useful. I was new to the prospect research field when I took the workshop, so it helped to demystify capacity ratings for me. The online classroom provided a great forum for interaction with the other participants and for a robust exchange of ideas. Beyond that though, Jen shared a wealth of information and resources about capacity ratings and other important aspects of prospect research. I highly recommend this workshop whether you’re new to the field or have years of experience in our profession.
David Lloyd, Prospect Research Professional, San Francisco, CA
Take a FREE course
As a research intelligence asset, it’s your job to get to the heart of your donor prospects and provide fundraisers with information they can act upon.
Lies and misinformation are all over the internet. Never fall for bad information again!
Take our Solid Intel Course and learn how to evaluate sources critically and feel confident in the accuracy of the information you present.
Take a FREE course
As a research intelligence asset, it’s your job to get to the heart of your donor prospects and provide fundraisers with information they can act upon.
Lies and misinformation are all over the internet. Never fall for bad information again!
Take our Solid Intel Course and learn how to evaluate sources critically and feel confident in the accuracy of the information you present.
elevate your prospect research skills
Featured Courses
Have you taken generic webinars or a research boot camp and still found yourself struggling to apply what you’ve learned to real-world situations? This is exactly why we created training that offers step-by-step, practical instruction designed to address the unique challenges you face on the job. Check out our most popular courses below.
Essentials for Successful Fundraising Research
A primer for the field, you learn how to identify good prospects, perform profile research, and track prospects using prospect management techniques. It’s based on the techniques I have used providing prospect research to organizations for more than a decade. A lot has changed over the years and in this course, I share with you how I’ve given the fundraisers I work with an information edge.
Introduction to Prospect Profiles
Insider Stock & Compensation
Articles that inspire
Learning Edge
Making SEC financial filings accessible with Raul Peralta of Kaleidoscope
A.I. and machine learning has entered the mainstream with promises of software applications that can assist us to do more and do it much faster. In this environment, Raul Peralta, CEO and Founder of Kaleidoscope explains how Kaleidoscope goes beyond the traditional...
Sarah Cadbury Goes Beyond Performance Metrics to Prospect Insight
Relationships take work. And the more complex the relationship the more difficult it becomes to track and understand that relationship. Ask Sarah Cadbury! Sarah is Executive Director of Prospect Development at Temple University and Consultant at Huron | GG+A...
Supporting start-up donor acquisition and retention with Meta Stange at INN
If you work inside a large or long-established nonprofit, you might not realize that there are nonprofits out there that start out by relying only on major gifts – not even a donation button on the website! Usually that means institutional giving, but increasingly it...
Take the Next Step
Ready to elevate your fundraising strategy? Contact us today to unlock the full potential of your prospect management.
A subsidiary of Aspire Research Group, LLC.