What is Relationship Management?

by | Jul 6, 2017 | Learning Edge Blog, News | 2 comments

Jennifer Filla

At the Prospect Research Institute, we are turning our focus right now to developing new educational materials for the Relationship Management learning domain. Starting at the very  beginning we wanted to define some key terms for our classroom glossary. Looking online for material created by experts we came up with the terms and definitions below.

Truth be told, there isn’t a whole lot of material out there on relationship management to draw from.  Most of it appears to be scattered among short blog posts and PowerPoint slides.

That’s why we are asking all of YOU Relationship and Prospect Management experts out there to chime in. Your specialty is often overlooked and yet it’s critical to fundraising success. I know you have a lot of #ResearchPride in your work!

Do you have better definitions? Recommend any additions, corrections, or other tweaks? Please comment!

Customer Relationship Management

“Customer relationship management (CRM) refers to the principles, practices and guidelines that an organization follows when interacting with its customers. From the organization’s point of view, this entire relationship encompasses direct interactions with customers, such as sales and service-related processes, and forecasting and analysis of customer trends and behaviors. Ultimately, CRM serves to enhance the customer’s overall experience.”

“What is ‘Customer Relationship Management – CRM’”. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/customer_relation_management.asp. Retrieved 6 Jul 2017.

Donor Relationship Management

“Donor relationship management is the process of thoughtfully and proactively cultivating relationships with new donors and stewarding current donors in order to maximize donor retention, engagement and investment.”

Bridgespan Group, The. “Donor Relationship Management”. https://www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/nonprofit-management-tools-and-trends/donor-relationship-management. Retrieved 6 Jul 2017.

Note: This is a direct translation from the business world to the nonprofit world: Customer Relationship Management to Donor Relationship Management. See Relationship Management

Relationship Management

See Donor Relationship Management.

Prospect Management

“Prospect management is the planning, recording, and reporting of significant moments in the relationship between prospective donors and the nonprofit organization which lead to a gift.… Such a system is primarily concerned with gift expectancies.”

Lamb, David F. “The Basics of Prospect Management”.  https://www.blackbaud.com/files/resources/downloads/WhitePaper_TheBasicsOfProspectManagment.pdf. Retrieved 6 Jul 2017.

Moves Management

“David Dunlop, Senior Development Officer at Cornell University, came up with a concept called Moves Management. He defines Moves Management as a strategy of changing people’s attitudes so they want to give.”

InfoNonprofit.org. “Moves Management: Are You Focusing on Donors or Donations?”. https://infononprofit.org/2016/06/25/moves-management-are-you-focusing-on-donors-or-donations. Retrieved on 6 Jul 2017.

 

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

Capacity Rating Workshop

Articles that inspire

Learning Edge