#CareerCurious with Helen Brown, President of The Helen Brown Group

by | Mar 2, 2021 | #CareerCurious, Learning Edge Blog, News

Jennifer Filla

Helen Brown runs a well-established development research consulting and training firm with around 20 full-time employees. How did she get there? What is a day in the office like now for Helen?

I was curious. Who wouldn’t be? There are extremely few firms of any size devoted to research and Helen has done much more than making money. She and her employees have been active in Apra, and she has been a passionate and vocal advocate for the fundraising research profession, devoting her time, energy, and money to the cause.

In 2007, when I first decided to test the waters as an independent researcher, I was a subcontractor for Helen’s firm. And when I learned that AFP was looking for an author to write a book on prospect research, I never imagined writing Prospect Research for Fundraisers with anyone else.

(Thank you, Helen, for helping me achieve my dream career!)

With all this success, Helen doesn’t try to claim all the glory, which is refreshing. When she told me that she had “created a kitchen cabinet of people” to help her early in her consulting days, I could practically smell the baked goods she posts pictures of on Twitter!

Tune in to hear Helen tell her story, find out why she founded Research Pride month in March, and hear what’s on her agenda for the future.

Additional Resources

Exciting Announcement: HBG Data Insight! | The Helen Brown Group

Intelligent Edge blog | Helen Brown | The Helen Brown Group

What’s In Your Wealth Screening? RFM defined | DonorSearch Infographic

Prospect Research for Fundraisers: The Essential Handbook | Filla and Brown | 2013

Words from happy Researchers

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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

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