Developing Talent on your Team

by | Mar 3, 2020 | Learning Edge Blog, News | 1 comment

Jennifer Filla

The rapid pace of change in the prospect research profession over the past decade–even the past five years–has been head-spinning. And I’m not even thinking about information technology!

For the majority of organizations and institutions that employ prospect research staff, there is are cognition that it is a skilled position, and for some, a recognition that it is critical to future fundraising growth.

No longer is prospect research perceived as a clerical function. If you are new to the field, you might not realize how new this perception of prospect research is.

Suddenly there are prospect research professionals with managerial and leadership titles. No longer is your career pathway limited by your supervisor’s retirement plans, nor does it require a segue into running development operations. Prospect research has fundraising status.

In the competition for experienced prospect research staff, many researchers find themselves launched into a managerial position with zero managerial training or experience. Our industry association, Apra, has been providing more manager training content and other networking and learning experiences.

But the day to day of leading a team can be daunting. Maybe even a bit confusing as you try to figure out what your role means in relation to those you now lead.

You don’t have to jump eyeball deep into management training to implement some new tactics to help your team evolve. Listen in as Jenn Zeinner shares her experience in the talent development field and provides you with some easy to implement tips and ideas to improve your team performance and retention.

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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

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