Celebrate Research Pride | March 2021

by | Feb 16, 2021 | Learning Edge Blog, News

Jennifer Filla

Way back in 2014, Helen Brown got fed up! Her passion for our profession yielded a manifesto and the declaration of March as International Research Pride month.

“I officially declare that from now on, March is International Prospect Research Pride month. Get your elevator speech together and help dispel the mythology that what we do is creepy or invasive. It’s not, and it’s time we all let people know.” -Helen Brown

Each year Helen leads the call for advocacy with a series of blog posts. This year, the Prospect Research Institute decided to commemorate 2021 Research Pride month with some activities to cultivate a sense of pride and belonging, and to give you resources you can use to advocate on behalf of our profession

Week 1

#Chatbytes Podcast | Listen in as Helen Brown tells the story on how and why she proclaimed March as Research Pride month as well as what it’s like to run a prospect research firm. >>Listen Here

Week 2

#Chatbytes Podcast | Listen in as Kate Racculia, author of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, shares how her work as a prospect researcher in Boston led her to create a prospect researcher as a lead character in a murder mystery novel! >>Listen Here

Week 3

#ResearchPride Scavenger Hunt | Mon 15 Mar Opening | Mon Mar 22 at 9am ET Submission Deadline | Sharpen up your research skills! Your peers have created a series of riddles for you to solve. Find and solve the last riddle to reveal the submission form where:

1-The first 5 correct answers earn a free copy of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts.
2-Every correct submission wins a free Master Class coupon at the Institute.
3-The first 20 submissions trigger a $10 gift each (up to $200) to Apra Foundation for hardship grants.
4-Staupell’s scavenger hunt page offers a 15% off coupon for players who want to learn. Can you find the clue? I mean, the page with the coupon?

Click here to submit your answers, win prizes, and raise money for Apra Foundation!

Free Apra Arkansas Online Event: In Good Company: Corporate Fundraising Research | Fri 19 Mar: 12pm ET | In this conference presentation, Jen Filla will demonstrate why these three pieces of information can have outsized impact for corporate fundraising and research: Relationship, Alignment, and Ability. You’ll leave with a better understanding of how to partner with your corporate fundraiser, ways to re-think your corporate profile, and a discussion on corporate capacity ratings. >>Register Now

Master Class: Healthcare: Grateful Patient Practices Any Org Can Do | Thu 18 Mar: 1-2pm ET | Learn how one healthcare organization implemented a program where major gift officers get assigned gift thank you calls in a stewardship approach to prospect identification. Examine the work process flow chart to consider whether or not your organization could create a similar program or uses pieces of the program to enhance your prospect identification efforts.  >>Login on March 1st to View

Week 4

Author Book Reading: Tuesday Mooney Talks With Ghosts | Wed, 24 Mar at 1pm ET | Join your APRA Florida and NEDRA colleagues for a virtual book reading by author, Kate Racculia, as she discusses the prospect research protagonist she created, Tuesday Mooney, in this great murder mystery! >>Register Online

Advocacy Resources

Research Pride Collection on the Intelligent Edge by Helen Brown

Apra International has created a suite of advocacy resources you can use now! https://www.aprahome.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1014

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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