Most fundraisers enter the profession because they care deeply about changing the world. So why do development teams still experience burnout, tension, and disconnection? The pressures of urgent revenue goals, constant change, and misaligned expectations…
What should you do when research uncovers something uncomfortable about a major donor? Don’t bury it — and don’t sensationalize it either. Most philanthropic due diligence situations aren’t clean yes-or-no decisions. They live in the…
Why do so many major gift officers struggle to act on names that prospect research delivers to them? Usually it comes down to one of three things: fear of reaching out to someone new, a…
The Accidental Fundraiser Who Never Looked Back Regina Alhassan didn’t set out to build a career in fundraising. She needed a job. Fresh out of Ohio State, she was a young single mom when the…
What if the answer to fundraiser hesitancy isn’t more data—but better partnership? Major gift consultant Derry Deringer has spent 13 years helping nonprofits raise transformative dollars. His journey to fundraising began in an unlikely place:…
“How hard can it be?” That’s what Diana Marquis thought when she first tried to raise money as a volunteer. Spoiler: it was harder than expected. But that early experience launched a 20+ year fundraising…
Consultant Barbara Shelton shares how deep donor profiles and meaningful conversations transform campaigns. In this episode of ChatBytes, she reveals how researchers, consultants, and gift officers can slow down, ask better questions, and raise both…
What if I told you that philanthropic due diligence isn’t actually about saying “no” to donations? That it’s not all about playing detective trying to catch bad actors? In this Prospect Research #ChatBytes episode, Courtney…
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…
At the Prospect Research Institute, we train researchers at nonprofits of all sizes and shapes. Some have a team of major gift fundraising professionals while some may have only one staff dedicated to individual giving.…
Peggy Calhoun is a passionate, enthusiastic, and driven fundraiser. Among the first to receive the ACFRE designation, the highest level bestowed by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), she has spent more than 25 years…
Do you follow Jim Langley on LinkedIn? You should! He posts the best thoughts and visuals on major gift fundraising and fundraising in general. And I feel pretty confident that he is the one penning…