With the many clients that I have worked with over the years, there is a certain excitement in the air when a major gift is realized from a generous donor.  Not only does the gift officer celebrate these accomplishments, but recognition from the entire team becomes a well-deserved and infectious event.  I see these significant gifts when I get my weekly NOZA Gift Alerts sent to my email and see the outstanding generosity of these philanthropic individuals. 

Just like when I was a kid going on family vacations, I always found that arriving at the destination, such as a national park, lake cabin, or Disney theme park, was the epitome of childhood joy.  But what about the journey?  I also have fond memories and recall being excited about getting in the car and singing or playing road games with my family, or stopping to eat out at a restaurant, which was really special back in the “old days” when I was a kid, or going to the airport and flying on an airplane – which has since lost its luster for me – or stopping by one of rest areas to get out, stretch, and look at a lovely overlook.

So I now wish to pause and think about the journey many of my clients experience on the way to realizing their major gifts.  Isn’t there some level of accomplishment and excitement in the smaller steps taken?  Do we not measure some of these steps along the way?  Below are some examples of what the journey might include in terms of acknowledging certain achievements that may be worth celebrating:

• Exceeding a certain number of initial prospect calls
• Qualification of a record number of prospects
• Writing and delivering the most proposals, personal notes or letters
• Exceeding the expected number of prospect appointments
• Closing mid-level/transitional gifts, remembering that these gift levels often build the foundation for future potential major gifts
• New development officers closing their first major gifts
• Having a thank you call to a donor end up in receiving a follow-up gift
• Prospect research identifying a new prospect who eventually gives their first major gift
• Prospect research uncovering previously unknown but significant information that helps a development officer make the right ask at the right time

So… Do you or your organization celebrate and acknowledge the aforementioned contributions and accomplishments?  As nonprofit professionals and engaged team members, we should always make sure that we celebrate the journey of our day-to-day achievements.  Measuring these results will go a long way to encouraging a more proactive approach to fundraising, as well as fostering a positive team-focused approach that eventually will result in helping our organizations reach their goals and further the mission.

*Carol Belair is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at carol.belair@blackbaud.com.

Ok, how many of you have run out of gas in your car?  I know it is not an easy thing to admit but I will start it off and say, yes, I have been one of those individuals.  And of course we all know friends or family where this has happened and, in most cases, it comes down to two main answers – “I was not paying attention to the gauge” or “I just thought I could get a bit farther.”  The great thing is once you have done it, you generally never do it again. 

So why is it that we forget or refuse to refill our tank and, in this case, I mean our bodies and minds? Not only do we do it once but we do it repeatedly.  For most of us, we get vacation time, personal and sick days from our employers.  Instead of using that time, many people I know will bank time and just keep going.   Creating a safety net is fine but at what cost?  So we accrue all this vacation time just in case and in the mean time, we are mentally and physically exhausted.  What can follow is resentment for friends and family who do take time off.  Well remember, nobody is making you do this.  We are in choice!  Be in choice of taking care of yourself first which will in turn make you a better employee, friend and family member. 

We are so connected than we have been in the past and of course technology has escalated beyond what we would have thought even 15 years ago.  With that can come this feeling that if we step away from our email or laptop there will either be so many emails or so much work to catch up on that it almost sounds frightening so we don’t.  What then happens is burn out and we run out of gas.  To fill up our cars with a tank of gas takes only a few minutes but when we burn ourselves out it takes much longer.  So my recommendation as we move into the summer months is to really take vacation and time off.  Step away from work and your emails.  One of the many things I love about working for Target Analytics®, is that our vacation does not roll over so we use it.  This allows us to revitalize ourselves whether it is for a week or two or even just a couple of days.  I know I come back charged and ready to go and hit the ground running. 

I am going to be taking off this Tuesday evening and won’t be back to work until the following Tuesday.  I will not be bringing my laptop or will be checking my email and, as a result, I will refill my tank of energy, determination and compassion.  I challenge you all to find time this summer to take time for yourselves and really honestly step away from work – don’t check email and if you are going to get on a computer then do it for fun and to connect with family and friends.  I guarantee you this will make you a better employee and most importantly a better person!  

*Michael Quevli is a consultant fo Target Analytics. You may reach him at michael.quevli@blackbaud.com.

It’s well-known among planned giving professionals that the free-to-use Planned Giving Design Center (PGDC) is a first-stop resource to learn about charitable giving legislation and education.  Recent news about the 2010 Tax Act is important and I urge you to enroll as a user to read a new paper on the ramifications that could become reality when the law sunsets at the end of the year.

Here’s a quick intro:   In December of 2010, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (the “2010 Tax Act”), which extended the “Bush tax cuts” enacted in May 2001 by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and which otherwise would have “sunsetted” as of January 1, 2011. Under the 2010 Tax Act, the Bush tax cuts are extended for two years and modifications are made to the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. The extension ends on December 31, 2012. The expiration of the Bush Tax cuts affects virtually every individual taxpayer in the United States, as well as corporations and nonprofit institutions. In general, on December 31, 2012, the tax law reverts to the tax law previously in effect in 2001. The expiration will increase taxes on all taxpayers in varying amounts, with some taxpayers experiencing a virtual doubling of income taxes. In addition, a major component of the law is the Estate and Gift tax section. If the estate tax reverts to the pre- Bush tax cut level, there will be a significant increase in estate and gift taxes on Americans with estates over $1M.

To sign up with PGDC and read the full paper “The Perfect Storm: Prospective Expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts.  An Overview of the Income and Estate Tax Effects For Individuals and Nonprofit Institutions,” go to www.pgdc.com and choose your local sponsoring organization’s link.  Registration is free and the information is invaluable.

*Katherine Swank is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at katherine.swank@blackbaud.com.

Late last year, I presented a session for my local AFP chapter entitled Prospect Research for the Non-Researcher.  My intent was to focus on the basics: What is Prospect Research?  What types of information can a researcher typically find/not find out about a prospect?  How can a frontline fundraiser quickly, and for free, begin to do their own online research?  And, how can we assure our colleagues, executives and board members that the data we collect is legal and appropriate to use?

Of my 30 or so slides, I had about three devoted to doing an effective web search.  And, as the slide count may indicate, I was only intending to spend a few minutes talking about it.  Internet searching, as it turns out, was the “hottest” topic of conversation during my session.  And, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the tips we discussed with the ProspectResearch.com community.

First, a disclaimer:  while my search engine of choice is Google, other search engines do exist.  I encourage you to try a few before deciding on your own favorite.  This post includes Google-specific search tips which may or may not work on other search engines.  But, most search engines do provide their own tips, tricks and/or advanced search options.

My Top 5 Internet Search Tips are as follows:

1. Use quotation marks (“  “) around phrases and names to search for the exact text that you enter.  Searching on my maiden name, for instance, (Melissa Bank) may yield a result where the text says: Melissa went to the bank.  Whereas searching on “Melissa Bank” will limit the results to instances where the words “Melissa” and “Bank” appear next to each other.
2. Use an asterisk (*) to insert a wildcard.  Using my name again, let’s assume you didn’t know if I generally use (Melissa Bank Stepno) or (Melissa Stepno), a wildcard search will cover both.  This is a great tip when searching on names as it helps with both maiden names and middle initials.  Combine it with the quotation marks above to be even more specific: “Melissa * Stepno” 
3. Use a minus/negative sign (-) to exclude results that contain a specific word.  This time, let’s say you are researching a prospect and quickly realize there is more than one person with the same name.  The minus sign gives you a way of narrowing your results.  For example, if I want to exclude references to the more famous Melissa Bank, who is a bestselling author, I could create a search that looks like this: “Melissa Bank” –author –book -library.
4. Try the Advanced Search option (http://www.google.com/advanced_search) for even more flexibility.  Among other options you can limit results to specific languages, domains (i.e.: .org or .edu) or even how recently the page was published.
5. Experiment with Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts).  These free alerts will send you an email any time the keywords you select show up in new web content.  This can be helpful for individual prospects by name or company, specific program areas your organization supports, key legislation that may affect your work, etc.  Set-up is quick and you can specify the type of web content you are interested in (news, blogs, etc.), how often you want to receive the alerts (I have mine set up to once per day), how many you want to receive, etc.

The point is that the smarter your searches are, the better your results will be.  But, always, always keep in mind that even the best searches may turn up some false hits and that no search engine provides a complete inventory of the Internet! 

Happy Searching!

Melissa Bank Stepno is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at melissa.stepno@blackbaud.com.

As a member of the Target Analytics consulting team, I typically ask clients how they would characterize their current prospecting efforts.  Are they reactive (pursuing a prospect based on gifts made) or proactive (pursing a prospect based on identified potential)?  All too often I hear (with some embarrassment), “Reactive”.

I try to assure these organizations that they certainly aren’t alone—this type of fundraising was once the norm.  However, in this day and age of incredible technology and sophisticated research tools, there are definitely ways that your organization can implement a much more proactive culture of philanthropy, sometimes even before a constituent makes his or her first gift.

Wealth screening options today are extremely diversified.  Gone are the days that the only cost effective way to do so was “by the batch” with results taking weeks to get back.  Offerings can be either full or self service and, depending on the vendor you choose, can also offer dynamic screening options, allowing you to screen all or some of your new donors even before a thank-you letter is mailed. 

Here’s one suggestion:   Depending on how many gifts your organization receives each day, determine a threshold that makes sense based on staffing capabilities.  For example, if you receive 500 gifts a day, you may want to look at new donors of $250 or more.  This may reduce your pool to 20 or less.  With dynamic screening tools, you could submit each of these individuals to your wealth screening service and have the results back in a matter of minutes.

Nineteen of these may return unremarkable results:  Numerous owners of $400,000 homes or individuals with small businesses.  But, imagine that 20^th screen comes back indicating that your new $250 donor owns $12,000,000 in real estate, holds $20,000,000 in insider stock shares and annually makes gifts of $25,000+ to over a dozen non profits, some of which have missions similar to yours!

So, how would this change your response to his or her gift? Would you still send that same thank-you letter, or would you do something different?   Perhaps pick up the phone, express your thanks and invite the donor over for lunch? If you answered “yes”, you are definitely ready to change your current philanthropic culture from reactive to proactive.  And, if you need any more convincing, consider this: if you don’t do something different with the donor, there is a very good possibility the next organization he or she sends a check to will.  Why not let it be you?

Do you have a great story of how being proactive proved to be a game-changer at your organization? If so, I would love to hear about it.  Email me at laura.worcester@blackbaud.com.

Laura Worcester is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at her laura.worcester@blackbaud.com.

April in Colorado (where I live) is a magical time.  Winter’s snow has ended, trees are budding, daffodils and tulips are blooming.  I can’t think of anything else but “Spring Cleaning, “and I’ve been itching to get it done.  It’s time to “freshen up” my house, which means:  cleaning out the closets of ill-fitting clothes, changing winter’s flannel sheets to Egyptian cotton, carpet cleaning, sweeping out the dusty garage, wiping out the refrigerator, taking unwanted items to the local charity resale shop and propping both the back and the front doors open to let in the fresh air.  I can hear the birds singing from dusk to dawn and they make me want to sing as well.  “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay.  My, oh, my, what a wonderful day!”

Okay, okay.  So it’s not quite as enjoyable as a Disney movie but when I’m done, I always feel so much better, renewed and lighter for some reason!  If you’re like me once you make up your mind to get started you throw your whole mind and body into the task.   Whew!  It’s exhausting just to make a list of everything that I’d like to get done, should get done and must get done.   Not too unlike the task of making a “Spring Cleaning” list for your planned giving activity.

I know, I know.  Your eyes have already rolled once and you’re about to do it again; but wait!  I’ve done some of the heavy lifting for you – and while you’re in the mood to freshen things up, I have a list that you’ll find easy to accomplish.   Take a minute to look it over, print this blog posting and commit to tackling each item before May 15^th.  I’ve even included a place for your signature to memorialize your commitment.  If you do this, I promise that your planned giving program will benefit; and, like slipping onto those Egyptian cotton sheets for the first time, you’re going to say “Ah!” and release a renewing sigh when you step back and see the progress that you’ve made in such a short time.

• Cleanse your conscience:  Pull out the hard copy contact sheets and phone call notes that you’ve written over the past three months and enter those notes and activities into your organization’s CRM system.  You and I both know that they belong there and that it’s time to get your electronic filing system in order.  From now on you’re going to do it this way.  No more secondary filing system.  Everything – everything now goes into its rightful place in the constituent record within 2 days of your contact or visit.
• Freshen up your contact approach:  Purchase note cards that say “Thank You” or that has your initial(s) on them.  Don’t forget the matching envelopes.  Buy stamps and a nice-to-write-with pen.  If you don’t know where to buy such things, ask your wife, your girlfriend, your teen-age daughter or your departmental administrative assistant.  I’m assuming if you need help to do this, that you’re a guy.  The women all know where to find these items and we’ve probably already got them – so dig ‘em out of the guestroom closet or dresser and bring them into the office.  Each day for the next two weeks, choose a different person and write a handwritten note to him or her.  This can be a member of your Board of Directors or Trustees, Development Committee, senior staff member, professor, long-term donor, volunteer, planned gift donor or planned gift prospect.  You can keep adding to this list.  The people you are writing to should be people you’ll seek to visit in the next 3 months.  Thank them for their commitment of expertise to the organization, thank them for their long-years of service, thank them for their many gifts of support – just THANK THEM and put in your business card.  End by saying that you look forward to seeing them soon to thank them in person.  Now set two days on your calendar, 30 days from now, to call those same people and seek to visit them. 
• Lighten your load:   Create a “Gratitude Team” at your office.  Ask 5 people to help you make phone calls every month to 5 people each.  You’re asking them to say “Thank You.”  If they need a little script to get them started, create one.  Using the list you started above, design a query that you’ll pull each month that produces 25 or more names of people you can call to thank.  Simply thank them.  You can revise and refine the list later.  You’ll start thinking of groups of people that are ripe for these “thank you” calls and you’ll add them.  In fact, you’ll start adding to the “Gratitude Team” as well.  Once your callers start to tell others how much they enjoy making the calls, others will want to make them too.  Soon, you’ll be calling 100 or more people a month, just to say “Thank You”.  Be certain to ask your colleagues to take notes and to provide them back, so that you can have them entered into the CRM.  Yes, the CRM – that place where you are now tracking all activity and contact with your constituents.   Be especially vigilant about adding codes for interest areas, age, email addresses, notices of planned gifts and other items that your constituents will surely share on these calls.
• Organize yourself before asking others:  Make your own planned gift.  This is actually, the easiest and quickest item of the list.  It’s also the most important one.  EVERYONE needs to check-off this item.  Here’s how easy it is:  Tomorrow, first thing.  Go on the Internet to your personal life insurance policy site or your group life insurance policy site or your retirement plan site and navigate to the Beneficiary Designation Form page.  Change your form to include a gift to the organization where you work or one where you volunteer, or where you attended school, or where your loved one was treated or where you worship.  You PICK!  Put the organization in as a recipient of an amount that is appropriate for you.  I can’t tell you what that is.  Maybe it’s an exact amount such as $1,000 or $5,000 or $10,000 or more.  Perhaps it’s a percentage such as 1% or 10% or more.   Again, you PICK!  You may want to make certain that you have the legal name of the organization you are naming – so call them or get on their website first and get the legal name.

So, that’s it.  There is nothing too hard or too complicated here.  My list of “Planned Gift Spring Cleaning” may be the only one-size-fits-all solution that will ever exist in the gift-planning realm.  But it makes sense and anyone can do it:  young and mature, newbie and pro.  We all know that outreach and communication is the key – I repeat, the key – to the success of any planned giving program and this short checklist outlines basic strategies that will help you clean-up, reach-out  and stay-organized with easy-to-maintain-and-grow strategies.

Okay, so it’s time to print and sign your name.  Your commitment is that you’ll do these four things by May 15^th.

I hereby commit to “Spring Cleaning” my planned giving activity by May 15, 2012.  Furthermore, I will contact Katherine Swank at Blackbaud to let her know that I’ve completed all of the aforementioned tasks on time. 

Signature: ______________________________________________________________________

 If you start singing “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” let me know; I’ll arrange for choir practice at the Blackbaud Conference for Nonprofits held later this year so we can all meet one another and share our success stories.  I know you’ll have them!  In fact, put me on your call or e-card list and get going on your clean-up.  Here’s my info:   843-670-7278 or Katherine.swank@blackbaud.com.

Clients often ask about how to engage their board in their major gift fundraising operations.  I feel board engagement is essential to any nonprofit, with a true sense of urgency for those organizations with limited staff and budgets, or those embarking on a campaign.  Below is a list of things to think about when it comes to involving board members in your major gift development program:

• Identifying willing participants:  Start by identifying members of your board who may be willing and able to participate in your fundraising process.  They need to have a thorough understanding of what you expect of them, both in terms of requested activities and time commitment.  Clear expectations will produce better cooperation and overall success.
• Peer reviews/screening:  Being well-connected is one of the many benefits of business and community leaders being on your board.  Simply produce a list of identified prospects for your board to review and see who they may know on this list, or if they know someone who may know someone on your list.  This list can be pulled from a query produced of recent and/or consistent donors, donors who have recently given over a certain threshold ($250+, $500+, $1,000+, etc.), or those who have recently increased their level of giving to your organization.  You may also have a list of prospects identified from a modeling or wealth screening project, or you could simply have a list of suspects where you have some anecdotal information that suggests that they might be capable of giving larger gifts to your organization.  Either way, if you have some research on these prospects from information you have gathered and/or from a wealth screening, see if the board can help with confirming what you or your screening vendor uncovered. Can they help with qualifying or disqualifying a prospect from your list of potential major donors?  Below are some caveats to think about when sharing information on your prospects with your board:
•  It is imperative that you establish protocols, both for ethical and legal reasons in terms of confidentiality, as to what type of information and amount of data you should share with your board. 
• Specific assets are possibly best kept confidential within the organization and not shared with board members.
• Think about the format in which you wish to present the data to your board members – Electronic or paper-based access to abbreviated profile reports, etc
• Providing introductions:  Can they warm up these prospects by providing an introduction and/or some level of access to these prospects and donors?  Setting a timeline with suggested dates of completion behind these activities would be recommended vs. leaving it open-ended.  Bottom line is to get buy-in and commitment from your board members to warm-up these prospects up for you to begin the cultivation process.
• Fundraising for your cause:  I have been involved in some smaller grass roots organizations where board members were involved in asking for campaign gifts.  Depending upon your organization’s policies and structure, this could be a critical role in helping you achieve your goals. 
• Board leadership gifts:  Board members typically provide lead gifts for campaigns.  Even if you have board members involved who do not have the means to make leadership gifts, asking them to make a campaign gift at a smaller level is a way to ensure their commitment and involvement in your organization’s success.  Too many times I’ve seen passive board involvement in terms of giving to the nonprofits in which they serve, and nothing sells the message of major and capital gift donations with statements like, “Please join me in helping XYZ organization with the ability to provide continuing service to our community by…”
• Power of the written word:  Major donors and prospects gain confidence in your organization’s mission if your website, direct mail, email, and social media communications contain messaging from board members.  Ask them to include a story about why they are involved in your organization and why they give to your nonprofit.

When all is said and done, having an engaged and active board will be an integral part to your organization’s success.

*Carol Belair is a consultant for Target Analytics and you may reach her at carol.belair@blackbaud.com.

I have been working with a client who has many divisions or chapters.  Like most organizations with this type of structure, all the chapters are not the same just as I have seen with APRA.  I have been connected with APRA on some level or another for the past 16 years.  There are currently over 25 chapters and they are at all different levels of size and level of involvement.  The one basic common denominator with all chapters is the sense of passion for the mission of the organization.  This is the key ingredient for success. 

I remember when I first started out in fundraising and the excitement and the desire to expand my knowledge.  I also remember the fear of feeling like I don’t know anything or what I should be doing next.  One of the greatest lessons I have learned through life coaching has been about not judging oneself on the size of the step you take but rather that you have taken a step forward.  Celebrate all of your accomplishments not just the big ones. 

I think as we continue to become those seasoned professionals that we need to remember what it was like to step into the world of fundraising for the first time.  I am entirely grateful for those individuals who helped me along my path and were never in judgment of the questions I asked.  I encourage you all to reach out to those “newbies” at your organizations and provide that helping hand.  Even better would be to also to volunteer at organizations that you feel strongly about and are maybe in the infancy of their fundraising background.  Get them to the next level with that thoughtful and caring hand.  Remind them that yes, once I was in your shoes.  I guarantee you that not only will you feel great about lending a helping hand but you will learn as well.  That is why I have been so engaged in APRA’s New Researchers Symposium.  I have been a faculty member for a number of years now and there has never been a time that I did not learn from the attendees!  Also, there is nothing more exciting than seeing someone who you took by the hand and now are leaders in their own right.  For those of you who know me know that I wear my heart on my sleeve.  There is nothing more gratifying than seeing someone who you mentored and now are leaders in the profession.  The same can be said for your involvement with those fledgling organizations that are just starting out and looking to expand their constituency but their message to the world.  The return on your investment or as we call it the ROI is out of this world and something that I hope you all will experience more than once!

*Michael Quevli is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may contact him at michael.quevli@blackbaud.com.

Note from ProspectResearch.com: Lynne Wester, Director of Stewardship and Donor Recognition at Yeshiva University, kindly agreed to write a guest post showcasing her stewardship and donor knowledge. You may visit her blog at www.donorrelationsguru.com.

Lately it’s been conference season in my world, which means presentations galore! I have been doing a social media and digital technology session since 2007 but as social media gets better, so does the great info for the sessions. Recently I have stumbled upon a vast empty space for development shops when it comes to their use of LinkedIn. As I ask about the usage of it by research departments across the country I am constantly amazed at how few use it to update employment data and verify alumni titles and companies. In addition, Linked In now has advanced analytics embedded in it that can help you assess the fields and areas in which your alumni live. This data is free to any user about not only their network but also the groups they are involved with. See the graphic below for an example. It is under network statistics in the contacts portion of your profile.

Under the groups page, you can see great statistics, which also includes a tab called ‘group statistics’ that is quite revelatory.  You can see that there are numerous tabs that house valuable information. Growth, seniority, function, location, industry, all can be mined and harvested for your use! Notice that LinkedIn also makes it easy for us at the bottom by saying, “Looking for group members who perform a specific professional function (e.g. sales, legal, etc.)? Members and subscribers can do advanced searches within the group.”  WOW, yes, it’s that easy.

In addition, an alumni’s profile at LinkedIn is likely to be more up-to-date and more complete than the profile in the traditional database, since a professional with limited time is likely to prioritize the network where they keep track of their professional contacts over their alumni network. Also, whenever someone I know is beginning or concluding a job search, they often update their LinkedIn with their most current information even before updating their resume.  Studies have shown that for those under the age of 45, LinkedIn is more than 90 percent accurate!

So I challenge you to incorporate LinkedIn analytics and searches in all of your research and data mining efforts, the total cost to you is free –  the information obtained by your organization is priceless!

*Feel free to leave questions or comments below for Lynne!

“Where do I begin?”  This is the question I hear most frequently when presenting prospect screening results.  After explaining what everything means—and usually the good news that hidden potential exists–there is inevitably that heavy sigh and frustrated expression of, “I already have too much to do.  I thought this was supposed to make my job easier!”

My reply is simple:  Screening your database will make your job easier—and save you time and resources.  You just have to know how to get started. Consider the age-old “How do you eat an elephant?” question. The secret lies in doing it one bite, I mean step, at a time.  In other words, implement your results incrementally, not all at once.  This approach will help realize efficiency without straining your staff. 

Here is a one idea to consider:

Depending on the complexity of your project, your results may offer results and strategies for all areas of giving: annual, major, and planned.  While it may be tempting to try to address each of these right away, resist the urge and focus on one area at a time.  This will allow you to get the hang of effective segmentation without overhauling your entire program.   One potential goal: recouping your investment, as this will undoubtedly take a large weight off of your shoulders.  One way of doing this effectively and efficiently is to identify a prospect pool for $1,000 upgrades.

Why do I suggest this level first?  I happen to think that $1,000 is somewhat magical in the world of development. While exceptions to this exist, at many organizations this is the point at which donors get “noticed” and placed on someone’s radar.   And, it is also the point at which most donors begin to feel committed to an organization.  In reality, most donors are not going to segue from $250 to $25,000 without first stepping at that $1,000 point.  Call it psychological or figurative, but whatever it is, it is ultimately essential.  So, let’s focus on increasing the number of those donors on your database.

1. The first step is getting to a manageable pool size. Thousands of upgrade prospects are overwhelming; 250 at a specific level can be do-able.  First, segment using measures of propensity and capacity, then look at those who have made multiple gifts and given you between $200 and $999.  This should whittle the group to a reasonable size, allowing you to review it systematically. 
2. Next, and, perhaps most importantly, massage your “normal” appeal letter to convey a tangible Case for Support.  Identify what that $1,000 gift will fund in meaningful ways so prospects clearly know how their gift will advance your mission.  Then, send a handful–maybe 15 or so–letters at a time, indicating you will be calling to invite their support.  Follow this with a call within two weeks to restate your request and invite the prospect to partner with you at this level.
3. Finally, track your results.  You might be surprised at what you find.  If 50 prospects in your pool of 250 increase their gift to $1,000, with an average increase of $500 each, you will have raised $25,000!  I would be willing to be bet that this represents a large portion of your original investment—and probably instills some confidence in you and your staff in your ability to act on the results in a methodical and manageable way.  It may only be the first “bite”, but it will undoubtedly be a very important one in getting you on the right path of effectively using your screening results.

 I would love to hear how your prospect screening “elephant” is coming along!  Feel free to email me at laura.worcester@blackbaud.com.  Good luck!

Laura Worcester is a consultant for Target Analytics. You may reach her at laura.worcester@blackbaud.com.