As part of an MA in Philanthropic Studies (undertaken at the Centre for Philanthropy at the University of Kent), Nicola Williams completed a study which aimed to identify the role that prospect research plays in major donor fundraising. The study involved a survey, undertaken in 2018, of major donor fundraisers and prospect researchers working in higher education institutions in the UK.
As a quick summary the results of the study cover a number of areas, such as:
- The activities commonly undertaken by prospect researchers
- The purposes or reasons for which fundraisers use prospect research
- How necessary fundraisers feel research is to their work
- The ways in which prospect research contributes to fundraising
- Prospect research metrics (i.e. what data is being gathered on the output or impact of prospect research)
Find out more in the full report here:
https://factary.com/2019/04/role-of-prospect-research-in-major-donor-fundraising/