Intuition vs.

Data-Driven
Decision Making

Prospect Research & Ethics

Rebel Saffold III
Director of Development Services
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School
www.twitter.com/rebelsaffold
 About Rebel…
• Degrees
– Political Science and Humanities
– Information Management
• Decision Support Systems
– System Clean Up
• Data Integrity
– System Development
• System Design
– Reporting
• Efficient
• Accurate
• Timely
 Mary Institute and
Saint Louis Country Day School
• Located in Saint Louis, MO
• PK-12 Independent School
• Located on 100 Acres
• Started in 1859
• 8,500 Living Alumni
– 50% Alumni Outside Saint Louis
• 1,200 Current Students
• 950 Current Parents
 MICDS Development Office Staff
• 9 Full-time staff members
– Director of Development
• Executive Assistant to Director of Development
– Director of Development Services
– Director of Alumni Relations
• Alumni Relations Associate
– Director of Annual Fund
• Annual Fund Associate
– Director of Donor Relations
– Director of Special Projects
 The New World of Advancement
• Acceptance of technology
• Intuition is no longer the “best option”
• Unique points of view should be accepted and
embraced
• Research:
– A methodical investigation into a subject in order
to discover facts, to establish or revise a theory, or
to develop a plan of action based on the facts
discovered.
 What Will Be Covered?
• What it means to be data-driven?
• What it takes to be data-driven?
• What is Prospect Research?
– Why do we need to do prospect research?
• Examples of data-driven decision-making
• Decision Support System?
– What is it and how do I use it?
• Ethics in Advancement and Prospect Research
 Data-Driven Decision-Making
Data-driven decision-making is a diagnostic
tool that, encourages – development offices to
tailor efforts to meet the specific needs of the
institution.
 Data-Driven
• The process of making strategic decisions based
primarily on data.
– Standardization
– Data Organization
– Coordinate efforts
– Utilize your information system to full capabilities
– Transition your information system into a “Decision
Support System”
– Use information, data, and knowledge available to you
 The Human Piece of a
Data-Driven Environment
• Office Culture
– Top down buy in
• Expect resistance!
– Drive all staff to the Database (Decision Support
System)
• Expect resistance!
– Eliminate mini pockets of data (spreadsheets, shadow
databases); Should not be encouraged
• Expect resistance!
– Communicate to staff what data you have collected
and what data you want to collect
 OK, so I have data. Now What???
• Know your data
– Understand what specifically is important to your
institution
• Who are the important constituents (types)
• How important is tracking event attendance
• Legacies
• Organize your data
– Data entry should be processed allowing drill down
techniques in all areas
• Your system should allow drill down to specific areas
– Volunteers: Annual Fund, Alumni Relations, FY, etc.
– Giving: Pledge, Payment, Gift, FY, Write-offs
– Employment: Matching Company, Match Rate
 OK, so I have data. Now What???
• Clean your data
– Determine what’s important
– Provide easy access to what’s important
– Eliminate consistent problems
• Lost Coding vs. Lost-OK
• Ex-students vs. Alums
• Deceased/Lost/No mail
– Constituents should not have all 3 codes
• Look long term for data uses
– Collect anything and everything
• What is not valuable now could be your gold mine in 6
months
 Standardization
• Document and create polices and procedures
– Data entry
– Coding
– Profile change submission
– Reporting
 What is Prospect Research?
• It Depends???
– The collection, analysis and mining of data to:
• Identify new gift or engagement opportunities or
potential.
• To further qualify known donors in an effort to advance
a fundraising program.
– Prospect management
How to perform Prospect Research
• Google, Bing, Social Media…
• Your organizations Information System
• Development Staff
• Prospect Review Sessions
– MGIC – Major Gift Identification Committee
(pronounced MAGIC)
• Peer Review
• Prospect Screening
– GG&A, WeathEngine, HEP, etc
How to perform Prospect Research
• Contact Reports
• Data Modeling and Analysis
– Can be done in house
• The kitchen sink…
 The MGIC
• Major Gift Identification Committee
– Director of Development
– Director of Donor Relations
– Director of Development Services
• Director of Annual Fund*
• Director of Alumni Relations*

*on an add need basis

 The MGIC continued…
• Weekly sessions
– Maximum of 90 minutes
– Review of all gifts from the previous week:
• Coded major gift prospects
• Donors of gifts over $1,000
– Actions items
• Based on roles of the MGIC team
– Prospect Manager assignments
– Constituent review
– Internal prospect coding assigned
• Capacity
• Inclination
 Benefits of Prospect Research
• Constant pool of potential prospects
• Diversify prospect pool
– Planned Giving prospects
– Annual Fund Leadership gift prospects
– Relationship building
• Connect with someone who has relationship with prospect
– Hidden Gems…
• Build relationships with other members of development
– Learn Strengths of staff
• Update constituent information
• Stewardship efforts
 Donor Profile
• Prospect profile should include just enough info
to take the next step with the prospect
– Create levels of research to match stage in donor cycle
– Should include at least two of the following:
• Capacity, Inclination (interest), giving history if available
• Employment when available
• Information without analysis is useless!
• Make sure that information used from databases,
contact reports, etc. are verified on any research
profile
 Prospect Management
• The formal process of indentifying and
managing the 5 steps of the donor cycle
– Identification
– Qualification
– Cultivation
– Solicitation
– Stewardship
• This process should be proactive and reactive
Development Decision Support System
Development Decision Support Systems (DDSS)
is a specific computerized information system that
supports development office decision-making
activities. A properly-designed DDSS is an
interactive software-based system intended to help
development offices compile useful information
from raw data, documents, personal knowledge,
and wealth screening to identify potential
prospects, solve problems and make strategic
decisions.
Decision Support System
MICDS Decision Support System
Benefits of a Decision Support System
• Flexibility
• Customization
• Ad Hoc
• Designed with specific users needs addressed
• Trial and Error
• Direct access to the most important data
• Efficiency
• User driven
 Ethics
• EVERYTHING IS CONFIDENTIAL!!!
– Yes, the information gathered can be from public
places, but organized in a profile this information
is very confidential.
 Ethics
• Requirements for ethical prospect research
– Accurate
– Honest
– Relevant
– Confidential
 Ethics
• Keep everything in-house
• Only development professionals
• All requests for prospect information should
be formally discussed
• Develop organization policy to institutionalize
information protection
– Confidential agreements should be on file for all
development staff and volunteers
 Take-Aways
• Have a plan of action
• Align research goals with the organization’s strategic
plan
• Balance proactive and reactive research strategies
• Work closely with development team
• Maintain confidentiality with research findings
• Decision support systems are great tools; valuable in all
areas of development
• The collection and utilization of data is vital to the
success of any development office
• Prospect information is available; seek and you will find
Questions?
Intuition vs. Data-Driven
Decision Making
Rebel Saffold III
Director of Development Services
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School
314-995-7370
[email protected]
www.twitter.com/rebelsaffold