Fundraising: The Art & Science of Prospect Research

Fundraising: The Art & Science of Prospect Research

Research Goals

Identifying likely donors

• Who shares your values/cares about your community?
• Who gives to similar organizations?

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How to make your case to them

• How would they benefit from supporting your work?
• What motivates them?
• \How do I get in front of them?

•Global Forum for Media Development funding resources

•Global Investigative Journalism Network resource center

•IFCN grant opportunities for fact-checkers

•Chronicle of Philanthropy (some content paywalled)

•Forbes 400 /Real-Time Billionaires (free)

•Giving Pledge (free)

•Philanthropy News Digest (free)

•Google’s Dataset Search can sometimes help pinpoint a name in a 990, SEC filing, or other resource

Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) Resource Library

•Media Impact Funders’ Media Grants Data Map

•Candid.org Foundation Directory Online (free Quickstart version; some libraries have subscription to full database)

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Research Resources – General

RFP Directories

Candid’s Philanthropy News Digest

Funds for NGOs Resources

Global Investigative Journalism Network – Grants and Fellowships

European Union RFP Directory

USG grants directory

Africa Resources

African Philanthropy Forum

Financial Times Special Report on African Philanthropy

Alliance Magazine: A New Era for African Philanthropy (2016)

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Research Resources – Regional

Asia Resources

Alliance Magazine: The State of Asian Philanthropy (2018)

Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society: https://caps.org/

Give2Asia 2018 Trends and Highlights: https://give2asia.org/philanthropy-trends-and-highlights/

MENA Resources

Arab Giving Survey (2016)

Alliance Magazine: Philanthropy in the Arab World: A Working Paper; Caroline Hartnell/Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace

Arab Foundations Forum

US Foundation Funding in the Middle East and North African Region; AAPIP/Rockefeller Brothers Fund-commissioned research paper

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Research Resources – General

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Research Resources

In projects

• Adherence to programmatic goals
• Implementing partners that they can trust and effective partnerships
• Good value for money
• Measurable outcomes
• Innovation

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In proposals

• Clarity and logic
• Adherence to guidelines
• A viable approach
• Good presentation

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What donors are looking for?

• Donors lack an in-depth understanding of the media
• Donors want to link media development to other goals
• Donors expect quick-wins and instant results
• Results can be hard to measure
• The craving for innovation
• Synergies and duplication
• Editorial interference

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The secret is finding a space where agendas overlap

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The challenges of media development bids

Target groups

• Typically: journalists, editors, CSOs, bloggers, government stakeholders
• Usually quantifiable through participation in specific events
• Usually benefit from core activities

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End beneficiaries

• Typically: audiences, vulnerable groups, other media
• Usually harder to quantify
• Usually benefit from the outputs/activities of the target groups or from multiplier effects

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Target groups & end beneficiaries

The Rules

• People give to people they know.
• People give because they are asked.
• If you ask, you may get.
• If you don’t ask, you won’t get.
• HOW DOES THE DONOR BENEFIT?

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The Rules

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There are a range of ways donors benefit from a gift – perhaps there’s a tangible good or service they receive (attending a gala or VIP reception with a celebrity), a tax break, a means of doing or repaying a favor for a friend or family member. But the most generous gifts come from a strong and strategic sense of your organization’s work complementing their goals, amplifying the impact of their other philanthropy, advancing a shared mission or value.

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A conversation about how the donor benefits begins with understanding what’s important to them. The first step in that process involves research.

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Prospect research helps identify where you align.

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Fundraising: The Craft of Proposal Writing

Prospect Background

Armed with these facts, you can articulate:

Why this prospect might be interested in your work;

How it advances giving or other work she’s already engaged in;

A specific project, program, or achievement to focus on in your introductory outreach, if applicable;

A target gift range.

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Desk research should tell you:

Approximate age

Basic biographical detail/family connections

Recent philanthropy and political giving history

Board memberships/professional affiliations

Capacity range

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Fundraising: The Craft of Proposal Writing

The Human Touch

• Now that you know a bit about your prospect, time to workshop that within your own network. Who knows this person? Are you working with other organizations she funds?
• Desk research gets you down the road, but using it as a way to find peer-to-peer connections to the prospects you want will make it exponentially more effective.
• A benefit of prospect research is its opportunity to turn up names you might not have thought of, so even as you’re soliciting input on what your desk research has identified, also ask for suggestions of other prospects or connectors.
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Fundraising: Prospect Research

Questions?