When I was a major gifts officer, I was given goals so that my vice president could measure multiple levels of my effectiveness.  One measure of course was dollars raised, but other metrics were number of face-to-face visits with individual prospects, number of proposals submitted, number of prospects moved from one category to another (from cultivation to solicitation).  But I am asked often how long should it take to research and confirm a prospect?

http://www.prospectresearch.com/prospect-research/metrics-in-prospect-research.htm