NEDRA's own Social Media Committee co-chair, Stacey Vial McDonnell, may be biased, but she thinks that social media is absolutely vital to prospect research. In this article, she makes her case, and gives some great tips for making use of this rich source of information.

Social Media: The Next Frontier

by Stacey Vial McDonnell

If you have a smartphone, you are probably already using social media. You may already have personal accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or maybe even SnapChat to keep you caught up on all the latest news or what your best friends are doing. But did you know there is a world of social media beyond your personal accounts? Beyond the babies, pets and vacation photos, waits an entire world for you and your organization to capture. Is your nonprofit organization using social media to its best advantage?  Read on to discover tips and tricks on to harness the power of social media.

What Can Prospect Research Do?

According to a 2013 study by LinkedIn, about 90 percent of mass affluent consumers use social media. In this study, mass affluent consumers were defined as individuals who have investable assets between $100,000 and $1 million. Additionally, a 2011 study published in the Wall Street Journal states, “According to a survey of millionaires from Fidelity Investments, 85% of respondents use text-messaging, smartphone applications and social media. One third use social media professionally, with 28% using LinkedIn.”  The average age of the respondent of the study was 56. Considering these studies were at least three years ago, it is safe to assume the usage of social media among high net worth individuals has only increased in recent years. 

Speaking of those babies, pets, and vacation photos… What if you could provide your Major Gift Officers with personal, detailed information on highly-rated prospects which you simply cannot obtain from looking at an SEC filing or a Dun & Bradstreet document? When your donors post significant details about their lives on their publicly available blogs or twitter accounts, for instance, the prospect research team at your institution can be there to transmit that information to your fundraisers. Information like hobbies, interests, and even dislikes – things that can make or break that critical connection with the prospect and your fundraiser and institution. 

Social media is not only great for those tidbits of information that you can’t find elsewhere, but also for the most up to date information on a prospect. Think about all the times you’ve checked on a donor’s business information on a company website. The company’s website still says the donor works there, but you know for a fact the donor has left the company. Social media to the rescue! What is the first think you do when you change jobs? Update your LinkedIn profile. Your prospects are doing the same thing. LinkedIn is a fabulous resource for not only up to date career information, but a detailed career history as well. 

While I believe that social media in prospect research will only become more prevalent as we move forward in our field, we do have to keep in mind the ethical concerns.  Being transparent in how we move about in our online presence is important. Creating an alternative name or username in order to log in to a social media account to find donors or prospects is not considered ethical. Use your best judgement and integrity on social media.  Remember, donors are willingly and publically putting their information out into the world via social media—but sometimes they also may not be aware of privacy settings. Finally, it’s imperative that, as with every facet of your prospect research work, you hold yourself and your organization accountable when using social media.  

What Can Your Organization Do?

Does your organization already have social media channels? If not, what are you waiting for? You could be missing out on an excellent way to communicate and connect with your donors and constituents. Getting started can be overwhelming, but an initial audit of what you want to achieve via social media and your organization’s goals for the project is the best place to start. See what social media channels work best and are the right fit for your organization. Only take on what you know you can handle and what outlets you know will resonate with your intended audience. Now is also the time to evaluate and improve current social media accounts in order to streamline the approach. Having a concise and meaningful social media strategy can really put your organization’s best foot forward with donors. As prospect researchers, once you have a social media program established, it’s important for you to help identify who is an active participant on your organization’s accounts. You already know those who are active within your social media have a connection to your organization, and you never know where you will find your next major gifts donor. 

As you’ve seen before on NEDRA News, we here in the prospect research industry are big on #researchpride, so reach out to other nonprofit organizations, industry leaders or prospect research shops to see how they have managed their social media platforms for inspiration and advice. 

Want More? Connect with NEDRA on Social Media!

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn! 

Twitter: @NEDRA_Tweets

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewEnglandDevelopmentResearchAssociation

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/131593

The following people have volunteered to serve on various NEDRA committees this year. Thank you so much for all your help!

Valerie Anastasio, Boston Children's Hospital Trust

Helen Brown, The Helen Brown Group
Melissa Bank Stepno, Target Analytics

Amber Countis, Norwich University

Nancy Faughnan, Yale University

Tara McMullen, The Helen Brown Group

Jill Meister, University of New Hampshire

Adam Morrow, Harvard Business School

Jessica Paterson, Dartmouth University

Ginny Santamaria, American Cancer Society

Dina Zelleke, Harvard University

Thank you to everyone who participated in Hugh Bennett's program on valuing private companies on October 20, and in the Research Basics Bootcamp at Yale University on October 21! Hopefully, you all learned a lot and made some great connections.

The Programming Committee has a full slate of fall programming coming up! On November 10, NEDRA and MIT will be jointly offering a workshop on Unconscious Bias at MIT, presented by Christopher Dial. If you're interested in diversity and inclusion within our organization and our industry, we hope you'll attend. Later that evening, there will be a NEDRA Night Out at Grafton Street Pub & Grill in Harvard Square. Join us to network with your fellow NEDRA members.

On November 29, a Think Tank on the subject of prospect management will be taking place at Harvard University.

On December 9, Smith College will be hosting Speak Up!, a class on public speaking. If you've ever wanted to be able to present at a NEDRA event but weren't confident in your public speaking skills (or if you just want to feel more comfortable presenting at office meetings), this is a great opportunity to build those skills and gain some confidence!

On December 12, our second Research Basics Bootcamp of the fall will be held at Northeastern University.

For more information, and to register for any of these events, see the Upcoming Programs page.

The Conference Committee needs your input! For a long time now, lunchtime round tables have been a fixture of our annual conference. We believe it’s important to give our members the opportunity to network and discuss specific topics of interest to them. That said, there’s always room for improvement, and we are considering some changes that would improve these sorts of topical discussions.

As the Conference Committee plans #NEDRACon2017, they would love to hear your ideas and suggestions for how best to structure topic-specific group discussions. Would a time other than lunch work better? Would a separate room with more people be more conducive to discussion? Is more facilitation necessary to keep things on topic? Would you prefer to be able to sign up for such discussions before the conference takes place? Contact Conference Committee co-chairs Lisa Foster (lfoster@andover.edu) or Susan Grivno (Susan.Grivno@unh.edu) with your ideas, and help make our next conference better than ever.

In this article from the Winter 1990-1991 issue of the NEDRA News, Kate Fultz talks about some of the challenges involved with international philanthropy and researching international prospects.

International Research- Going for the Global Gold.pdf

The NEDRA Board of directors met on September 21. Present at the meeting, in addition to the board members, was Tara McMullen of the Helen Brown Group. Tara, a board member emerita, will be assisting the board this year by serving as co-chair of the Website and Technology Committee. Since the board has recently added another committee (Diversity and Inclusion) and we aren't running at our full compliment of board members, Tara's assistance in keeping our website up to date for our members is greatly appreciated!

The board also discussed upcoming fall programming, a scholarship for an APRA symposium, and more. Read on for more information!

The Programming Committee has a great slate of programming planned for this fall!

There are still spaces available to register for Hugh Bennett's presentation on valuing private companies at MIT on October 20. Come learn where you can find the information you need to make the best possible estimate of a private company's value.

On October 21, Dave Owens, Matt Lacroix, and Tim Enman will be leading a Research Basics Bootcamp at Yale University. If you are new to the field or just need to brush up on basic skills, register today!

On November 11, Harvard University's Christopher Dial will be presenting on the subject of Unconscious Bias at MIT, a program jointly sponsored by MIT. If you're interested in diversity and inclusion, and want to learn more about how unconscious bias affects these things, sign up now.

You can register for these programs at the Upcoming Programs page.

Later this fall, the Programming Committee has plans for a VINO (Very Informal Networking Opportunity) and a Research Directors Forum. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

Are you a decision-maker for your team or organization? Interested in APRA’s Advancing Leaders Symposium, but budget is tight? NEDRA has great news for you!

NEDRA is pleased to offer our members a chance for a scholarship for APRA’s 2016 Fall Symposium: Advancing Leaders. Recipient will be selected at random.

Deadline to enter is Friday, September 30. Don’t miss your chance, enter the lottery today! Must be a current NEDRA member to win.

 About the APRA Advancing Leaders Symposium:

Join APRA in Alexandria, Virginia for valuable training and interactive workshops that build industry solutions. Geared toward leaders, executives and other decision-makers, APRA’s Advancing Leaders Symposium is an opportunity to focus on where the industry is headed and how we can help shape our organizations for the future. Content will focus on the state of our industry, emerging themes and trends in fundraising, and career growth beyond the day to day work of prospect development.

Thurs/Fri November 3-4 2016, at The Westin Alexandria, Alexandria, VA

 Lottery Eligibility:

NEDRA is pleased to offer a scholarship covering the cost of symposium registration and travel/hotel (up to 2 nights) reimbursements up to $600. Recipient must be a current NEDRA member. Join or renew your membership here. Current and former NEDRA board members not eligible. Deadline is Friday, Sept. 30, 2016.

Do you have a problem you’re trying to solve in your organization? Is there something you like to delve into deeper? Have you tried something new and want to share it with others?

 

NEDRA introduces Think Tanks (formerly known as RINGS). NEDRA is looking for hosts and facilitators to lead Think Tanks: informal discussions on any topic relevant to prospect development professionals. These are meant to be interactive, no presentations necessary. The responsibilities of the facilitator are to start and help keep the conversation going. Topics might include Small Shop Research Pressures; Large Shop Research; Independent School Parents; Prospect Management, etc. The best part is that these are free to members and only $25 for non-members.

 

If you are interested in hosting and or facilitating a Think Tank, please contact the chairs of our programming committee: Tim Enman at tenman@smith.edu or Ian Wells at ian@iantwells.com.

For this article, Tim Wilson, NEDRA board member and Associate Director, Prospect Management/Development at Harvard Business School, interviewed past recipients of the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship. Read on to see what kind of impact that scholarship can have!

The Impact of the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship

By Tim Wilson 

NEDRA prides itself on being a supportive, informative, engaging, and fun convener for all professionals in New England’s prospect research, management, and analytics community. One of the most moving signs of the spirit of NEDRA has occurred each of the last three years at our two-day annual conference. Conference attendees meet at lunch to honor the memory and legacy of Heather Reisz, and to celebrate the awarding of two scholarships in her name that are given to newcomers to our profession. A longtime prospect researcher and director, Heather “had a particular fondness for newcomers to the profession,” as her memorial page on NEDRA’s website notes. Heather “was an active and devoted volunteer and board member of NEDRA” who “had an infectious love for the work she did, and served as a mentor to many. Thanks to Heather’s free sharing of knowledge, support, and advice, there are numerous people in the field who have her to thank for their success.”

Now, thanks to the generosity of Heather’s family and many members of the NEDRA community, Heather’s legacy of support continues through the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship. NEDRA News thought it would be interesting to check in with a few of the Scholarship recipients to demonstrate the impact of the Scholarship and highlight how being a member of NEDRA has positively impacted recipients’ careers.

Monique Bourgeois Miller was one of the two inaugural recipients of the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship, awarded at the 2014 annual conference. Monique began her prospect research career at Hampshire College in late 2012 and is now a senior research analyst focusing on institutional research at Amherst College, where past NEDRA president Suzy Campos is the director of advancement research. She credits her supportive supervisor for encouraging Monique to apply for the Scholarship to support her career and professional development. When asked about her reaction to winning the Scholarship, Monique said, “It was very surprising! I’m from Newfoundland, and I’ve more recently worked in institutional research as opposed to prospect research, so I felt a bit like a stranger, but it was a wonderful surprise. People were so welcoming!”

Receiving the Scholarship before her peers and Heather’s family was a powerful moment, Monique added. “You could feel the love in the room. It was very emotional. Heather’s friends and family were present. It was obvious to everyone there that Heather was well respected and well cared for. Receiving her scholarship was a huge honor. And I still have Heather’s pin!” she added, commenting on a commemorative gift handed to Scholarship recipients during the conference.

For Monique, being one of the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship honorees cemented the impact that NEDRA can have in people’s careers. “NEDRA enables us to search out connections and turn to people for advice. The learning opportunities, the conference, and connections have given me a lot of work-related inspiration. And it’s also fun being a NEDRA member.”

The following year, 2015, Becca Elwin of the Conservation Law Foundation was one of two Scholarship recipients. Becca’s supervisor at the Foundation, vice president for development Kate Saunders, had a background in prospect research and encouraged Becca to join NEDRA. “I experienced personal growth and development as a researcher after attending Bootcamp and the conference. The most valuable thing I gained from this experience was taking what I learned and bringing it back to my organization and implementing my newfound understanding to better our research and prospect management program.” Asked to describe how being a recipient has impacted her career, Becca noted, “If I hadn’t received the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship, I may not have been able to attend Bootcamp and the annual conference. I now realize how unfortunate that would have been for both my professional development as well as the development of the prospect research and management program at CLF.”

Like Monique, Becca positively described attending the 2015 annual conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with the benefit of the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship. “Over the course of my three days in Portsmouth, I learned that there are many different methods, philosophies, and strategies for how to conduct a prospect research and management program at any given organization – and that each has its merits and difficulties.” Becca also stressed the feeling of collegiality and how convening together leads to comforting discussions of commonalities. “At the conference, I learned that my fellow researchers struggle with the same things I had been struggling with and continue to struggle with today. I learned that I am part of a greater community of researchers who are genuinely open and willing to help learning researchers find their way.” Reflecting on her conference take-aways, Becca added, “I feel more confident in what I know and what I can do.”

Becca recalled feeling overwhelmed by receiving the Scholarship. “I think we’re all kind of feeling that way as researchers—we don’t seek out attention.” But the spotlight led to “many conversation-starters at the conference.” People coming up to congratulate Becca “brought me right into the community that maybe I didn’t feel as connected to earlier, which was wonderful.”

As a Scholarship recipient, Becca has found it easier to demonstrate the value of attending conferences or other training sessions after returning from her first NEDRA conference. She was at the 2016 conference as well. “I felt more comfortable this year. It was great to see other researchers getting recognition through the Scholarship!”

If you are new to our industry, please consider applying for the Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarship—or if you have someone on your team who is entering our field, encourage them to apply. Please check the NEDRA website for updates on application forms and deadlines ahead of the 2017 annual conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. And thank you to the many generous donors from our NEDRA community for your support of the Scholarship! Over the past several years, you have helped to surpass NEDRA’s initial goal of raising $10,000. This will allow NEDRA to provide Heather Reisz Memorial Scholarships to two recipients each year for the next ten years! 

It is inspiring to think of the impact this will have for the careers of at least 20 future recipients, as well as the six recipients so far, and to envision the impact these individuals will have in the industry and in NEDRA for many years to come. Additional donations are welcome at any time, helping to ensure that Heather’s spirit of generosity and her passion for our work will live on.