All right, back again! In the last installment of this two-part article on storytelling, we took a look at the ways in which more esoteric or “quirky” characteristics can lead to a fuller understanding of a prospect’s inclination and capacity. The problem is that such information can be difficult to come by, as it is generally not aggregated by any one engine or site in an immediately useable way. Thus, in order to get to the heart of the person behind the prospect, it is necessary to pay closer attention to sources that may or may not be “off the beaten path.”

Finding a biographical needle in a proverbial haystack of information can seem daunting at first, particularly if you’re looking for a specific bit of context or trivia. In such cases, I have found that it helps to start small, specifically with a targeted search centered on the prospect’s hometown. While major moves and events are ably captured by publications in major metropolitan cities, small town or regional papers tend to include more targeted news such as scholarship listings, local sports coverage, and human interest stories focused on members of the community. To this end, two sites I frequently use are Wicked Local (www.wickedlocal.com) and Patch (www.patch.com). Wicked Local is a Massachusetts-based site that reports news broken down by city and/or region. Patch offers similar functionality to Wicked Local, but on a national level. Moreover, Patch enables neighbors and friends to link to and share stories of interest. A search of these two sources, targeted toward the geographical area in question, can reveal a breadth of information on a prospect pertaining to extracurricular activities, philanthropy, and volunteerism, and can also provide insight into social networks. These resources can also help you to find photos of constituents, as well as guest lists for smaller-scale fundraising events within a given area (everything from galas to PTA spaghetti dinners).

Used responsibly, social media outlets can provide greater insight into a prospect’s interest, social networks, and/or hidden passions. A scan of a prospect’s Facebook feed (if public), for example, can indicate marital status, the presence of children, supported organizations/groups, and visible interests. LinkedIn profiles, though obviously used more for determining employment history, can also provide insight into professional and social activities, many of which can be tied to pricey assets (e.g. sailing, equestrianism, auto racing, golf, etc.). Rarely, but occasionally, a prospect can be tied to a public blog or journal that is indicative of a larger passion, such as painting, poetry, yoga. As mentioned previously, such tidbits enable front line fundraisers to target asks more accurately. Though mentioning a prospect’s interest in yoga may not appear to lead to a higher ask, for example, including that information can keep a prospect viable for engagement through future programming. At the very least, such information can provide a common conversational touchstone between a fundraiser and a prospect, and can facilitate a speedier engagement/cultivation process.

If the above resources indicate a prospect’s specific interest, it is possible to glean an approximation of the money expended on that interest. An avid golfer, for example, may hold a membership with an area country club. Depending on the town and club structure, it is possible to determine a rough estimate of annual dues, and it may be possible to find other members with whom a prospect is affiliated. Other hobbies such as “big ticket” collections (boats, aircraft, automobiles, etc.) are easier to evaluate along monetary lines, as the relative value of a collection can be determined with a reasonable degree of accuracy. One comprehensive site for this sort of analysis is Nada Guides (http://www.nadaguides.com/), a website featuring searchable databases of classic cars, boats, motorcycles, and other assets. Relative values can be determined by make, model, year, and geographical area, which can provide a general sense of what a prospect owns, what it’s worth, and what they paid to get it. Another (likely well-known) site is Boat Info World (www.boatinfoworld.com), which proves to be especially useful if you suspect that a prospect has an interest in sailing or maritime history.

In terms of finding other potentially useful esoterica, one tried and true way to do it (time permitting) is to run a couple of Internet searches and see what pops up. Though this approach may seem a bit haphazard (particularly since researchers are generally tasked with providing useful information within a given timeframe), it can indicate interests that no other resource will reasonably be able to find or aggregate as part of a profile. Speaking from experience, random Google searches on new prospects have revealed professional bridge players, avid bowlers, dog breeders, under-the-radar business ventures (such as independent yoga studios), miniature dollhouse furniture collectors, and conservation enthusiasts within my organization’s donor pool. While these bits of information do not amount to much per se, they can be vital in terms of future engagement and cultivation. If, for example, you’re trying to match a prospect with a prospect manager or volunteer solicitor, and you were able to determine that said prospect is an amateur dog breeder, gift officers can match the prospect with a contact who is interested in the same field. The result is a jumpstart to the engagement process, whereby major gift staff can skip past awkwardness and straight into lively repartee (in a perfect world).

In the end, there’s no shortcut to constructing a well-told “story” of a prospect. The best approach to take, in my humble opinion, is to search for everything, and discount nothing (at least at first). As a profile takes shape, the more obvious bits of esoterica can and will fall by the wayside, for the obvious reason that some of it simply will not aid the process whatsoever. For the rest, though, consider that the quirks and passions of a prospect are just as vital to a prospect’s capacity as their hard assets. Also remember that, while we’re all fundraisers to one degree or another, we’re also relationship builders. By focusing on the person behind the process, we can help to turn a potential giver into an ardent ally for years to come.