From the Nominator

"UTSA’s Data and Analytics and Prospect Management Research (PMR) teams found that there was a methodology gap in prospect identification and cultivation. Vendors would provide data on the strongest prospects, but the information was only a snapshot and limited by real time. We realized that a customizable, dynamic scoring process could be created and enhanced with the data provided and research conducted internally for targeted fundraising efforts at UTSA. 

We created an LAI (Linkage, Ability, and Interest) scoring method with the goal of identifying prospects in the three major areas of giving: annual giving, mid-level giving, and major gift giving. Application of the LAI to each of these efforts is up to us, which has proven to be more flexible and manageable over the resources we have. Our approach to the LAI is not time-stamped data nor uniform in application because we measure the most important and relevant data points that speak to the likelihood of giving for our constituents. We currently work on bi-annually updating the LAI to provide real-time data and relevant information for fundraising. 

We began implementing the LAI score in fiscal year 2019, and we attribute some of our successful revenue gains in fiscal year 2020 compared to the previous two-year downward slide. An example of implementing our LAI is seen in the success of our inaugural 2021 Giving Day. Our current long-term goal for the LAI is to develop the analytics in real-time on a dashboard platform for leadership and fundraisers to utilize."

From the Judges

The judges appreciated the value-added to the institution as a result of this initiative. It provided a solid ROI of the investment, providing substantive insight to their approach for increasing engagement and cultivation.