Prospecting often marks the beginning of each relationship we hope to form with a donor. Despite this, fundraisers tend to focus their energy learning more about gift closure conversations than how to reach their donors in the first place. Through the lessons learned during an experiment in prospecting you will learn how you can connect to your intended donor base with ease!

In this session you will gain insights from a study conducted using real prospects. We will talk about how to approach prospecting, what you might expect your results to be and what actually happened in the study. As well as how all of this can inform your work in the future. Additionally, the session will be full of opportunities for you to ask questions and share your experiences in prospecting.

At the end of this session you will be able to identify your target audience, create an outreach plan to increase the responses you receive from your audience and utilize these prospecting tools as an asset that aids the work you do with donors throughout the rest of the gift cycle. Let us help you make the most of the time you spend prospecting so that you can get back to closing more gifts!

Are you looking to build relationships between seemingly disconnected teams? Join the Northwestern Alumni Association to learn how to bridge the gap between gift officers and engagement professionals through event programming that draws both donors and alumni who have not yet given. We will share information on the development and creation of events that span a variety of topics and formats and how our shared priorities have led to success for both engagement goals and giving targets. Additionally, attendees will learn how to cultivate meaningful and long-lasting relationships with gift officers.