How to Build Your Prospect Management System from Start to Finish
Learn to create a comprehensive prospect management system, from the initial needs assessment through post-implementation success.
Your organization’s fundraising success depends on what happens behind the scenes.
Without a clear system, even the best gift officers can’t perform at their best.
Development teams are asked to support major gift fundraising without the structure needed to do it effectively. Prospects fall through the cracks. Portfolios become unbalanced. Gift officers are unsure where to focus their energy, and leadership lacks the visibility to course-correct.
If you’re managing, or trying to build, a prospect management system, you already know the problem is not effort. It is the absence of a clear, repeatable framework to guide the work.
How to Build Your Prospect Management System from Start to Finish gives you the framework you need
Taught by Ruthie Giles, author of PROSPECT MANAGEMENT: The Essential Guide for a High Functioning Nonprofit Prospect Management System, this course walks you through every phase of building a high-functioning prospect management system.
What you’ll learn:
- The origins of prospect management and how it differs from prospect research
- How to conduct a needs assessment and database audit
- How to build your internal glossary, define donor cycle stages, and structure portfolios
- How to right-size portfolios and make smart assignment and disqualification decisions
- How to set goals, identify KPIs, and build reports and dashboards to measure success
- How to sustain your system post-implementation using structured meeting cadences — including the Giles Method
Whether you’re starting from scratch, updating an outdated system, or sharpening your understanding of best practices, this course gives you the practical knowledge to move forward with confidence.
Your Instructor
A renowned thought leader in the field of prospect management, Ruthie has worked in prospect research and prospect management since 2000. She has spoken on the topic of prospect management at APRA, CASE and NEDRA conferences, as well as to regional nonprofit professional groups.
Ruthie has held positions at the University of New Hampshire, Westfield State University, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Harold Grinspoon Foundation, The Loomis Chaffee School, and the Williston Northampton School. She is a former Board of Director member of the New England Development Research Association. She is the former Board President of the AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts and the former Board Vice President for Women in Philanthropy of Western Massachusetts.
Ruthie holds a BA from Smith College, a MBA from University of Massachusetts at Amherst – Isenberg School of Management, and a MS in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy from Bay Path University. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact, through the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.
Course Curriculum
Origins of Prospect Management
- History of Prospect Research
- How Prospect Research Differs from Prospect Management
- Prospect Research Produced Niche Fields
- Definition of Prospect Management
Building the Case for Prospect Management
- Incorporating For Profit Techniques
- How Strategy and Tactics Factor Into Prospect Management
- Benefits of a Prospect Management System
- Change Management
Planning and Implementation
- Project Management
- Setting the Stage: Introducing Prospect Management to All Staff
- Conducting a Needs Assessment
- Database Audit
- Writing Your Needs Assessment Final Report
Elements of a Prospect Management System
- Your Internal Lexicon and Glossary
- Donor Cycle Stages
- Portfolio Management
- Right Sizing Your Portfolios
- Portfolio Assignments
- Disqualifications
Measuring Success
- Setting Goals
- Metrics and KPIs
- Reports and Dashboards
Post Implementation
- Staying on Track With Meetings
- The Giles Method
- Data Optimization Meetings
- Portfolio Strategy Meetings
- Prospect Strategy Meetings
- Hybrid Meetings
- Looking Forward
This comprehensive course is for you, whether you need to build a prospect management system, update the system you have, or simply want to learn more about prospect management.
Summer Introductory Price
$697.00
$997.00 30% Off
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course – you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like – across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.