Moving from Quantity to Quality – Tools for Refining your Existing Prospect Pool

The University of Alberta Prospect Research team is responsible for building and assigning portfolios of prospects for all of the frontline fundraisers in the Office of Advancement. The initial approach to portfolio development, which began almost 10 years ago, focused largely on financial capacity and has resulted in a significant number of identified but unassigned prospects. This approach was expanded in 2014 to include a rating code for Corporate and Foundation prospects, which incorporated a blend of affinity and gift capacity. This presentation will provide an overview of our current approach to redefining our prospect pool and portfolio recommendations using tools such as a quantified affinity score, an expanded capacity assessment formula aimed at identifying high capacity prospects in less traditional roles (such as entrepreneurs or family-based wealth), and a greater focus on prospect management and portfolio health across the fundraising cycle.