FORUM 2025

​Session 1: Choose one of the following

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• CRM Conversion Panel, Assembly Hall
  Viv Chappell, Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association
  Sarah Luckey, The Ohio State University
  Janet Weimar, University of Iowa
  Betsy Schmidt-Gullett, University of Cincinnati Foundation
  Moderated by Kari Stokosa, Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association
   

• Reinvigorating Fundraiser Training: A Collaborative Approach to Drive Success, East Room
  Carrie Naumann & Joey Cuevas, Virginia Commonwealth University 
  
  Facing the demands of an upcoming campaign, VCU's Prospect Development team partnered strategically with Talent Management and development leadership to transform fundraiser training. Discover how this collaboration established a dynamic annual program that provides consistent, guided support to frontline fundraisers and their managers, moving beyond basic onboarding to drive impactful results. 
   

• Management vs. Research: How Prospect Development can Divide & Conquer
  West Room
  Jackson Rector, Jonathan Kovach & Kennedy Cobb, University of Texas at Austin
  
  At UT Austin, our PRM team is structured in a way that assigns 1 Prospect Manager and 1 Prospect Researcher to a set of CSUs. This is, of course, not how it works at every institution, but for a shop like UT it allows us to best serve our GOs by splitting up responsibilites in order to deliver the best products possible in the timeliest manner possible.
  
  In this session we'll take a look at what those responsibilites entail, how we utilize the duo format, and compare & contrast different PRM team structures to better understand best practices within our field. The primary goal here is to learn and share working experiences within PRM shops of all sizes. This way, we can implement ideas in our day to day that we may otherwise have never been exposed to.

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​Session 2: Choose one of the following

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• Using Prospect Development Data to Drive Advancement Workforce Decisions
  Assembly Hall
  Lane White, University of Nebraska Foundation & Danilyn Wilce, University of Michigan 
  
  How does your organization decide when to add or replace a fundraising position? The Universities of Michigan and Nebraska recently set out to use Prospect Development data alongside performance metrics to help advancement leaders make better workforce decisions. Learn what kind of data Michigan and Nebraska are using to make recommendations to advancement leaders and how Prospect Development can expand its impact in your organization.

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• Elevating Research Insights: Bio Briefings, Constituent News, East Room
  Viv Chappell, Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association 
  
  Research can transform the trajectory of a prospect strategy. The right information at the right time can spur fundraiser action, provide opportunities for building authentic relationships, and connect the prospect with your mission in a way that resonates and motivates them to give generously. But how can we ensure end users have the information they need when they need it, without stretching researchers too thin?
  
  This session will focus primarily on prospect research products and services that help end users -- like campus leadership, development officers, and other frontline staff -- obtain insights on prospects. Wisconsin will share about two reports they use to increase the visibility and utility of prospect research intelligence: a biographical briefing report and news notification report. Participants will then have an opportunity to participate in on-the-spot benchmarking in breakout conversation. Share and learn from peers to spur creative problem-solving and amplify your team's work. 
   

• Asking to Capacity, West Room
  John Hermans, University of Toronto & Emily Kelley, The Ohio State University 
  
  A discussion of how Prospect Development professionals can provide the appropriate information for Gift Officers to ask donors to capacity
   

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Session 3: Choose one of the following

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• Creating and Streamlining Your Due Diligence Process, Assembly Hall
  Katelin Newman, University of Michigan & Erin Deardorff, The Ohio State University
  
  Hear how U-M and OSU have developed streamlined processes for due diligence.  Discussion to follow. 

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• Tailoring Prospect Management & Research Services, East Room
  Tania Osborn & Alda Bolsteins, Indiana University Foundation
  
  The IU Foundation Prospect Management and Research team will present how they have customized their services to better align with various fundraising roles, including major gift officers (both full-time and part-time), planned giving officers, and regional development fundraisers. This session will explore questions, such as whether all fundraisers receive uniform services or if services should be tailored based on their specific roles. The goal is to foster a collaborative learning environment where conference participants can share ideas and best practices from their organizations. 

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• A Conversation About Strategic Leadership in Prospect Development Teams, West Room
  Brent Laskowski, Penn State University & Craig Leonard, University of Michigan 
  
  A conversation for PD leaders about topics of the day and best practices for leading high performing teams.