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March 1, 2016 By Helen Brown 6 Comments

Proud Voices in Harmony

We Can Blog ItToday is a very special day indeed.

Not only is it the first day of Prospect Development Pride Month 2016, but I’ve got a special treat for you.

What’s #ResearchPride? Well, it’s a movement started two years ago on this very blog with my article, Coming Out. It was the result of a meeting of chapter leaders at APRA headquarters where we discussed the importance of advocating for our profession, and discussed strategy for ways to do that.

For me, the discussion became a personal call to action. Last year’s post, Coming Out (Again) continued the theme. I was re-energized by a TED Talk and NEDRA conference keynote by charity defender Dan Pallotta, who champions the importance of the work done by those of us considered “overhead.”

But back to the Special Treat

This month, bloggers in the US, Canada, and Europe are joining forces to share our pride and perspectives about prospect development and our profession’s impact on fundraising and philanthropy.

My job today is to point you to those great blogs so that you don’t miss the insights they have to share and the conversations that will be happening this month.

I hope that you might find a new-to-you voice to learn from, share with, and connect to. Or perhaps become reacquainted with a blogging colleague you’ve lost touch with.

Either way, this month is going to be all about pride in our profession, sharing knowledge, and finding ways to advocate our value and impact. I invite you to join in the conversation by reading and responding to the articles. Discuss them with colleagues, share them on social media, and use them to help you in your career.

Add these great bloggers to your RSS feed or email list, and let me know if there are others that I’ve inadvertently left off.

APRA Carolinas

  • Propelling pride into action, APRA-C’s past president Krystal Wilson shares 6 top tips for advocating and making your impact known in her post Show Your Pride.

APRA-Illinois

  • APRA-IL board member Elisa Shoenberger shares her perspective on what #ResearchPride means to her.

APRA MidSouth

  • APRA Mid-South’s president Sabrina Latham provides a fun peek into how her prospect research skills enrich her everyday life, not just her life at work.

The Fundraising Back Office – Sarah Bernstein

  • Sarah says “prospect development is the landscape upon which philanthropy, technology, curiosity, and innovation converge” in her #ResearchPride post. Yes indeed!

InFomentation – Sarah Conner-Smith

  • In her eloquent article about what makes her proud of our profession, Sarah reminds us that “at its heart, prospect development is about relationships.”

Eclipse Research Group

  • Canadian Crystal Leochko Johnston shares her perspective on what pride in her profession means to her in My #ResearchPride

Managing Prospect Research – Mark Egge

  • Instead of having to “do more with less” all the time, Mark discusses how nonprofits that have prospect research are actually Doing More With More.

Factary

  • Research Pride is evident on the other side of the Atlantic with this post from Chris Carnie on the deep impact that prospect development professionals have in Europe.

Jennifer Filla

  • Jen shares her journey of discovery as a research consultant in #ResearchPride, Advocacy and Me.

Diversity Driven Data – Preeti Gill

  • Preeti challenges us to answer a question in Q for #ResearchPride Month

iWave

  • Our friends at iWave deliver, first class:  A letter to our Prospect Research Peeps During Prospect Research Pride Month

Stephen Lambert – Fundraising Data Scientist

  • Stephen’s love letter to prospect research injects a new incantation into our field that’s just magical, and in the process shows where he (and we) would be without it.

Sharon Parkinson

  • Sharon doesn’t have a regular blog, but she was moved to share her #ResearchPride on LinkedIn, with her great post Five Reasons Why My Work-Life As A Prospect Development Professional Is Totally Awesome!

Staupell Analytics – Marianne Pelletier

  • Marianne proves that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in a proud homage to her dad, a Cold War spy in My Bourne Identity.

Adventures in Prospect Development – James Rygg

  • James talks about career growth and giving back in his #ResearchPride post: Evolve by Getting Involved
  • His love for research brings him back in I Could Have Missed It All

(Fund) Raising Voices – Ben Rymer

  • Ben shares a beautifully researched, elegant, and informative article, normally around one a month. His #ResearchPride offering is a solid argument on the impact of prospect research in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Adventures in Development – Marissa Todd

  • In Marissa’s first-ever blog post, she shares her journey of discovery and how she fell in love with prospect development.

Armando Zumaya – Although not specifically written for ResearchPride month, this LinkedIn post from the perspective of a chief development officer certainly qualifies!

BONUS: APRA Connections is the members-only publication of APRA international. APRA’s Best of Connections 2015 issue is now available and free to all.

Filed Under: Career development, Most popular, Social Media Tagged With: #ResearchPride, APRA, pride, prospect development, prospect research

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David’s career in prospect research began in 2009, as a graduate research assistant at the Shippensburg University Foundation. In 2011, He became a development researcher for the University of Virginia. In 2015, David became assistant director of prospect research at the University of Baltimore, serving for 3 years. Recently, he was the director of development for Trees Forever. David Joined the Helen Brown Group as a research assistant in January 2020. He earned a B.A. in Theater at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Applied History at Shippensburg University. David is a member of APRA and APRA Great Plains.

Kenny has worked in development since 1999 and has been involved in prospect research since 2002.

Prior to joining The Helen Brown Group, he was the director of donor and prospect research at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Kenny is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Tara first began her career in development in 2002 supporting the Major Gifts department at Simmons College, and ultimately went on to serve as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. Since that time, she has also worked as a Senior Research Analyst at MIT, as Associate Director of Prospect Management and Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and as Director of Development Research at Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP).

Tara originally joined the Helen Brown Group team in 2007 and served as a Research Associate and ShareTraining coordinator until 2008 – she rejoined the company as a Senior Researcher in 2013 and was promoted to her current role in 2018.

She has been an active volunteer with NEDRA for many years and served on the board of directors from 2010-2016. During her time on the NEDRA board, she served in many different roles, including terms as Vice President, Secretary, Chair of the Website and Technology Committee, Chair of the Volunteer Committee, and as Chair and Editor of NEDRA News. She is currently a member of the NEDRA Bootcamp faculty. In addition, Tara has also been involved as a volunteer with Apra, serving stints on the Membership Committee, Chapters Committee, and Bylaws Task Force.

Angie began her career in development in 1999 at Virginia Tech in Corporate and Foundation Relations and later in prospect research at the University of Connecticut Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, her experience includes grants management at the University of South Carolina, program evaluation for South Carolina Research Authority and human resources analysis for Nissan North America.

She returned to development in 2007 and worked in various prospect research positions at Vanderbilt University, including Associate Director. She was named Director for Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s research office in 2015, and joined The Helen Brown Group in 2016.

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Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

In March 2017, Kristina joined the Helen Brown Group as a Research Associate. Before joining HBG, she was the Research Manager at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and an Associate Manager of Prospect Research at City Harvest, a food rescue organization. Kristina started her non-profit career as a legal assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004.  She is a member of Apra and Apra Greater New York. She was Apra Greater New York’s Director of Programming from June 2014 to May 2016. Kristina graduated from The University of Chicago and the Bard Graduate Center.

Grace began her career in development in 2001 as Executive Assistant to the Chief Development Officer with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a Harvard Medical School-affiliated academic medical center.

In 2003, she became a prospect researcher for the BWH principal and major gifts team and spent the next 11 years in various research positions with BWH, culminating as Assistant Director of Prospect Research. She has been affiliated with The Helen Brown Group since January 2014.

Heather began her career in 2002 as a prospect research coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and then moved to Carroll College in 2004.

In 2005, Heather began working on her own as a freelancer and eventually started her own consulting firm, Willis Research Services, in 2007. She joined The Helen Brown Group in 2012.

Heather is a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement and the Montana Nonprofit Association.

Jennifer began her career in development at her alma mater, Wheaton College, where she was an administrative assistant for the major gifts department.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in March 2008. She earned a master’s degree in library science from the Southern Connecticut State University in May 2009. Jennifer is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Rick has been a member of the Helen Brown Group team since 2005. Prior to joining HBG, Rick was director of research at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. Rick has worked in development since 1996, both in prospect research and major gifts fund raising. His experience includes the University of Vermont, Phillips Exeter Academy and St. Paul’s School.

Rick is past president of NEDRA and is a member of and frequent volunteer for APRA.

Josh began his career in development as the Phonathon Coordinator at Keene State College. He then worked at non-profit consulting firm Schultz & Williams in Philadelphia.

He started his research career at the University of Pennsylvania as a Research Assistant in 2005. He then moved over to the Wharton School of Business, where he became the Associate Director, Research and Prospect Management. Josh joined the Helen Brown Group in 2016.

Josh is also a Colorado licensed Realtor and graduate of Lehigh University.

Mandi has worked in prospect research and management since 2006. She began her development career as a research analyst in development research at City of Hope, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Los Angeles. From there, she became the manager of prospect development at Huntington Memorial Hospital, a community hospital in Pasadena, CA. Most recently, she was the associate director of prospect research and management at Occidental College, a private liberal arts college in LA.

Mandi has a BA degree in print journalism from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree of library and information science from UCLA.

She joined the Helen Brown Group in May 2019.

Kelly began her career in development in 2008 as an administrative assistant in Major Gifts at Wheaton College.

In 2010, she became a research analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the Division of Development & Jimmy Fund as part of the prospect identification team. Kelly joined The Helen Brown Group in 2013.

She is a member of APRA and NEDRA.

Jayme began her career in development in 2008 at the Rutgers University Foundation, where she spent the next seven years, first in prospect management and then prospect research. She spent several years at Monmouth University as their senior prospect research analyst, working with the fundraising staff, university president, and top leadership. She has worked as both a volunteer and consultant for non-profits in the areas of research and writing.

She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Drew University and a master of communication and information sciences from Rutgers University. She is a member of APRA.

Jayme joined The Helen Brown Group in April 2019.

Julie has managed finances for The Helen Brown Group since its founding.

In her spare time, she is an editor for the PBS series Masterpiece at WGBH. Julie was nominated twice for an Emmy award for her work on the PBS show Zoom.

Heather began her career in development in 2001 as a prospect researcher for National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She was with NWF for more than thirteen years, including nearly five years as director of research and analytics. Heather is a former secretary of the board of directors of APRA-Metro DC.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2014.

David began his career in development at The Gunnery school in northwest Connecticut in 2011, where he worked in database management and prospect research. Subsequently, he joined the College of Saint Rose as a development research analyst before leading Albany Medical Center Foundation’s prospect research efforts as Associate Director of Prospect Research. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Siena College and is a member of APRA and CASE.

Michele began her career in development in 2012 when she joined the UC Berkeley corporate and foundation relations team as a development analyst. She spent a year and a half at Cal before returning to UC Davis as a prospect analyst. She was with the prospect management and relations team at UC Davis for almost three years prior to joining the research and relationship management team at George Washington University as a Senior Prospect Analyst in 2016.

Michele received her BA in creative writing from Florida State University and her MA in higher education leadership from CSU Sacramento. She currently resides in Northern Virginia, is a member of Apra International, and serves as the social media chair for Apra Metro DC. Michele joined The Helen Brown Group in July 2018.

Angie has worked in development since 2002, partnering with a wide range of nonprofit institutions. She began her professional career at Vanderbilt University in research and prospect development.

She has also worked with a number of community nonprofits in front-line fundraising, grant-writing, and event management. Angie holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a BS in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University. She resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a member of AFP Nashville and APRA MidSouth, where she has been active on the executive team.

She joined The Helen Brown Group in October 2015.

Maureen has been a part of the non-profit world since 1991. She started out in annual giving at Harvard Law School and continued her career as director of annual/special gifts at UC Santa Cruz.

In 1999 she made the switch from front-line fundraising to serve as director of prospect research/management at Bentley University and in 2001 began her role as administrator for the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester. She became part of the HBG team in September of 2011.

Helen has been a development professional since 1987. Her previous experience includes The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Albert Einstein Institution, Boston College, the Harvard School of Public Health and Northeastern University.

Currently she works with a variety of clients to establish, benchmark and re-align research departments; identify major gift prospects; and train researchers and other fundraisers through on-site and web-based training services.Helen is a former member of the board of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and is past president of the New England Development Research Association (NEDRA). In 2006 she received the NEDRA Ann Castle Award for service to the prospect research community.

Helen is Special Advisor on Fundraising to the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester and is a member of the board of directors of Factary Ltd. (Bristol, UK). She is a member of NEDRA, APRA, the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP), Women In Development, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Researchers in Fundraising (UK).

Helen is a frequent speaker and has led seminars for a number of professional associations, including Action Planning, AFP, APRA, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), NEDRA, RIF, the Planned Giving Council of Central Massachusetts, the Georgia Center on Nonprofits, the International Fundraising Congress and Resource Alliance.

Helen is also co-author (with Jen Filla) of the book, Prospect Research for Fundraisers (Wiley & Sons, 2013).