By: Melissa Bank Stepno, President & CEO
For years, prospect development has relied on a familiar collection of indicators to understand donor intent: giving history, wealth events, board service, liquidity, and personal connection. Those signals still matter, but they are no longer enough. The landscape of wealth, philanthropy, and public behavior is shifting faster than most nonprofits can adapt to, and the cues that reliably predict engagement are becoming more disperse, more digital, and more nuanced.
In 2026, the challenge for prospect researchers isn’t a lack of information. In fact, I would suggest that we are being inundated with too much information. Rather, our challenge is knowing which signals actually mean something.
As donor expectations evolve and new wealth categories emerge, researchers have an opportunity (and dare I say it: a responsibility) to help our organizations interpret donor interest with greater clarity, context, and care.
Below are five of the new and/or newly important signals worth watching.
- Public Values Statements Are Becoming Actionable Data
A decade ago, mission‑aligned giving was a trend. Today, it’s a baseline expectation. Donors, especially those in younger generations, are increasingly vocal about the issues they care about, and they’re doing it in places that may not have traditionally been part of a researcher’s workflow.
A few examples:
- Public comments about issues that matter to them (both pro and con) made on social media channels, in podcasts, via interviews, blog posts, etc.
- Participation in public events or pledges, such as corporate responsibility statements, participation in mission-based civic initiatives, membership to cause-oriented coalitions, etc.
- Values‑driven statements tied to major life events, particular for those in leadership roles or with ownership stakes at private companies, such as a company sale, IPO, leadership transition or investment strategy.
These aren’t just expressions of opinion. They can also be indicators of where philanthropic interests may align.
- Wealth Events Are Faster, Quieter, and More Complex
The traditional liquidity events such as real estate sales, business mergers and acquisitions, and IPOs still matter, but they’re no longer the whole story. New wealth is emerging from sectors that move quickly and often operate in private.
Signals to watch:
- Residences in international locations
- News about private lending or investment activities
- Material (physical) categories of investment, such as art, luxury goods and collectibles
Prospect Researchers don’t need to become financial analysts, but they do need to understand the generalities of these markets well enough to spot meaningful patterns and wealth indicators.
- Digital Engagement Is a Window Into Donor Readiness
Some donors are demonstrating their intent long before they fill out a form, actively raise their hand, or take a meeting with a gift officer. The challenge is distinguishing curiosity from commitment.
Activities to watch, especially when they happen with repetition:
- Attendance at virtual events
- Downloading research reports or impact briefs from your website
- Following staff or leadership on LinkedIn
- Engaging with thought leadership content
- Participation in online communities tied to your mission
These behaviors don’t replace traditional qualification, nor do they identify capacity, but they can help you prioritize who to watch more closely or who to research first.
- Transparency Expectations Are Reshaping Donor Behavior
Just as our organizations are doing more due diligence on our donors, today’s donors are increasingly concerned about doing due diligence on the organizations that they support. Donation dollars are going to organizations that are deemed trustworthy, well‑governed, and aligned with a donor’s values.
An extension of the activities listed in the previous category, some additional items to pay attention to are:
- Requests for due diligence materials
- Interest in impact measurement
- Questions about data privacy and stewardship
- Engagement with annual reports or audited financials
These aren’t red flags. They’re signs of a donor who is very interested in your organization and are likely more sophisticated in their approach to philanthropy.
- Relationship Intelligence Is Outpacing Data Intelligence
As wealth becomes more global and more mobile, personal networks are becoming one of the most reliable indicators of philanthropic alignment. The strongest signal of intent may not be what a prospect does but who they trust.
Some examples include:
- Board overlaps and advisory roles
- Peer‑to‑peer influence patterns
- Family office relationships
- Professional networks that cluster around shared values or industries
As such, relationship mapping is becoming more critical, and where a researcher can help translate relational affiliations into actionable strategy.
What This Means for Prospect Development Teams
The work of prospect development has always been about pattern recognition. What’s changing is the pattern itself. Some of the concepts shared here aren’t new, but they are taking on heightened focus.
To stay ahead, prospect researchers should be mindful to:
- Expand their understanding of wealth beyond traditional assets
- Develop fluency in emerging industries
- Integrate digital behavior and other engagement metrices into qualification workflows
- Continue to strengthen partnerships with frontline fundraisers
- Embrace relationship mapping as a core competency
Most importantly, researchers should feel empowered to bring interpretation and judgment, not just raw information to the table. Data is abundant. Insight is rare.
This is just one more opportunity for prospect researchers to guide their organizations with clarity, nuance, and strategic foresight.
The future of prospect development isn’t about having more data. It’s about knowing what matters and why.
