Foundation Funding Research: Strategies for Finding and Evaluating Prospects

COURSE DESCRIPTION

For grantseekers who want to develop their skills and maximize efficiency in fundraising research.

Smart strategies for fundraising in challenging times are at the core of this special 1 1/2 day course. To start, you'll develop a research strategy to find prospects who have proven their commitment to programs and projects like yours. Then, you'll gain first-hand experience with the nation's leading grantseeking database, Foundation Directory Online Professional, to find thorough, accurate details on current donors and new prospects.

BENEFITS

• Translate your organization’s needs into fundraising research strategies
• Become proficient in searching the four Professional databases
• Find prospects who have supported organizations or programs similar to yours
• Save, print, and e-mail your search results

TOPICS

• Understanding what motivates each funder type and how to approach them
• Resources that will help you learn about grantmakers and their recent activities
• The functions of each search field and effective search strategies
• Getting the most from the Companies database; subsidiaries, 10-K forms
• Keyword-search strategies, including searching across the entire 990 database
• Evaluating prospects to find the best fit for your funding needs
• Tagging grantmaker and company profiles to group prospects by your own definition
• Using the ‘Update Generator’ to see recent, significant changes to the grantmaker database

BONUSES

• Applicable for nine CFRE^TM International points for initial or re-certification
• Complimentary one-month subscription to Foundation Directory Online Professional (a $179.95 value)
• Workbook outlining all course topics

INSTRUCTOR CAROLINE HERBERT

A member of the selection committee for The Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, Caroline worked as a fundraiser in Chicago before becoming training coordinator at the Foundation Center Washington, DC in 1998.