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2023 CONFERENCE


SESSION DESCRIPTIONS



(B) = Beginner Level Session    (I) = Intermediate Level Session   (A) = Advanced Level Session


Thursday, May 2023


Friday, May  2023



    Thursday, May 5, 2022

    (A1) The Dark Arts of Revenue and Fundraising Forecasting (I) 

    10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

    Put away the Ouija board and the tin foil hat! This session will show you how a liberal arts college forecasts its yearly incoming revenue and fundraising totals, all without machine learning or a doctorate in econometrics. By segmenting specific areas of giving, analyzing pledge payment schedules, improving proposal pipeline maintenance, observing statistical trends and nerfing the wildly optimistic gift officer projections that never come through, we will show you how to deliver actionable intelligence to our financial overlords in administration for both revenue and fundraising.


    Learning Objectives

    • Create superior fundraising forecasts by using a mix of statistical analysis, better pipeline management and an understanding of the variability of different gift levels.
    • Understand the different components of revenue and the differing predictability of each in order to more effectively forecast revenue.
    • Communicate with administrators, gift officers and the greater development world the differences between fundraising and revenue, along with the ability to explain different components of both.


    Presenter:

    John Carasone, Williams College

    John mixes a desktop publishing background with extensive higher education/development experience, forged with a passion for graphic design and heavy metal, to create actionable insights that are not only strategically sound, but also aesthetically appealing.


    Session Slides: Dark Arts of Revenue and Fundraising Forecasting- Carasone- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (A2) Changing Asia Landscape (B) 

    10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

    In this session, participants will receive a general overview of the changing landscape in Asia, with a focus on potential philanthropic impact. Topics will have a particular emphasis on China with some focus on India, Thailand and Singapore. Subject areas will include U.S. relations, the impact of COVID, China’s renewed focus on domestic giving, due diligence, research tips, and the future of Asian philanthropy.


    Presenters:

    Shauna Meegan, Harvard University

    Shauna Meegan is an associate director of Research and Prospect Management. In her role she supports FAS International, due diligence, and also manages four researchers. Shauna has worked at Harvard since 2007.


    Stephanie Snow, Harvard University

    Stephanie Snow is an assistant director, Due Diligence and Research at Harvard University. In her role she supports the University Development Office-International and due diligence, as needed. Stephanie has worked at Harvard since 2008.


    Session Slides: Changing Landscape of Asia - Meegan and Snow - NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (A3) Prospecting & Artle: Connecting the Dots Between an Online Game & Prospecting (I) 

    10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

    What’s the connection between prospecting and Artle, the online artist guessing game? Success can be gained by learning how to look for a prospect’s “signature” (or “oeuvre” if they were artists). Regardless of your type of organization, there are elements of your prospects that are bigger than just one person – commonalities among your donors that can be identified and used to uncover potential in your prospect pool. Going back to the Artle analogy, even if no one in your organization has ever met with a prospect and/or you don’t have much information in your database, spending time researching can likely uncover data points common to your existing donors. Perhaps your top donors reside nearby, have similar external philanthropy, are involved in local boards, and/or come from the same age bracket. Learning to recognize the oeuvre of your major donors can help you identify new prospects in your pool and assign them to the right gift officers at the right level. Join Jennifer and Beth to learn more about art, prospecting, and how predictive analytics can merge the art of fundraising with the science of data.


    Learning Objectives

    Attendees will gain insights into the art of prospecting and how predictive analytics can help streamline the process.


    Presenters:

    Beth Inman, Shriner’s Children’s

    Beth is the Senior Director, Prospect & Donor Research at Shriners Children's. Prior to joining Shriners, Beth was in similar roles at The George Washington University, Colby College, JDRF, and the University of South Carolina. Before her development career, Beth was the associate curator of American and decorative art at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC. She is currently on the faculty of Apra Fundamentals and, for Apra International, she has served on the Ethics & Compliance committee and chaired the Awards committee. Additionally, Beth is a former board member of NEDRA and is the former president of Apra Carolinas. She was the recipient of the 2017 Apra Carolinas Distinguished Service Award and the 2019 Apra International Distinguished Service Award. Beth is a native of Charlotte, NC and holds a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and a master's degree in art history from the University of South Carolina. She is passionate about literacy, the arts, and women's rights causes. Beth has one daughter who attends Auburn University.


    Jennifer Vincent, Blackbaud

    Jennifer Vincent joined Blackbaud in 2019 as a Competency Solutions Engineer for Fundraising Analytics. She has since transitioned into an Account Executive role in Higher Education Solutions. In this role she partners with higher ed organizations to advise on technology and software options that can increase fundraising success with the goal to work smarter, not harder by combining the art of fundraising with the science of analytics.

    Prior to joining Blackbaud, Jennifer worked in Prospect Development at the University of North Carolina Wilmington – her alma mater – for over a decade. During her tenure, she helped move the department from reactive to proactive research and created a prospect management program. She was honored to receive the Apra Carolinas Distinguished Service Award in 2019 and currently serves as the chapter President. With her remote-first job, she recently moved to Essex, Vermont where she enjoys the changing of seasons with her husband, young daughter, and very opinionated dog. When not working or volunteering, Jennifer enjoys being a yarnsmith, traveling with her family, DIY projects, and exploring her new home.


    Session Slides: Prospecting and Artle -Inman and Vincent -NEDRA 2023.pdf.pdf



    Networking Roundtables 

    1:45pm - 2:25pm

    • Directors/Managers 
    • Hybrid Work
    • Large Shops
    • NEDRA Volunteering Opportunities
    • New to the Field
    • Remote Work
    • Small Shops
    • Solo Shops



    (B1) From Data Science to Skipping the Line: Ways to Use Your Analytics Skills in Daily Life (I) 

    2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

    Marianne continues her Use Your Skills Everywhere series with this presentation on making good use of your data science and analysis tricks outside the office. We'll cover how to avoid the long line at the theater, getting better odds when playing the lottery, what time to buy a concert ticket, and more.


    Learning Objectives

    This session's goal is to increase comfort with learning statistical analysis.


    Presenter:

    Marianne Pelletier, Staupell Analytics Group

    Marianne Pelletier is a well-known prospect researcher turned data scientist.


    Session Slides: From Data Science to Skipping the Line -Pelletier- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (B2) Panel: Researchers in the Arts (B) 

    2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

    The pandemic has had a profound effect on the nonprofit world, perhaps none more so than the arts world. Join this panel of researchers with expertise fundraising for arts organizations in a conversation about how their work has shifted over the last few years as well as an in-depth discussion about their tips and tricks for researching artists and patrons of the arts.


    Learning Objectives

    This session will explore the unique opportunities and challenges of prospect research in the arts. This expert panel will discuss:

    • Recent shifts in the arts world and how their small shops have pivoted in the face of changing times
    • Techniques on researching artists and arts patrons
    • Prospecting when an organization doesn’t have a built-in constituency


    Panelists:

    Kristina Gropper, Helen Brown Group

    Kristina Gropper is a senior consultant at the Helen Brown Group, a fundraising research consultancy. During her time at HBG she has worked with a myriad of arts and culture nonprofits. Before joining HBG in 2017, she was the Research Manager at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. 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, and she was Apra Greater New York’s Director of Programming from June 2014 to May 2016. Kristina graduated from The University of Chicago with a B.A. in art history and the Bard Graduate Center, where she wrote her master's thesis on a Boston art collector.


    Megan Horton, Rhode Island School of Design

    Megan Horton is the Senior Prospect Development Analyst at the Rhode Island School of Design. Previously, she was a prospect management and research analyst at UC San Diego where she specialized in CFR prospect management and research. Megan previously served as chair of the Apra Ethics & Compliance Committee, where she led the development of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Data Guide and its industry-wide rollout. Before her career in prospect development, she worked for social justice nonprofits in Washington, DC and El Salvador. She has a BA in International Affairs from George Washington University and an MA in Latin American Studies from UC San Diego.


    Colleen O’Donnell, Museum of Fine Arts

    Colleen O'Donnell is the Director of Research & Prospect Development at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Prior to joining the MFA in 2016, she worked in prospect research at Northeastern University, most recently serving as Associate Director with a focus on prospect identification. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish from Tulane University and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Northeastern.


    Jana Peretti, Boston Symphony Orchestra

    Jana M. Peretti has more than 15 years of experience in prospect research. She is currently the Assistant Director of Development Research at the Boston Symphony Orchestra which she joined in early 2019. Previously, she was a Senior Research Analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Jana began her development research career at the University of Southern California.


    Session Slides: Researchers In the Arts - Gropper, Horton, Peretti, O'Donnell - NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (B3) The Principal Gifts Track (B/I) 

    2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

    After a decade at Amherst College in Prospect Development, working increasingly closely with the Principal Gifts program and Chief Advancement Officer, Suzy's role has shifted to officially focus 100% on Principal Gifts. As a "behind the scenes gift officer," Suzy delivers communications, strategic, and operational services related to Principal Gift and Trustee donors.


    Learning Objectives

    In this informal, conversational session, we will discuss:

    • The path that led to a role in Principal Gifts, which may be a growing career option for Prospect Development professionals
    • Observations and tips for prospect development teams working with Principal Gift programs


    Presenter:

    Suzy Campos, Amherst College

    Suzy Campos is Senior Manager of Principal Gift Strategy at Amherst College. She previously held prospect development positions at Harvard University and Children’s Memorial Hospital (now Lurie Children's Hospital) in Chicago. Earlier in her career, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, a public and corporate librarian, and an Information Specialist at McKinsey & Company. She earned a BA from UMass-Amherst and a Library Studies degree from the University of Michigan. She has been a proud participant in the Twin Cities to Chicago AIDS Ride and Monte's March for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Suzy has been a speaker for organizations including Apra, NEDRA, AFP, and the Planned Giving Group of Central Mass, and is a volunteer and past president of NEDRA.


    Session Slides: This session does not have slides. 



    (C1) The Joys and Challenges of Small Research Shops (B/I) 

    3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

    Working in a small shop can be a true joy. No two days are alike and it’s certainly never boring. However, there can also be challenges, especially in balancing priorities and finding the resources you need (including time). In this session, we’ll discuss some tips and tricks for: balancing proactive and reactive research, bringing on additional tools, managing research requests. We’ll also talk about how to bring ideas back from a conference in a way that sets you up for success.


    Learning Objectives

    Attendees will learn some tips for prioritizing, bringing on new resources and taking full advantage of existing resources (including some ideas for collaborations with others in their organizations) and some tips on not getting overwhelmed with conference ideas. Time will be left at the end for the group to offer tips that have worked at their organizations.


    Presenter:

    Lisa Foster, Phillips Academy

    Lisa Foster is the Director of Prospect Development at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where she is also an alumna and two of her four children are also alumni. Lisa is a former member of the Board of Directors of NEDRA. Over the course of her term, she served as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors, Conference Co-Chair for two NEDRA Conferences, Secretary of the Board, and Co-Chair of various committees, including Scholarship and Programming. Lisa continues to serve on the NEDRA Programming and Nominating Committees and as Faculty for the NEDRA Research Basics Bootcamp. Lisa served as a Director of the Haverhill Foundation for Excellence in Education for over twenty years and has also served as a director of the Haverhill Discovery Club Program.


    Session Slides: Joys and Challenges of Small Research Shops -Foster- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (C2) The Psychology of the Philanthropist…Understanding How a Donor Thinks is Essential to Your Prospect Research (B/I) 

    3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

    In this session, participants will explore the psychology of philanthropists and why understanding how they think is essential to the prospect research process. Specific topic areas covered in the session include understanding the philanthropic mind, why people give the way they do, motivations for giving, choosing the right engagement strategy, and facilitating a proven donor approach for mutually beneficial outcomes.


    Learning Objectives

    The learning objectives of the session are for participants to better understand:

    • The parameters involved in 'knowing' the donor and how an early understanding of how they think better informs prospect research.
    • Recommendations on selecting a model to best approach a donor.
    • Strategies for implementing a tailored method of engagement with the donor and your cause.


    Presenter:

    Scot Scala, Scala & Associates, LLC

    Scot Scala has been a grant and fund development professional since 1987. He is President and Senior Consultant of Scala & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in providing services to nonprofit organizations. With offices in Connecticut and Florida, the firm offers expertise in grant funding research and proposal design, training and education, fund development planning, and capacity building. He is Grant Professionals Certified [GPC], an Approved Trainer, and an award-winning consultant who has helped organizations fulfill their missions through successful fund development, including $113,000,000+ in grants.

    Scot’s work engages him with clientele from throughout the United States, as well as Uganda, Mexico, and in particular, Haiti where he conducts mission work in support of K-12 education and nutrition programs. He is a highly regarded speaker who frequently presents top-rated workshops to regional, national, and international groups such as the Grant Professionals Association, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Soroptimist International of the Americas, Chambers of Commerce, and an array of nonprofit organizations. In 2019, Scot and his wife established the Scot & Tracy Scala Grant Professionals Association Early Career Membership Scholarship. The scholarship supports individuals who are early in their grant careers and interested in furthering their professional development.


    Session Slides: Psychology of Philanthropist -Scala- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (C3) Planned Giving Models: Explore the Data Enabling the Analytics (A) 

    3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

    For 25 years predictive analytics has enabled nonprofits and higher education to identify planned giving prospects. As organizational data improves, the models become better as well as more targeted: bequest, annuity and CRT models are available for strategic prospect identification. This webinar will focus on the data behind these models, and the information you can use to better inform your institution of planned giving potential. We will recommend data to be collected, what to do with it, and related strategic implementation ideas to help your organization to increase planned giving revenue.


    Learning Objectives

    • Discuss the reasons planned giving programs are under-funded and underutilized or do not exist in some organizations
    • Learn about Blackbaud’s planned gift donor study findings that used 2 million donor records, 20-years of data to reveal new information about the people that make planned gifts.
    • Create an understanding of how to use this data in research, prospect management and gift-status evaluations.

    Presenter:

    Lawrence Henze, Blackbaud

    Lawrence Henze is the Senior Principal Analytics Architect for Blackbaud. During his career at Blackbaud, he has worked with nonprofits, colleges, and universities in both consultative sales and strategic implementation roles to encourage and facilitate the use of predictive analytics and related tools to promote fundraising success. Before joining Blackbaud, Lawrence founded Core Data Services, a groundbreaking analytics approach to fundraising, in 1998. (Blackbaud purchased Core Data in 2001, creating Blackbaud Analytics). Lawrence’s experience as a development officer at Carroll University (WI), the University of Wisconsin Foundation (Madison), and the University of Dayton provided the understanding and motivation to use statistics to challenge fundraising axioms and create data-driven solutions.


    Session Slides: Planned Giving Models -Henze- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    Friday, May 6, 2022


    (D1) Demystifying Donor Advised Funds (B/I) 

    9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

    Grants from donor advised funds continue to grow as a recipient of charitable giving and as a source of donations. Come learn the history of the donor advised fund, the laws and rules that govern their administration and use, their impact on the philanthropic sector, and what it means for how you work with your donors who use them. 


    Presenter:

    Maureen Barry, Smith College

    Maureen Barry serves as the AVP for Advancement Operations at Smith college where she is responsible for data & technology strategy, data entry & integrity, prospect research and other logistics concerns for the Alumnae Relations and Development department.  Maureen has a particular focus on compliance, data access and operational improvement projects leveraging technology.  Prior to her role at Smith College, Maureen served as the Philanthropic Services Associate at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, administering their donor advised fund program.


    Session Slides: Demystifying the DAF -Barry- NEDRA2023.pdf



    D2) Physicians Compensation (B) 

    9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

    Learn more about how physicians are compensated and the factors that influence that amount. What specialties are most lucrative and which the least? What about student loan debt? How does malpractice insurance play into this? This presentation will examine how factors including practice type, specialty, geography, and gender affect your physician prospects' annual income.


    Learning Objectives

    Physicians have the potential to be good earners--or to be mired in student loans and high malpractice insurance. Learn to quickly estimate the income of a physician prospect, rate them, and segment them for optimal fundraising and participation goals.


    Presenter:

    Gillian Sciacca, Williams College

    Gillian Sciacca (she/her, last name pronounced "shock-ahh") is a senior prospect management and research analyst at Williams College. She joined the world of higher education in 2015 after serving as a Prospect Research Analyst at Mount Sinai Health System and the Wildlife Conservation Society.


    Session Slides: Physician Compensation -Sciacca- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (D3) Identifying and Understanding CFR Funders: A CFR Perspective on Funder Research and Prioritization (B/I) 

    9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

    This session will offer a beginner-to-intermediate level look at research tools and resources that CFR professionals can use when identifying potential grant funders, as well as share some tips and suggestions for creating a system of prospect research and prioritization.


    Learning Objectives

    • Learn about basic research tools for corporate and foundation grants, including paid and free sites available for CFR research and how to use them.
    • Learn about processes for building and prioritizing prospect lists, managing grant cycles and tracking deadlines, creating CFR funder profiles, and communicating information about potential funders with internal campus stakeholders.
    • Learn about internal organization resources for CFR prospect research, including prospect research and project inquiry forms.

    Presenters:

    Marie Kelly, Stonehill College

    Marie Kelly is the director of corporate, foundation and donor relations at Stonehill College, where she identifies potential corporate and foundation funders to support institutional priorities, assists college leadership in the cultivation of relationships with corporate and foundation donors, and stewards the College’s top benefactors. Marie’s daily efforts include preparing grant applications, proposals, and letters of inquiry, as well as donor impact reporting and scholarship stewardship. Prior to Stonehill College, Marie worked at Boston Children's Hospital Trust, the philanthropic resource for Boston Children's Hospital, from 2000-2007. Marie graduated from Stonehill College in 2000 with degrees in psychology and English. She serves on various community boards including Smith Farm at Borderland State Park, the Children’s Museum Easton, and the United Way of Greater Plymouth County.


    Callie Curran Morrell, UCLA

    Callie Curran Morrell has worked in higher ed development for nearly 15 years, primarily in research and operations roles. Currently, she works (remotely from metro Boston) for UCLA's Foundation Relations & Corporate Philanthropy team, helping to research foundation and corporate prospects, and to develop and implement comprehensive strategies for UCLA’s work with foundations and corporations. Prior to joining UCLA in October 2022, Callie oversaw operations, including research and data management, for MIT’s Office of Foundation Relations and had previously worked in prospect research for individual giving at MIT. She has also worked as an academic librarian and in a research capacity for nonprofit and start-up organizations.


    Session Slides: Identifying Potential Funders -Kelly and Curran Morrell- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (E1) Panel: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (B/I/A) 

    11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Join this panel of prospect development professionals in a conversation on the opportunities and challenges of building Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in our day-to-day work. While they are the first to admit they are not experts, each are passionate on the topic and have been engaged in prospect development DE&I work in unique ways.


    Learning Objections

    This panel will discuss:

    • Balancing our day-to-day business needs while advancing DE&I work
    • Advancing data governance when databases do not fit all our DE&I aspirations
    • How Prospect Development teams and individual team members can act as changemakers in their organizations 


    Moderator:

    Kristal Enter, Massachusetts General Hospital 

    Kristal Enter (she/her) has been Associate Director, Prospect Research and Management at Massachusetts General Hospital since 2018. Prior to joining MGH, she was a senior research analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Kristal has worked in the fundraising field since 2013 and previously held roles at Partners In Health and University of Massachusetts Boston. Her graduate school work at the University of Cambridge focused on the integration of higher education in the American South during the Civil Rights Movement.


    Panelists:

    Lauren Casas, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    Lauren Casas (she/her/hers) is Senior Research Analyst II at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she has worked since 2018. A Wellesley College graduate, she was previously a Research Associate at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Lauren serves on NEDRA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. When she’s not researching, Lauren is a circus acrobat.


    Samir Chapra, Princeton University

    Samir Chapra (he/him/his) is a senior research analyst at Princeton University Advancement, where he is a member of the organization’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Advancement (IDEA) Committee. Samir also serves on NEDRA’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee. He began his prospect research career at Cambridge University’s US foundation, Cambridge in America, and then spent two years as a research analyst at the William J. Clinton Foundation prior to joining Princeton in 2016. Samir earned a BA in history from Georgetown University and graduate degrees in nonprofit administration and business from Concordia University in Montreal.


    Steve Grimes, Jr.,  Helen Brown Group

    Steve Grimes (he/him/his) is the Associate Director of Data Insight at the Helen Brown Group. Most recently he was the Assistant Director of NYC Mayor's Office of Data Analytics (MODA). Here, he provided guidance and supervision to the Office’s data scientists and analytic portfolio. As the City's center for data analytic excellence, he regularly interacted with City leadership, other Mayor’s Offices, City agencies, and NYC’s data science community. Previously, he was the Director of Development Analytics and Strategy at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) producing reporting and analysis needs for senior leadership. Before JALC, he joined the ACLU as the Prospect Research Analyst working with the Principal Gifts team in the national office at the beginning of the Trump administration. In a previous life he pursued academia as a doctoral fellow at Rutgers University, focusing his research on labor relations, intimacy, and visual sociology. When the time allowed, he taught various courses on social inequality, social research, and the sociology of emotions. He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY at Old Westbury, a master’s degree in sociology from St. John’s University, and a second master’s degree in media studies from CUNY at Brooklyn College. He currently sits on the board of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and NEDRA, served as a director of APRAGNY and various APRA committees, and was co-host of a now defunct podcast on prospect research. He is a fan of nature, history, and video games.


    Session Materials: DEI Panel - Resources Sheet- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (E2) Billionaires are Unlisted: Supporting and Working with Principal Gifts (I/A) 

    11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    High-capacity principal gift prospects – every organization has their version, and every gift officer wants to land the gift. But what do you do when the path to a gift is not a straight line? As researchers, we often have a formula we use when researching any prospect, but what happens when the usual formula isn’t enough? Principal gifts almost always require a different approach from the gift officer, so it stands to reason that the same will be true for the research methods.


    Learning Objectives

    This session will explore tips, tricks, and lessons learned in working with and supporting gift officers pursuing principal gift prospects and the Researcher’s role within a larger principal gift program and team. We will explore how creative thinking, an open-mind, and communication can forge a strong partnership between prospect research and frontline gift officers, with perspectives from both sides. We will cover Mass General’s Principal Gift Program and discuss the prospect journey from identification to closing the gift.


    Presenters:

    Cara Kennedy, Massachusetts General Hospital

    Cara M. Kennedy is an Associate Director on the Prospect Management and Research team in the Mass General Hospital Development Office. Cara joined Mass General in 2018 as part of the Prospect ID team, and in fall of 2019 she transitioned to supporting the Principal Gifts program and overseeing office-wide campaign data integrity. Prior to joining Mass General, Cara did frontline development work, including annual fund, alumni affairs, and events, at multiple educational and community organizations in the North Shore of Massachusetts.


    Lucy Miller, Massachusetts General Hospital - Retired

    Lucy V. Miller enjoyed a 45-year career in higher education and healthcare administration, spanning admissions, financial aid, and development. She established and led the Principal Gifts program at MIT for 20 years, continued her work in Principal Gifts at Harvard Medical School, and culminated her career at Mass General Hospital serving 14 years as a Senior Managing Director, including overseeing the Prospect Management and Research program for 11 years and leading the Principal Gifts program for 6 years. Lucy retired from Mass General in fall 2022.


    Session Slides: Billionaires are Unlisted -Kennedy and Miller- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (E3) How to Get Started Using Power BI for Visualization (B) 

    11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

    Data is critical to the success of your fundraising shop! You don’t have to be an expert to visualize key data points for senior leadership. Join members of Skidmore College’s Research Team as they share how using Power BI helps them tackle every day data requests and high-level projects.


    Learning Objectives

    Learn how and why visualizing data can lead to data driven decisions.

    • Focus on PowerBI as a visualization tool
    • Provide basic steps so shops can easily and quickly implement tool
    • Show examples of live reporting vs. static reporting.


    Presenters:

    Emily Marcason-Tolmie, Skidmore College

    Emily Marcason-Tolmie, M.A., M.F.A. has worked in prospect development for nearly 15 years. She’s an expert in prospect management, proactive and reactive research, analytical procedures, and trend forecasting, while focused on successfully building robust prospect pipelines, predictive donor modeling, and key fundraising metrics. Emily regularly gives presentations about prospect research for APRA and AFP chapters around the country, as well as for the DonorSearch Philanthropy Mastermind series. Dedicated to the field of prospect research and management, Emily has served on the APRA-NY board for several years, including as the chapter’s elected president since October 2020. She is a graduate of St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, while also holding two master’s degrees from Southern New Hampshire University.


    Katy Rusate, Skidmore College

    Katy Rusate joined the Research Team at Skidmore College in February 2022 and hit the ground running from day one – bringing the Team’s analysis game to all-star level. She is a seasoned data guru and Excel wizard. Prior to joining Skidmore, she worked in insurance in product management and compliance analytics. She is a graduate of Bentley University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in managerial economics.


    Session Slides: How to Get Started Using Power BI for Visualization -Marcason-Tolmie and Rusate - NEDRA 2023.pdf



    Networking Roundtables 

    1:15pm - 1:55pm

    • Databases/CRMs

    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

    • Hardest Research Cases

    • Hiring/Retaining Staff

    • International Research

    • Professional Development

    • Prospect Identification

    • Prospect Management



    (F1) No Due Dates Required: Upcycling Old Scores & Ratings Via Unsupervised Machine Learning and Internal Consistency  (I/A) 

    2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    In order to provide unrated leads prioritization for prospect identification more quickly, a method using existing third-party model scores, wealth screenings, and internal ratings has been developed by creating a "Capacity Index Score" based on an unsupervised machine learning technique known as common factor analysis and a reliability metric known as Cronbach's Alpha. Calculated and applied to all living, individual constituents in the database, the Capacity Index Score provides the degree to which existing scores & ratings "agree with each other", even in situations where manual ratings from Research or from gift officers do not exist.


    Learning Objectives

    • Reuse existing third-party model scores, wealth screenings, and old internal ratings that may be perceived as past their utility
    • Create an intermediary between total reliance on third-party vendor data services and full-scale, internal predictive modeling program for prospect identification via unrated leads prioritization


    Presenter:

    Dr. James Cheng, PhD, Boston University

    James Cheng currently holds the position of Senior Director, Prospect Information Strategies, at Boston University's Development & Alumni Relations. Beyond philanthropy, he has had adventures in cell and development biology, high school teaching, academic research in education, as well as healthcare market research. While finishing up a PhD in applied statistics in education at Boston College, James' interest in philanthropy was piqued when he took on the role of Prospect Data Mining and Modeling Specialist at MIT. After spending time in the corporate world as a healthcare market researcher, James left the Dark Side and returned to the Light of computational philanthropy, holding various technical and managerial roles at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute before his current position at Boston University.


    Session Slides: No Due Dates Required -Cheng- NEDRA 2023.pdf



    (F2) Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave! (B/I/A) 

    2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    Peer to peer introductions are so important to a successful fundraising program. Knowing a connection to a targeted prospect who may be interested in your non-profit's mission could be the missing puzzle piece. Researchers are key to finding these connections, creating a relationship map, and can advise on an appropriate fundraising strategy for each prospect. Attendees will understand how to find a path to connection to prospects in the most efficient way and understand the importance of connection.


    Learning Objectives

    • Understand how to find a path to connection to prospects in the most efficient way and understand the importance of connection.

    • Learn the technical details of multiple ways of relationship mapping.


    Presenter:

    Sarah Price, BWF

    Sarah leads a team of researchers as the managing director of research services at BWF. Her team assists non-profit organizations with their research needs: profiles, capacity verifications, wealth screenings, and prospect identification.

    She previously worked at Augsburg University, St. Olaf College, and a small consulting firm in Minneapolis. Sarah earned her bachelor of arts from the University of Minnesota Duluth in environmental studies and anthropology.


    Session Slides: Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave NEDRAcon2023.pdf



    (F3) Canadian Million $ Prospects: An Untapped Pool (I/A) 

    2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

    In this session, participants will gain insights on emerging trends since the pandemic began on high-net-worth philanthropy in Canada. This will include:

    • Top 5 Emerging Trends

    • Top 50 major gifts since 2020

    • Growth in announced major gifts which have almost doubled since 2021


    Learning Objectives

    • Gain insights into who is stepping up to support charities

    • Details on prospective donors, recipients

    • Content from Terry’s monthly report – Canadian Database of Major Gifts

      Presenter:

      Terry Burton, Dig In Research

      Terry is the Owner of Dig In Research. He’s been involved with prospect research since 1989. Terry is a founder of Pro-Research Online (now iWave.com) and creator of the Canadian Database of Major Gifts which publishes updates monthly in Excel, features transaction details on major gifts of $25,000+ and includes 14 data sheets with arears of interest, types of donors and links to source documents. Terry is the co-author of hard copy research including Directory of Corporate Giving in Canada, and Directory of Employee Charitable Trusts and is the author of Naming Rights: Legacy Gifts & Corporate Money. He has been a recent past presenter at APRA Philadelphia, APRA New York, APRA California, AFP International.


      Session Slides: Canadian Million $ Prospects -Burton- NEDRA 2023.pdf



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