Industry Guides

Prospect research is a technique used by fundraisers, development teams, and nonprofit organizations to learn more about their donors’ personal backgrounds, past giving histories, wealth indicators, and philanthropic motivations to evaluate a prospect’s ability to give (capacity) and warmth (affinity) toward an organization.

Wealth screening is a powerful tool that nonprofits can use to help determine donors’ capacities to give. As a subset of prospect research, wealth screening looks at top indicators of wealth like real estate ownership, business affiliations, and stock holdings in public companies.

A capital campaign is a targeted fundraising effort that takes place over a defined period of time. As a nonprofit professional, you already know the importance of fundraising, and capital campaigns are one of the most impactful methods to help your mission.

Major gifts are the largest gifts an organization receives. However, what a major gift looks like to your nonprofit will likely depend on the past and average gifts you receive as well as the size of your organization.

Planned giving is the process of donating planned gifts. A planned gift is a contribution that is arranged in the present and allocated at a future date. Commonly donated through a will or trust, planned gifts are most often granted once the donor has passed away.

An annual fund is the money a nonprofit raises on an ongoing basis throughout the year. It’s generally used to cover the costs associated with a nonprofit’s day-to-day functions so it can stay up and running as it promotes other campaigns for specific projects and events.