What are the necessary elements for a strategic prospect research profile? Helen Brown and the HBG team provide the 4 Key Elements.

1. 4 Key Elements of a Strategic
Prospect Profile

2. Wait, are there
really only 4 key
elements in a
strategic prospect
profile?

3. That’s us! We crowdsourced this info just for you!

4. First key
element:
Contact
information

5. Contact
information
• Full name
• Spouse/partner name
• Main home address
• Other homes
• Business title
• Business address
• Phone numbers
• Email address
• Social media contact
info (Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, etc.)

6. It may seem obvious, but correct contact
information can tell you a lot.
• For example, second or third residences can lead you to
a prospect’s leisure interests, like golf, skiing, or yachting,
depending on where they’re located.
• Multiple residences are also a key capacity-rating
indicator.
• Most critically, if you can’t contact someone, you can’t
involve them. It’s as simple as that. Spelling their name
correctly in your database is also important!

7. Second key
element:
Giving

8. Giving
• How much has the prospect given
to your organization?
• Where else has s/he donated?
• Where did their largest gifts go?
• Do you see patterns by interest or
organizational involvement?
• Does her company also give? Does
she have any influence on the
company’s giving?
• What is the frequency of his giving
to your organization? Is it self-
motivated or as the result of an
ask?

9. Knowing about giving is really important
• Some people simply aren’t philanthropic; it’s good to
know that before you spend time trying to cultivate them
for a major gift.
• Others only make significant gifts when they serve on a
board; the gifts of time, advice, and money are especially
precious when all three come together.
• Pay attention to patterns: when a donor gives could be a
clue that they receive bonuses.

10. Third key
element:
Affiliations and
interests

11. Affiliations and
Interests
Include info on all
adults in the house
Capture dates of
service, if known
• Career history
• Corporate, philanthropic,
and civic boards.
• Social clubs, societies,
fraternal/ Greek, and
professional association
memberships.
• Hobbies
• Religious and political
affiliations, if allowed by
your data protection laws.

12. Knowing about interests and affiliations
is really important
• Who else serves (or served) on the board concurrently
with your prospect? Could a link there provide you with
an introduction?
• What causes or business affiliations are important in your
prospect’s life? Can you help them fulfil those needs?
• Do they serve on more than one (or no) organizational
board(s)? What does that tell you about their free time
(or potential interest in serving on a board)?

13. Fourth key
element:
Wealth
indicators

14. Wealth indicators
include (but are not
limited to)…
Be sure to look for
assets held by both the
prospect and their
spouse.
• Multiple residences
• Boats, cars, art, horses,
collections…
• Donor advised funds
• Family office
• Family foundation
• Securities holdings
• Successful private business
• For money managers:
assets under management
• 6-figure+ donations
• Club memberships

15. Finding wealth indicators is really important
• Use the information to create capacity ratings. These will
help you prioritize prospects.
• If you don’t see obvious wealth indicators within an hour
of researching, talk to the person who requested
information or move on to the next prospect on your list.
Time = money.
• Spend time reading about and understanding wealth
indicators; they can be fascinating and tricky. For
example, yachts and mansions need staff to maintain
them and have extra things attached (like 40-ft “dingy”s)

16. For more information
Click on our blog categories for more
detailed articles on how to find each
of these key elements!

17. We love hearing from you! Call us at
617-393-1983
Or email:
info@HelenBrownGroup.com
We’re on the web at:
www.HelenBrownGroup.com