The Prospector

Upcoming Web Seminars... November & December

2009-11-06T14:34:00Z

We here at Target Analytics understand your need to get the most out of your fundraising and prospect research efforts. With that in mind, we have several new events scheduled to help you do just that! Join us for these upcoming online client events:

How to Build a Strong Planned Giving Program - Difficult economic times can produce uncertain fundraising efforts A strong planned giving program, no matter when established, engages and celebrates the generosity of our organizations’ supporters. Increase your knowledge about planned giving donors and their behavior in a slow economy; examine your legacy gift program’s markers for success and set your sights on a brighter future.
November 6, 2009; 2-3:00pm EDT ~ Katherine Swank Register Now

How to Talk to Donors About Planned Gifts - Donors want to make a difference in the world they live in, both now and in the future. So successful planned giving programs start with simple messaging and evolve into life-long relationships with constituents. Join Katherine Swank to learn how to start your planned giving program today by throwing out the law school admissions form on your desk and learn to talk with donors about their dreams and wishes for your organization!
November 19, 2009; 2-3:00pm EDT ~ Katherine Swank Register Now

Planned Giving Marketing Strategies - Once we know the characteristics of planned giving donors, how do we market the planned giving option to these prospects in an efficient and effective manner? From seminars and direct mail, to testimonials and the Internet, which strategies are best suited for your type of organization? How is planned giving marketing successfully integrated with other ongoing development functions? How do we know when our efforts are successful? These questions and more will be addressed and answered in this session with Lawrence Henze, Managing Director of Target Analytics! Learn now to incorporate proven planned giving marketing tactics into your existing development efforts.
November 11, 2009; 2-3:00pm EDT ~ Lawrence Henze Register Now

Ideas that work: Building a strategy for prospect research

2009-11-06T14:25:00Z

Erin McHugh Saif, Target Analytics Product Manger, was recently feautured in Philanthropy Journal sharing ideas that help nonprofits reach their long-term fundraising goals.

"Fundraisers everywhere are being asked to implement bold strategies to ensure program stability. Add to the mix the fact that donor and prospect information changes at lightning speed, and you can understand why fundraising professionals are feeling anxious. Organizations that have implemented analytics and prospect research best practices are weathering this environment better than most. Good use of analytics brings stability to the development office, builds accountability with leadership and board members, and successfully uncovers new prospects with strong affinity for your mission." Read the entire Philanthropy Journal article.

Target Analytics... Break it Down for Me (Part 2 - WealthPoint)

2009-11-04T16:52:00Z

On more than one occasion, you've probably asked yourself (or a customer support analyst) "...what is the difference between The Researcher's Edge and ProspectPoint? What about ResearchPoint and WealthPoint? Well, what services does my organization have? I'm confused..." We hear you and want to make your experience with Target Analytics much less confusing. Over the past few years, we've undergone some changes here at Blackbaud. From Blackbaud Analytics to Target Analytics, a Blackbaud Company, we've created new partnerships through acquisitions and mergers, and our product menu has changed to meet the needs of our nonprofit customers. Because we do offer different products and services, depending on your organizational goals and needs, we want to make sure you're clear on the products you're currently using.

WealthPoint (wealth screening services): How well do you know your donors and prospects? Could you report on their salaries, private business and public stock holdings, real estate purchases, and other wealth characteristics in a matter of minutes? If not, that's where Target Analytics steps in to assist in your research efforts. Oh WealthPoint, how we love thee. WealthPoint has many faces; you've seen it in The Raiser's Edge and The Researcher's Edge, where you can run searches on your prospects and donors. In ResearchPoint, search from a prospect record (receive auto-refresh of data sources) and run searches for groups of records at a time. If you don't use Blackbaud software, we can even return a file with the results of your wealth screenings (to be imported into your fundraising system). Many organizations employ our wealth screening services by sending us large lists for batch screenings, and other use a subscription to screen donors and prospects at their own page.

So, to recap, WealthPoint is an asset and philanthropic history tool that allows you to plug in names and addresses to find many different wealth data points. Learn more about our wealth data sources. Check back for other posts in the series, including WealthPoint OnTime, custom modeling, and ResearchPoint.

ResearchPoint v1.6 is released - November 9!

2009-11-04T15:44:00Z

New Batch Types

We significantly improved the data import process in this release, including the ability to edit or append constituent data, modeling scores, educational history, and giving summary information.

To accommodate these improvements, we added several new batch types:

Constituent Update Batch: Updates and adds records based on information included in an import file or batch. When importing, to identify existing records, the import process compares the record ID included in the import file to system lookup IDs and alternate lookup IDs.
Modeling and Propensity Update Batch: Updates constituent modeling and propensity data based on information included in an import file or batch. When importing, to identify existing records, the import process compares the record ID included in the import file to system lookup IDs and alternate lookup IDs.
Giving Summary Update Batch: Updates constituent giving history data based on information included in an import file or batch. When importing, to identify existing records, the import process compares the record ID included in the import file to system lookup IDs and alternate lookup IDs.
Education History Update Batch: Updates constituent education history data based on information included in an import file or batch. This batch type also allows you to update spouse education information. When importing, to identify existing records, the import process compares the record ID included in the import file to system lookup IDs and alternate lookup IDs.

All four batch types are available in Batch Entry. For more information, see the Batch Entry and the Import chapters in Data Management.

New Fields in Query

The Prospect manager, Research status, WealthPoint search date, and WealthPoint updates enabled fields are now available in Query.

Research Group Report Added

You can now prepare and print prospect research reports for all members of a research group.

Automatic Logout Disabled

In ResearchPoint 1.6, we disabled the automatic logout feature to improve usability. To ensure data security and privacy, application users do need to make sure they close their Web browser after using ResearchPoint on a public machine.

Upcoming Web Seminars... September & October

2009-09-18T13:47:00Z

Sustainable Strategies are the Name of the Game - Studies have indicated that charitable giving in 2008 was down and many major donors are scaling back their gifts. While this may negatively impact your short term goals, it also gives you the perfect opportunity to step back and think about long-term strategies for increasing the financial health of your organization. Cultivation and Stewardship, even without ‘the ask’, could be key over the next 18 months. This session will focus on implementation strategies for your screening, modeling and prospect research efforts, how they can help your organization become more sustainable, and produce an added return on your investment.
September 24, 2009; 2-3:00pm EDT ~ Michael Quevli Register Now

How to Build a Strong Planned Giving Program During Uncertain Economic Times - Difficult economic times can produce uncertain fundraising efforts A strong planned giving program, no matter when established, engages and celebrates the generosity of our organizations’ supporters. Increase your knowledge about planned giving donors and their behavior in a slow economy; examine your legacy gift program’s markers for success and set your sights on a brighter future.
October 6, 2009; 2-3:00pm EDT ~ Katherine Swank Register Now

The Special Annual Fund Appeal: Making the Case for $1000 year end gifts - With year end right around the corner—and many annual funds lagging behind their goals—it may be time to consider a Special Annual Fund appeal. If your Target Analytics results indicated a significant number of individuals currently underperforming their potential, we can show you how to encourage donors to renew their gift at the $1000 level. Learn how to target the right prospects---and refine your ask!
October 8, 2009; 2-3:00pm EDT ~ Laura Worcester Register Now

Plus, check out recordings of previous online events you can access at any time!

A Warm Welcome to Our P!N Customers!

2009-09-04T20:00:00Z

Welcome to the Blackbaud family! We understand the important role our software solutions play in helping you fulfill your mission, and we are committed to providing exceptional customer service. Learn more about your new support resources on our Support Overview. If you have any questions about your support benefits, please email SphereQuestions@Blackbaud.com.Here are some of the resources you will use frequently:

Knowledgebase - A comprehensive database of solutions for all Blackbaud Products, including P!N
Forums - The place to discuss best practices and share experiences with other Sphere users.
Blogs - A place to find posts from Blackbaud employees about your products. Blogs you might find interesting: The Prospector, any of our Corporate, Industry or Event Blogs.
White Papers - Free fundraising and marketing tips give by nonprofit industry experts

You can contact Support for assistance with product questions or issues one of the following ways:

Creating a case via Case Central
Use Chat Support to chat online with a Customer Support Analyst
Call 1.800.468.8996 and choose option 5 to speak with the Data Analytics and Enrichment Team

If you have any questions about your support benefits, please email SphereQuestions@Blackbaud.com. We appreciate your continued partnership and look forward to improving your support experience. Happy Prospecting!

ResearchPoint v1.5 Release Features

2009-08-31T17:13:00Z

ResearchPoint v1.5 was a very exciting release which introduced new features, implemented client suggestions, and resolved outstanding issues. Remember, ResearchPoint is the system or "house" for your data, and WealthPoint is the service that allows you to screen prospects and donors for wealth. Below, we've shared information surrounding updates to our WealthPoint data sources (WealthPoint is a subscription service),

Real Estate Data Enhancements
We rolled out a new source of real estate data through Fidelity Information Services (FIS) which consolidated stand-alons mortgage, deed, and assessment information into a single property line. Read more about the additional benefits of this new partnership.

Philanthropic and Affluence Enhancements
We also reintroduced our DonorBank (philanthropic) and Larkspur (affluence) data sources with many benefits to users and researchers:

18 additional Larkspur fields (including gender, age range, marital status, political affiliation, and additional contact info)
New Larkspur match codes (which allow for broader matching, including fields like 'phone number'

Recent WealthPoint changes affect you!

2009-08-31T17:12:00Z

By a show of hands, who really liked the duplicate real estate results returned from LexisNexis in a WealthPoint search? No one - good! We didn't like it too much either, and thus decided to take matters into our own hands. So, we left LexNex behind and have partnered with Fidelity Information Services (FIS), a decision that greatly benefits our customers. Users running WealthPoint searches in The Researcher's Edge, The Raiser's Edge, www.wealthpoint.com, and ResearchPoint can receive new and updated real estate details from this data source.

A benefit to using Fidelity in our software was that it enabled "address only" searching that was not available before. But, this proved to be a feature that caused more frustration than excitement. We found that the "address only" results greatly over-inflated a prospects assets, so we've since removed this feature from TRE, RE, and WealthPoint.com.

We have also addressed many of the time-out issues our customers have experienced when running single and group WealthPoint searches. We understand that you need to retrieve the details for your prospect in a timely fashion, and these changes should greatly improve any search failures experienced in the past.

Many of the changes we make are prompted by customer feedback and concerns, and we'll continue to keep you engaged as we plan and develop additional enhancements.

Target Analytics... Break it Down for Me (Part 1 - ProspectPoint)

2009-08-31T15:40:00Z

ProspectPoint (custom predictive modeling): How do you identify your best prospects out of a pool of thousands? It's virtually impossible without employing a strategy that melds data from your current and historical donor database with external sources, giving you the confidence to make better use of your resources and spend your time with the right prospects. ProspectPoint scores on each constituent record* will help you determine who is likely to be an annual fund upgrade, which donors have major gift potential, and who should be viewed in more detail with a full wealth asset screening. Our Fundraising Package: Major Giving Likelihood, Annual Giving Likelihood, and Planned Giving Likelihood are all scores from 1-1000, while the Target Gift Range is 1-12. These scores can be returned into RE, TRE, RP, or any other fundraising systems.

So, to recap, ProspectPoint is a custom modeling score (MGL, AGL, PGL, TGR) for each donor or prospect that helps you easily strategize and segment to find your top prospects, and build development strategies. Check back for other posts in the series, including WealthPoint, custom modeling, and ResearchPoint.

*Project deliverables vary per organization

New (and Improved) Knowledgebase!

2009-08-26T14:51:00Z

Over the last several months, we've been talking about our new Knowledgebase in our newsletters and on the Web Sitings blog. The new Knowledgebase has arrived! Read more about our new Knowledgebase and leave feedback about it on our Knowledgebase forum.

Double Trouble: Exporting From The Researcher's Edge...Both Ways!

2009-08-14T22:15:00Z

Exporting from The Researcher's Edge can be a very simple task.

Highlight the Prospect Group you want to export
Select the Data tab
Choose the Export button
Select the fields you want to export

What could be easier than that?? Everything in the world is perfect...until you notice that the one field your boss wanted you to export isn't on the list. *gasp* The horror!!

Don't throw your computer against the wall quite yet though because there is another way to export out of Researcher's Edge. This option does have two more steps in the process but almost every field that is available on a Prospect Record is available to export with this option! Here is what you will need to do:

Highlight the Prospect Group you want to export
Click on the Properties tab of the group
Click on the Open icon
Go to the Output tab
Start pulling over every field you could ever want to export out of Researcher's Edge!!
Go to File > Export

Happy Prospecting!

Upcoming Web Seminars - August/September

2009-08-05T19:29:00Z

Several times a month, we offer free, hour-long web seminars on our website. The seminars usually focus on Blackbaud products or best practices for nonprofits.To register, select Web Seminars from the Events menu on our website, find a seminar you want to attend, and click Register Now. Once you submit the enrollment form, you’ll receive an email with instructions for viewing the online presentation, as well as the telephone access number. If you’d like to enroll for additional seminars, click Continue after you fill out the enrollment form.

Ever had difficulty getting an appointment with a prospect or feel like you missed your window of opportunity? If so, you’re not alone. The good news is that Blackbaud has partnered with fundraising veteran Armando Zumaya to offer some great educational opportunities that include tips on staying ahead of these issues. Join Armando as he shares how 22 years of experience in various roles has given him a unique perspective on development offices, building a dynamic fundraiser/researcher team, prospecting, and the value of research. Here are more detail on the upcoming sessions:

Reaching the Donors You Need Now: Struggling in this Economy? Find New Donors to Boost your Bottom Line - In this session, we’ll explore techniques for fundraisers of all levels to learn how to cold call prospects directly from screening results. August 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET » Register

Barriers to Prospecting: Creating a Prospecting Culture at any Organization - This presentation is recommended for development leaders to help you understand the differences and communication issues that can create a dysfunctional gulf between field fundraisers and prospect researchers. September 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET » Register

Free ResearchPoint Trainings...

2009-07-17T22:39:00Z

I knew I would get your attention with my favorite four letter word...FREE of course!! If you are one of our ResearchPoint clients, you may or may not know that ResearchPoint comes with free trainings. On top of that, you may or may not know that just this week we added more free trainings!

The new cast of characters:

Target Analytics Review Section:
ProspectPoint Overview

Getting Started Section:
Configure Mapping

Manipulating Data Section:
Research Groups, Queries, and Selections Part 1
Research Groups, Queries, and Selections Part 2
Export Data
Mapping with Microsoft Bing Maps

Now what do you need to do?? Go check them out! Don't know how? I've got you covered

Log into ResearchPoint
Go to your Home page by clicking the House icon on the top left
Select the Training option
Put in your username and password for Blackbaud.com (same login you use to access Knowledgebase and this blog)
Select ResearchPoint eLearning Library and start learning!

Quick Tip: Don't feel like you have to watch the whole training in hopes that you remember it all. Have ResearchPoint up while you're going through the training and follow along in your database. The trainings have a Pause button for a reason...use and abuse whenever necessary!

Knowledge is power. So go ahead and start conquering those ResearchPoint trainings!
**Any training that is grayed out is one that we are currently creating.

Happy Prospecting!

WealthPoint's Newest Addition - Fidelity Data Services

2009-07-10T13:47:00Z

As you may have heard, we are now using Fidelity Data Services for real estate searches in WealthPoint. What you might not have heard is what is Fidelity and why did we feel Fidelity was the best choice for you?

Let's tackle the "what" first. What is Fidelity?

Fidelity Data Services (FIS Data Services) is the #1 provider of integrated real estate and property data and analytics solutions to mortgage lenders as well as the leading provider of data and technology to the banking industry. FIS utilizes the largest property database in the U.S.which includes over 94% of all U.S. property owners to provide unparalleled insight into trends and behaviors that drive real estate investment strategies. Through FIS Data Services, Target Analytics exclusively provides estimated property value and confidence level data to its nonprofit clients.

Now the "why." Why did we feel Fidelity was the best choice for you?

Over the last eight months many of you let us know that you experienced difficulty viewing and making decisions with real estate data due to the multiple assessment, mortgage and deed records returned for individual properties. This feedback brought us to action and let us know that we needed to work to provide the best real estate solution for you, our clients. Our research and testing led us to Fidelity.

Our use of Fidelity Data Services for real estate really is the best of both worlds for our clients! In addition to providing all of the benefits you've always gotten from our real estate data and resolving the difficulties previously experienced, Fidelity also provides us with some additional benefits.

75 additional counties of data, increasing our geographic coverage
Address only matches for www.wealthpoint.com are now available on property address or owner mailing addresses.
Stand-alone mortgage, deed and assessment information rolls up to a single property line, ensuring ease of use for our researchers

We hope you are as excited and happy as we are about the move to Fidelity Data Services! Happy Prospecting!

SaaS

2009-06-30T18:26:00Z

With the release of ResearchPoint, which is only offered on the SaaS (Software As A Service) platform, you might have found yourself pondering the whole SaaS concept.

Maybe you even asked yourself some of the following questions...
What is Saas?
How secure is this platform?
Why are software companies moving to this platform?
Is the SaaS platform the right choice for my organization?

The latest White Paper, Rent or Buy: Why Nonprofits Need Software as a Service, does a great job addressing these questions and many more. So go ahead, take a look and find out what all the commotion over SaaS is really about.

Happy Prospecting!

**The Researcher's Edge is offered on the SaaS platform as well.