Frequently Asked Questions
Alumni & Donor Records
This department is part of NC State University’s Advancement Services and serves as the checkpoint for monitoring all donations to the university.
Q: If I want to contact the University concerning any biographical changes, can Alumni & Donor Records help?
Yes. Send your updates via e-mail to alumnianddonor_records@ncsu.edu or contact the help desk at 919.515.7827.
Q. What are the operating hours of the Help Desk?
A. The Alumni & Donor Records Help Desk can be reached between the hours of 8 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday by calling 919.515.7827 or by sending an e-mail anytime.
Q: How can professors locate former students, despite not having current contact information?
A: E-mail or call 919.515.7827 to reach the help desk for information about former students.
Q: My department recently sent a mass mailing to our alumni and friends. What do we do with all the change-of-address returns we receive from the US Postal Service?
A: Since Alumni & Donor Records relies on change-of-address information supplied by the US Postal Service for the majority of address updates, you should forward your returned mailing pieces via campus mail to:
Alumni & Donor Records
Campus Box 7474
Or, if you have courier service, to:
Alumni & Donor Records
Joyner Visitor Center
1210 Varsity Drive Ste 262
Raleigh, NC 27695
Q: What types of information is stored in the Advance™?
A: The following information is included: birth names, nicknames, former names, names of spouse and or domestic partner, names of children, birth date, personal relationships, degrees awarded from NC State University and other U.S. colleges and universities, student activities, alumni activities, employment information, awards and honors, and gift clubs.
Q: How can I get training to use Advance™?
A: Please contact Information Services to schedule the required training.
Q: Our foundation board just completed its fall meeting and we have several new members. How are these changes reflected in Advance™?
A: Foundation board lists are maintained in Advance™under the Committee Participation window. Please forward your updated lists to our help desk via e-mail.
Q: I think the Advance™ giving summary for my donor is wrong. Can you fix it?
A: Some incorrect information is due to an IDMS conversion problem and cannot be fixed. For your donor’s most accurate giving history, double click on the drop-down arrow at the left top of the giving summary.
Q: Our office has been notified of the death of an alumnus. How do I inform the rest of the university community?
A: Forward the full name, class year, last known address, and date of death to Alumni & Donor Records via campus mail at:
Alumni & Donor Records
Campus Box 7474
Raleigh, NC 27695
If an obituary is not available, please include the contact information of the person supplying the notice. After the record is marked deceased in Advance™, the notice is sent to the alumni office for publication in the alumni magazine.
Q: Who does the help desk serve?
A: The help desk is designed to handle biographical and gift processing requests and inquiries from development, college foundations and departments in addition to alumni and donors.
Q: I am an NC State faculty/staff member and would like to make a donation. Where do I send my gift?
A: Everyone is welcome to donate to the university. Please visit the University Development website for further information. To make a gift online, click here.
Q: Must all gifts be cash?
A: No, gifts can include equipment, land, property, livestock, securities and annuities. For more information, please contact Alumni & Donor Records for the Gift Acceptance Policy.
Q: What types of credit cards are accepted through Advancement Services?
A: We can process Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.
Q: What special information is required to process credit cards?
A: We require the name as printed on the card, a complete address and phone number on the transmittal.
Q: Where can I obtain gift and pledge forms?
A: Forms and transmittals can be downloaded from the Advancement Services Gift and Pledge Forms page.
Q: Can money from a foundation's Donor Advised Fund (e.g. Charitable Gift Fund) pay a donor's pledge?
A: No, the money is from the foundation, not the donor. The donation may not be used to satisfy any pledge or other personal financial obligation of the named donor. Donations from a donor advised fund are also not eligible for matching gifts.
Q: What are the cut-off dates for starting a new, or making changes to an existing bank draft or payroll deduction?
A: The deadline for a bank draft is the fourth day of the month, and for payroll the ninth day of the month. November and December payroll dates are different, so contact Alumni & Donor Records for further information. We normally process bank drafts on the fifth business day of each month and payroll on the tenth.
Q: My donor wishes to make a donation for someone else, and the donor wants the other person to receive the receipt. Is this possible?
A: No, the receipt is always issued to the person whose name is on the check or credit card. The other person can receive soft credit but no receipt. This is a legal/IRS requirement. Donor Relations can write acknowledgement letters for the other person. For more information, please contact Donor Relations.
Q: What are matching gifts?
A: Matching gifts are corporate contributions that match the gifts made by employees. Often a gift will be matched on a one-to-one, two-to-one, or three-to-one ratio. Matching gifts count towards the recognition giving level societies. They are also an important source of funds for educational institutions. They are also an increasingly important way for companies to allow employees a means of directing a portion of monies earmarked for charitable contribution.
Q: How does the matching gift process work?
A: Matching gift procedures can vary. An employee completes a matching gift form from their human resources department and then sends the form and the donation to the educational institution. That institution’s matching gift manager certifies receipt of the original gift, and that it has met the company's eligibility rules for a corporate matching gift. The manager then returns the form to the company, which verifies eligibility of the employee. NC State receives a check according to the payout schedule of the matching company. The check is then disbursed to the donor’s original gift intent. For more information, please visit the Matching Gifts website.
Q: Whom do I contact if I have questions about matching gifts?
A: Contact your company's human resources department. You can also e-mail the Matching Gifts Manager or call 919.515.9084 or 1.888.383.0324 for more information.
Q: What are the advantages of participating in the matching gifts program?
A: As a donor, you will be recognized with a total contribution, including the corporate match. Not only does the size of your gift increase, but your gift could also make you eligible for one of the giving societies. Contact your human resources department for instructions on requesting matching gifts.
Q: What is the Dollars for Doers Program?
A: Dollars for Doers is supported by companies of all sizes to reinforce the volunteer activity of their employees as well as increase community involvement. This program helps build and enhance employee morale, encourage volunteerism, and increase the company’s visibility in the community.
Q: I have an outside vendor who wants a listing of our alumni for job recruitment or solicitation. What do I do?
A: Please tell the recruiter to contact the University Career Center since information maintained by Alumni & Donor Records is highly confidential. The primary aim of this information is to support university-related activities and organizations that predominantly include alumni, donors, and friends of the university. Uses beyond this scope require administrative authorization.
Q: How do I get a transcript?
A: Department of Registration and Records handles student information such as transcripts.
Donor Relations
Q: What is an endowment?
A. An endowment is a long-term investment in the university that provides benefits to students, faculty or programs year after year, generation after generation. An endowed gift offers alumni and friends the opportunity to have their name or the name of a loved one, linked to an area of the university in which they have a special interest. Endowments can be unrestricted to provide maximum flexibility for the needs and challenges of the future. Or they can be restricted to a purpose such as an undergraduate scholarship, research support or towards a particular area or program.
Q. How does an endowment work?
A. The donor stipulates that the principal (endowment corpus) must be invested and that only a portion of the income may be expended to carry out the donor’s purpose as designated in a memorandum of understanding. To guard against the eroding consequences of inflation, the remaining portion of investment return is then added to the principal. New gifts, long-term investment performance and a prudent spending policy influence the growth of endowments. The goal is to ensure that the principal maintains its purchasing power over time to support future generations.
Q. Why are endowments important to NC State University?
A. An endowment creates financial stability, allowing NC State to be less dependent on unpredictable sources of revenue, such as state appropriations and research sponsorship.
Endowments support initiatives that promote excellence at NC State — scholarships and fellowships for our students, professorships for distinguished faculty, and research and program support.
Q. What are the minimum amounts for establishing endowments and how can an endowment be established at NC State University?
A. The university’s minimum amount to establish an endowment is $15,000.00. Endowments can be established through outright or planned gifts. See www.ncsu.edu/development/endowment.html or www.ncsu.edu/development/foundationsandassociations.html for further information.
Q. What legal requirements regulate endowments?
A. The Uniform Management of Institutional Funds Act (UMIFA) adopted in 1985 in North Carolina prohibits the spending of the endowment corpus. The total return on the endowment investment (capital appreciation and income) may be spent. The amount available for spending is limited to accumulated net earnings of an endowment. If no accumulated net earnings exist, regardless of the size of the endowment, no awards or spending can be made.
Q. Who will oversee my endowment in support of NC State University?
A. There are 13 entities that hold at NC State University. Depending on the entity, each has their respective Board of Directors and Investment Committee who have the legal fiduciary responsibility for endowment oversight.
Q. How are endowment investments managed at NC State University?
A. Most of the endowments are invested in the NC State Investment Fund, Inc. (NCSIF), an external investment pool established April 1,1999. The university strives to preserve both the corpus and the spending power of the endowments. Asset allocation is the cornerstone of the endowment’s investment policy and a key responsibility of the NCSIF Members Board. The overall investment objective is to earn a total net return equal to the sum of inflation plus the spending rate. Other endowments not invested with the NCSIF are managed by their respective Boards or with Academy Centennial Fund, LLC, a limited liability corporation which seeks venture capital opportunities that are related to NC State.
Q. What is asset allocation?
A. Asset allocation is the manner in which endowment funds are distributed among the various long-term investment options. It is a major factor in maximizing portfolio return and should take into consideration an acceptable risk level. The mix between stocks and bonds is an example of asset allocation.
Q. How is spending determined?
A. Spending policies are set by the various Boards of the entities that support the University. Generally, spending is computed as 4% of the average market value of the previous 12 quarters of the fund (referred to as a “three-year rolling average”)
The annual increase in spending is limited to consumer price index + 1% in most cases.
The Foundations use this averaging method in order to provide steady spending budget.
Q. How soon will new endowments start to spend for programmatic purposes?
A. New endowments must wait one complete fiscal investment return.
Q. What happens to any excess returns in the endowment?
Any earnings beyond the amount needed for programmatic spending are added back to principal to promote growth and protect against inflation for future programs. These excess returns, called spending reserves, also provide available dollars in down periods of the market.
Q. What happens when investment returns are negative?
A. An endowment may use excess returns, also called spending reserves. Spending reserves are prior years’ excess returns and unused spending budgets that have been reinvested. There can be NO spending if spending reserves are not available.
Q. Why would there be an unused spending budget?
A. Restricted endowments, such as scholarships, have a defined purpose as well as donor-defined and university-defined criteria for making awards. Sometimes, these criteria cannot be satisfied and the award is not made that year. In the case of scholarships and fellowships, the university makes every reasonable effort to find a student match and make the award.
Q. What is an underwater endowment?
A. An endowment that, through declining market performance, has used all spending reserves and appreciation and has begun to erode the original gift value, or corpus. There can be NO spending from underwater endowments.
Q. If my endowment is underwater, how can my program or scholarship continue to be funded?
A. The donor has the option of making an additional annual contribution designated for current spending. This will not affect the endowment principal and will provide another year for the market to recover. The university is dedicated to continue an investment policy focused on long-term growth and performance, as well as adhering to a prudent spending policy.
Q. My donor wishes to make a donation for someone else, and the donor wants the other person to receive the receipt. Is this possible?
A. No, the receipt is always issued to the person whose name is on the check or credit card. The other person can receive soft credit but no receipt. This is a legal/IRS requirement. Donor Relations can write acknowledgement letters for the other person. For more information, please contact Donor Relations.
Information Services
Q: Who should I contact for more information about Information Services?
A: To receive information about Information Services, please e-mail Kushal Dasgupta, Senior Director of Information Services or call 919.515.9077.
Q. Where is your office located and what is your mailing address?
A. Our office is located at 1210 Varsity Drive
near the intersection of Western Boulevard and Gorman Street, adjacent to McKimmon Conference Center. We are located in the back of Advancement Services on the second floor of the E. Carroll Joyner Visitor Center.
The mailing address is:
Advancement Services
Information Services
Campus Box 7474
Raleigh, NC 27695-7474
Or, if you have courier service:
Advancement Services
Information Services
Joyner Visitor Center Ste 225
Raleigh, NC 27695
Q. Who should I contact to get a report?
A. Please complete the Advancement Services Online Report request form. If you are unable to access the online form, please e-mail your request to Lisa McCain-Jackson.
Q. How long will I need to wait for a request to be completed?
A. If certain reports are requested on a regular basis, they can be created as a standard report. The requests for these reports will have a minimal turnaround time. For new requests, or if requesting significant changes to a previous report, please allow a turn-around time of five business days to complete the request.
Q. I need a list of alumni in a specific geographical location. What information should I submit?
A. Please specify the location along with the zip code, if possible. Specify the fields needed in the report. For example, Id, name, address, (home and/or business) telephone number(s), degree information, etc. Please also tell us how you will use the information in the online report request form.
Q. In what format will the data be returned?
A. We can forward the data in Excel, Word, pdf, or a text file. You can receive the requested information via e-mail or we can provide you with a CD in a format that can be used for mail merges or sent to a mailing house. If you do not specify a particular format, your report will be submitted in an Excel format.
Q. Can we get mailing labels printed?
A. Yes, we can print mailing labels for you. You can pick up the labels at our office or we can mail them to you through campus mail.
Q. If I see information on an alumnus in Advance™ that I know is inaccurate, who do I contact to make those changes in the database?
A. To keep our records as accurate as possible, we ask you forward any information you have about an alumnus or anyone in the database to Alumni & Donor Records via campus mail at:
Alumni & Donor Records
Campus Box 7474
Or, if you have courier service, to:
Alumni & Donor Records
Joyner Visitor Center
1210 Varsity Drive Ste 262
Raleigh NC 27695
Q. Who do I contact to get access to Advance™?
A. To obtain access to Advance™, you must first be registered in payroll and have a Unity id. You will need a unity id and password to login to My Pack Portal. After logging in, you will have to view the Information Security Acknowledgement form and click "I Agree." Once your request has been processed, you will receive notice of access and your system id. You will receive e-mail notification of your access and system ID. Once you have received this e-mail, you should e-mail Wes Ardoin or call 919.515.9077 to set up Advance™ training. You will not be given access to Advance™ until you go through training.
Q. Is it okay to let someone use my Advance™ login until they get access themselves?
A. No, it is not! Because you sign a compliance agreement for confidentiality before you are given access to any University system, it is against University policy to share your system ID with anyone.
Prospect Management
Q. What is the difference between Major Gift Officers and Development Officers?
A. Major Gift Officers (MGOs) ask for gifts of $25,000 or greater. Development Officers (DOs) ask for gifts less than $25,000. All gifts are important!
Q. Where can I get a copy of the Prospect Management Best Practices?
A. Click on the above link to download the guidelines.
Q. Where can I find prospect assignment request forms?
Major Gift Prospect Assignment Request
Suspect Assignment Request
Q. Where can I find prospect assignment removal forms?
A. Prospect Assignment Removal
Q. How do I get a prospect assigned to me?
A. Complete a prospect assignment request form online:
1. If an Advance entity record already exists, use either the Major Gift Prospect Assignment Request or the Suspect Assignment Request.
2. If an Advance entity record does not exist, first use the Add an Entity to Advance form. After receiving a reply email with the newly created Advance entity ID, you may then request assignment via the forms mentioned in #1.
Q. What information do I need in order to complete a prospect assignment request form?
A. For required fields and instructions, click here.
Q. What if a prospect I want to be assigned to already has another MGO as Prospect Manager?
A. If the prospect already has a manager, team assignment may be requested after discussion with the current manager (so he/she is aware you want to be on the team).
Q. I don’t understand assignment priorities.
Top: ask in 12-18 months, proposal required
Emerging: will be Top in 12-18 months
Discovery: MGO qualifying this person/company as a Major Gift prospect
Stewardship: Proposal funded, cultivation next
Perpetual Stewardship: No more gifts, needs attention
Q. How do I change an assignment priority?
A. Assignment priorities may change as a result of discussions at Prospect Strategy Sessions or you may contact Prospect Management staff directly when changes are needed.
Q. What is a Top Assignment Priority Plan?
A. Your strategic plan, including next steps and timeline, to move this Top priority prospect through the pipeline to an ask. It is required for every prospect with a Top priority.
Q. Who are my Top prospects?
A. A Prospect Lookup in Advance will show the top prospects assigned to you. For instructions, click here.
Q. What are Principal Gift Prospects?
A. Although NC State has many prospects who might be considered VIPs, principal gift prospects are those who have the capacity to fulfill a five year pledge of or to make a gift of $5 million and who can be actively engaged by the Chancellor.
Q. What is the difference between a strategy note and a contact report?
A. A contact report shows history of communication between a prospect and NCSU. A strategy note is completed for each Top prospect and includes your next steps/timeline for moving the prospect through the pipeline to an ask.
Q. How do I fill out a strategy note?
Click on the “Notes” button at the bottom of an active prospect window
Click “New” button at left
Type: use dropdown to choose Strategy
Description: summarize note title
Author: use dropdown to choose MGO name
Unit: use dropdown to choose college
Note: use dropdown to choose General
Text: enter your next steps/timeline
Save
Q. How do I attach a document to a strategy note?
Open the Note
Select the Document tab
Select “New Document” button from left column
Select “Browse”, then find and choose the document you want
Under “Files of Type” choose the file format of the document you want to attach
After selecting your file name, click “Open” then “OK” to attach the document
Q. Why are contact reports saved on Advance?
A. Contact reports show the history and content of communication between entities and MGOs or DOs. It is the best way to record and keep information vital to obtaining gifts and managing the relationship.
Q. When should contact reports be entered on Advance?
A. Contact reports should be entered within 15 business days after the contact or contact attempt has occurred. The sooner you enter the information, the more details you will remember!
Q. How do I fill out a contact report?
A. Contact reports written in a fact-based, non-narrative writing style with few paragraph breaks and no duplication of information found elsewhere are more succinct, easier to read and easier to fit into reports. Descriptions should concisely summarize the interaction while providing relevant details that will be useful for future contacts. For required fields and instructions, click here.
Q. What date do I use in the contact report?
A. Use the date of the action. When was the mail/email sent or the phone call made? What was the date of the meeting?
Q. When is it a Visit? When is it an Event?
A. All visits are face-to-face. A visit contact report should include information that informs the formulation of the next strategy steps toward the gift. Discovery (initial) visit contact reports should contain specifics on the prospect’s philanthropic giving, interest in NC State, interest in your area, capacity to give, and inclination to give. Subsequent cultivation visit contact reports should include any updates on the above items and should include the development officer sharing the case for support (along with the accompanying support information) for the university and department and/or college. The visit contact report should include the reason for the visit. Events are social occasions where the prospect is not moved forward in the giving pipeline as a result of this encounter and no substantial new information is discovered.
Q. How do I enter invitations to Events?
A. Use a Correspondence or Phone code for invitations (based on how you asked) and use the day the invitation was issued as the date. After the event has occurred, you can enter an Event contact report for those who actually attended.
Q. When is it an Ask? When is it a Negotiation?
A. The Golden Rule: One Ask, many Negotiations. Only one Ask contact report should be entered per gift. An Ask must involve a specific dollar amount or program/project. Ask does not refer to requests for board service. Negotiation refers to any discussion of gift details either before or after the Ask.
Q. How do I attach a document to a contact report?
Open the contact report
Select the Document tab (above “Contact Type” field)
Select “New Document” button from left column
Select “Browse”, then find and choose the document you want
Under “Files of Type” choose the file format of the document you want to attach
After selecting your file name, click “Open” then “OK” to attach the document
Q. How do I enter a contact report for a joint visit with another MGO?
A. If more than one MGO visits a prospect, one contact report will be entered in Advance and the “Staff Credit” button used to enter all MGOs in attendance, with a code of “S” for Secondary Visit Credit. The MGO who enters the contact report is considered the author.
Q. When do I need to link my contact report to other records?
A. There are several situations where you should link a contact report:
- If an active prospect record exists, you should always link it in the “Prospect ID” field of every contact report.
- If an active proposal exists, you should always link it in the “Proposal ID” field of any contact report that references that specific proposal.
- If a contact report needs to appear in more than one entity record (i.e. a Visit with two prospects), you can use the “2nd ID Field” to link it to another record:
- Enter the contact report information in the first prospect's record
- In that same contact report, enter the second person's Entity ID in the "2nd ID" field (Note: if a spouse is already hyper linked to the entity record you are working in, you can check off the "Joint" box in the contact report and the spouse's ID # will automatically be filled in)
- Save (the contact report information can now be viewed in both prospect records)
Q. When do I start a proposal?
A. A proposal should be entered in the Advance database 60-90 days before any ask of $25,000 or higher.
Q. How do I enter a proposal on Advance?
A. For required fields and instructions, click here.
Q. How do I receive credit for my proposals?
A. After you create a new proposal, you then need to create a proposal assignment. Be sure to fill in the following fields: Assigned, Office, Type (PA) and Start Date (same as Proposal Start Date). For detailed instructions, click here.
Q. When and how do I update a proposal?
A. As the ask progresses through the pipeline, you should also update the proposal stage in Advance: from Active Cultivation to Ask Appointment Scheduled to Negotiation to Gift/Pledge Made or Ask Declined. For required fields and instructions, click here.
Q. When and how do I close a proposal?
A. A proposal should be closed when a gift/pledge is received or the ask is declined by the prospect. For required fields and instructions, click here.
Prospect Research
Q: How does Prospect Research get information?
A:Remember writing research papers in school? The prospect research process is very similar. Almost all of the information we use is gathered from published (public) sources, like magazines, newspapers, journals, directories, web pages, and databases. We also use information that donors self report (e.g., updates for the alumni directory) and information gathered by university personnel.
It is always important to remember, however, that public information has limitations, including the following:
- Accuracy – Prospect research uses information sources generally regarded by the profession as accepted, reputable and reliable. Even in these sources, however, there are instances of human error, and, occasionally, deliberate misreporting, such that researchers cannot guarantee complete accuracy in their information sources.
- Source – Not all information is public, and what is public does not just appear - it must be generated, pulled or gathered from somewhere. Ultimately, public information comes from one, or a combination of, the following sources:
- Volunteered Information - The information found in profiles published by Dun and Bradstreet or Marquis’ Who’s Who, and that gathered by the US Census, comes from solicited information; responses to those solicitations are voluntary and self-reported. Even the information found in local periodicals has usually been volunteered to a writer. If a person isn’t required by law to report specific information, the level of detail found is, to a large extent, dependent upon what a person chooses to divulge.
- Regulatory Reporting – Federal, state, and local governments collect information that, unless specifically prohibited by law, is available to the general public. Required state corporate filings, foundation financial reporting, real estate records, federal election campaign records, and SEC insider stock transactions are all examples of information that is collected through regulatory processes.
- Statistical Modeling – Estimated giving capacity indicators produced by a wealth-screening vendor is an example of statistical modeling. Statistical modeling is simply the application of some algorithmic formula to existing data in order to make an estimate or come to a conclusion.
Q: How do I submit a research request?
A: Research requests on individuals and corporations should be submitted via the request form in Advance. For any other type of requests, please contact the Director of Prospect Research, Tania Drummond, directly via email at tdrummon@ncsu.edu or by phone (919) 515.1105.
Q: Does a prospect have to be registered before I can request information from Prospect Research?
A: Yes, a prospect has to be registered and a visit or significant contact has to be recorded in a contact report on Advance™ before research can be requested. For unqualified discovery prospects, Research will, however, attempt to establish an initial gift capacity estimate and, in certain circumstances, may assist with finding up-to-date business contact and job title information.
Q: How does Prospect Research prioritize requests, or in what order does Prospect Research respond to requests?
A: Generally speaking, we respond to requests from or for the Chancellor first, followed by requests from University Advancement administrators (the Vice Chancellor, Associate Vice Chancellors), and then college or area gift officers. Again, in general, requests from college or area gift officers will be addressed in the order they’re received. However, know that we make every attempt possible to work equitably with the multiple areas of development and to accommodate development officers who have unexpected opportunities for contact with significant donors or prospective donors.
Q: Once I make a research request, how long does it take to get information back?
A: When information can get back to you depends on the combination of a number of factors, including such things as:
- What type of information you’ve requested
- How much information is publicly available on an individual
- If we’ve already done some research on the individual and have some information in the files
- How many and what type of requests are already in the queue
- If requests are driven by specific deadlines, such as a scheduled meeting with a donor or board
- If there are requests from the Chancellor or University Advancement administration that need to be completed
- How much research work has recently been done for your college or area – in other words, if there is a need to put other requests ahead of yours in order to equitably respond to multiple areas of development
- How many Prospect Research staff are available (e.g., staff out on leave)
Here are some very broad guidelines, noting that any or all of the above may affect response times:
- Researchers will try to respond to short, specific requests (i.e., the name of a spouse, a URL for a foundation) as quickly as possible, but within 24 hours of the request.
- Researchers will try to respond to more in-depth, specific requests (i.e., wealth indicators, areas of philanthropic interest, summarizing existing file information) within two-to-three days of the request.
- If you request “anything” or “everything” we can find on a prospective donor, we’ll prepare a full biographical profile for you; on average this takes two-to-three working days, but some profiles on very prominent or famous people have taken as much as a week to complete.
Q: How will Research get information back to me? Will research be stored in Advance™?
A: Information will most often be returned to you as a Microsoft Word document attached to electronic mail. Research work products will also be stored in Entity Notes on prospects’ records in Advance™.
Q: Do you send information to Alumni and Donor Records so they can update Advance™?
A: If, during the course of conducting research, we find information related to a donor that can be stored in Advance™ and is not currently housed there, or is housed there and needs to be updated, we will forward that information to Alumni and Donor Records. Development officers who themselves uncover new or updated information on donors should e-mail that information directly to Alumni and Donor Records.
Q: How can I make the most of working with Prospect Research?
A: So glad you asked! Here are a few suggestions:
- Remember prospect research does have some limitations.
It’s helpful to always keep in mind that our work relies primarily on public information sources, and much of the information you’d like to have about a donor isn’t public (e.g., we can’t tell you what’s in someone’s bank account or investment portfolio or on their tax return). Please ask us if you have any questions about what types of information are public or what prospect research can and cannot provide.
- Remember it takes time to conduct solid research.
How much time we have to work on a request affects the quality of information you get. When we get last minute requests, sometimes all we can provide is what we already have on file (which may be dated) or only information that’s very easily obtained (and hasn’t been double-checked). If you can plan ahead to strategically use prospect research, you’re more likely to receive a better quality, more thorough product.
- Provide information about donors.
Development officers often gather the best and most useful information about donors during interactions with them. The information you provide to us supplements what we can find publicly to create a more complete picture of a donor’s capacity, interests and willingness to give. It’s great when you complete your contact reports while the information is still fresh in your mind, and get them into Advance™ as quickly as possible (by the way, Advance™ is the first place we look for information!).
- Provide information about what you’re trying to accomplish and the challenges you face.
We can’t promise to solve all your problems, but maybe we can help! For example, if you tell us that you’re looking for donors for a specific program, then we’ll search a foundation database for possible funding sources, or if you’re having trouble getting access to a donor, we can search for networking contacts who might get you in the door.
- Be specific when you make your research request.
A detailed request is effective, because you’re more likely to get the information you want, and efficient, because we don’t spend time looking for the wrong thing or information you really don’t want. Specifics are especially helpful when we can’t ask you questions about the request (i.e., when you’re traveling).
- Let us ask you questions – sometimes lots of questions!
When we ask you questions, we’re trying to make sure we clearly understand you; we’re not trying to justify your research request. Asking questions helps us make certain you get the information you want or need, helps us make sure we don’t spend valuable time looking for the wrong information, and sometimes uncovers a lead we might not have known about otherwise.
- Ask us questions – sometimes lots of questions!
The more you understand about what we do, the better we’ll be able to work together to achieve the same goal – increasing donor support to NC State University.
