Past Conferences

SPRING CONFERENCE 2018 - "Prospect Development: Strength in Numbers" (download program): 

Our annual two-day conference was held Thursday, May 3rd and Friday May 4th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus-Downtown. More than 80 people attended the conference.

Thursday started with a personal development workshop Leading with your Strengths: Using StrengthsFinder to Build Successful Relationships by Stephanie Brouwer of the United Way of Central Indiana. It was followed by a panel discussion Prospect Development Career Pathways featuring Michael Griffin, Senior Major Gifts Officer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Becky Fullmer, Executive Director of Prospect Management and Research at the University of Cincinnati Foundation; Regina Alhassan, Founder of ResearchPRO, LLC & Development Data and Research Specialist at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens; and Megan Tope, Manager of Prospect Research and Portfolio Development at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Signature Partner Target Analytics/Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a happy hour event and a lively group dinner.

We kicked off Friday with a vendor demo from Donor Search and a keynote address The Frontier of Fundraising Analytics: Hype or Hope by Alexander W. Oftelie of Bentz Whaley Flesser.

After our awards luncheon sponsored by iWave and LexisNexis, concurrent breakout sessions were held in which attendees were able to choose one of two sessions offered during both breakout sessions. Options included: Portfolio Hygiene, Data Analytics, and Prospect Research through the Lens of a Front Line Fundraiser by Scott Schuster and Becky Fullmer from the University of Cincinnati; Small Shop to Large Shop: Adapting Large Shop Practices to Small Shops by Jennifer Nettles and Candace Olley from The Ohio State University; Development Officers and Research Professionals: Assessing a Donor Ask Amount by Sarah Richards from Dynamic Catholic, Jane Owsley from the University of Cincinnati, and Kimberly Rodstrom from Kent State University; and Make the Most of Your Meetings, by Lucy H. Cryan from Otterbein University.

Thank you to all of our speakers and sponsors for a great event.

SPRING CONFERENCE 2017 - "#oprn30:  Power of the Past, A Force for the Future" (download program): 

This two-day event was held Thursday, April 27th and Friday, April 28th at Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus – Downtown. 

Thursday attendees started off a historical look at prospect research and the founding of OPRN by OPRN founding board member Anne Mayer.  This was followed with concurrent workshops: Relationship Management: Building the Car While Driving It by Bond Lammey of Bentz Whaley Flessner and Trends and Innovations in the Ever Changing Field of Prospect Research by Nick Sollog of The Sollog Group.  Signature Partner Target Analytics/Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a happy hour event and an optional group dinner.

Friday kicked off with concurrent sessions: Secrets of Data Driven Nonprofits by Steve MacLaughlin of Blackbaud, "POPT Year Zero - Launching a New Approach to Prospect Discovery & Qualification by Chris Brakenbury, Sarah Luckey, and Stephanie Jewell Vaver of The Ohio State University, Working Through Difficult Conversations by Ann Metzler and Stephanie Mizer of The Ohio State University, and Trends in Corporate and Foundation Giving & Prospects by Matt Roberts of Ohio University.  

After the conference luncheon, attendees enjoyed an entertaining keynote by Joshua Birkholz of Bentz Whaley Flessner on the past, present, and future of the prospect development profession and its transformation influence on fundraising.

Special thanks to Target Analytics/Blackbaud for being our Signature Partner this year. 

SPRING CONFERENCE 2016 - "The Power of Philanthropy" (download program): 

This two-day event was held Thursday, May 5th and Friday, May 6th at Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus – Downtown. Thursday attendees started off with a concurrent session: New Researcher's Workshop & Panel Discussion by Craig Kahn and Patty Keller and Prospect Research Consulting by Marge King, Nick Sollog, and Patrick O'Toole.  Next, Regina Alhassan and Barbara Waitkus Billings led an interactive presentation and discussion on advocacy, "Speak Up! Advocating for Research Across Advancement."  Signature Partner Target Analytics/Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a happy hour event and an optional group dinner.

Friday kicked off with roundtable sessions and an inspirational keynote by fundraising data analytics expert Ashutosh Nandeshwar from the University of Southern California who spoke about the experiences that shaped him and how to benefit from the principles. After the conference luncheon, Ashutosh led a workshop about presenting data  to others - avoiding mistakes and making charts informative and actionable, not "interesting." 

Special thanks to Target Analytics/Blackbaud for being our Signature Partner this year. As well, thanks to LexisNexis for serving as Conference Sponsor.

SPRING CONFERENCE 2015 - "Big Data Down to Size" (download program): 

This two-day event was held Thursday, April 30th and Friday, May 1st at Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus – Downtown. Attendees on Thursday afternoon attended a half-day workshop by Kat Banakis of Grenzebach Glier and Associates, who spoke about prospect researchers as Chief Strategist Officers. Signature Partner Target Analytics/Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a happy hour event.

Friday kicked off with roundtable sessions and a keynote by APRA President Alison Sommers-Sayre from Princeton University who spoke about big data. After the conference luncheon, attendees enjoyed two sessions: a Tableau case study by Michael London and Jeff Kula of the Cleveland Clinic and a Scoring Panel Discussion.

Special thanks to Target Analytics/Blackbaud for being our Signature Partner this year. As well, thanks to LexisNexis for their support.

SPRING CONFERENCE 2014 (download program): 

This two-day event was held Thursday, May 1st and Friday, May 2nd at Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus – Downtown. Attendees on Thursday afternoon attended a half-day workshop by Bond Lammey of Bentz Whaley Flessner, who spoke about Raising the Profile of a Researcher amongst senior leadership. Signature Partner Target Analytics/Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a happy hour event.

Friday kicked off with roundtable sessions and a keynote by Karen Isble from the University of Michigan who spoke about how the field of prospect research has changed. She highlighted the fact that traditional research skills now share space with skills in relationship management and analytics. After the conference luncheon, attendees enjoyed concurrent sessions: Prospect Management by Chris Brakenbury of The Ohio State University, Prospecting for Hidden Treasure by Katherine Swank of Target Analytics, A Blackbaud Company, Implementing Analytics by Bond Lammey of Bentz Whaley Flessner, and a New Researchers Panel.

Special thanks to Target Analytics/Blackbaud for being our Signature Partners this year. As well, thanks to LexisNexis, Bentz Whaley Flessner, and J3DonorWatch for their support.

SPRING CONFERENCE 2013 (download program): 

This two-day event was held Thursday, May 2nd and Friday, May 3rd at at Crowne Plaza Hotel Columbus – Downtown. Attendees on Thursday afternoon attended a half-day workshop by Alexander Oftelie of Hazelden, who presented a comprehensive review of the most prominent analytics concepts in fundraising. Signature Partner Target Analytics / Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a happy hour event. Friday kicked off with roundtable sessions and a keynote by Jen Filla of Aspire Research Group and Helen Brown of Helen Brown Group entitled Bringing On the Future. After lunch, we had a variety of concurrent speakers: Donor Relationship Management For the Solo Researcher by Jen Filla of Aspire Research Group; Exploring the Top of the Gift Pyramid: Principal Giving Prospect Attributes by Lawrence Henze of Target Analytics; Measuring Up: How Auditing And Metrics Will Help You Succeed by Helen Brown of Helen Brown Group; and Stock –What It Means Once the Researcher Discovers It by Nancy Koerner of The Ohio State University Foundation and Robert Hays of Merrill Lynch.  Special thanks to Target Analytics/Blackbaud for being our Signature Partners this year. As well, thanks to LexisNexis, Bentz Whaley Flessner, and J3DonorWatch for their support.

SPRING CONFERENCE 2012 (download agenda, program): 

This two-day, 25th Anniversary event was held Thursday, May 3rd and Friday, May 4th at historic Westin Columbus. Attendees on Thursday afternoon had their choice of two workshops: “The Entrepreneur Economy—The Phoenix Rising Out of the Ashes of the Great Recession” by David Lawson and Lori Hood Lawson at WorkingPhilanthropy.com; or “Using Prospect Research to Boost Giving” by Jen Filla, Aspire Research Group. Signature Partner Target Analytics / Blackbaud then presented a vendor demo, prior to a special Anniversary Happy Hour at The Thurber Bar. Friday kicked off with a keynote entitled “Taking Charge of Change at Work and in Life” by Kathy Cleveland Bull of N~Compass Consulting. Next, attendees attended a demo by Signature Partner I-Wave. APRA President Michael Quevli was the featured speaker at our 25th Anniversary Awards Luncheon. After lunch, we had a variety of concurrent speakers: “Gleaning the Meaning of Screening” by Michael Quevli, Target Analytics/Blackbaud; Dr. Lisa Courtice, The Columbus Foundation; “Prospect Management: Before, During and After Your Campaign” by Tricia Ambler, WealthEngine; and “Getting Started with Prospect Research” by Jen Filla, Aspire Research Group. Special thanks to I-Wave and Target Analytics/Blackbaud for being our Signature Partners this year. As well, thanks to LexisNexis and WealthEngine for serving as Conference Sponsors.

SPRING 2011 CONFERENCE (download program): 

Our two-day conference was held on Thursday, May 5 and Friday, May 6 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Jay Frost led our Thursday workshop, “Launching Positive Revolutions in your Fundraising Office” along with being the featured keynote on Friday. Jay also led a concurrent session on Friday, “The Horse’s Mouth: Social Media as a Window on the Prospects of the Future.” Other topics and speakers included “Digging Deeper: Uncovering the Wealth Hidden in your Electronic Screening Results” and “Understanding the True Value of Real Estate” with Target Analytics’ Melissa Bank Stepno. There was also a Panel Discussion, “Meet Excel, Your New Best Friend: Excel Tips and Tricks” featuring OPRN Board members as well as Friday Roundtable discussions facilitated by OPRN members. Thanks once again to Blackbaud Analytics for serving as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2010 CONFERENCE (download brochure): 

Our two-day conference was held on Thursday, May 13 and Friday, May 14 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Our Thursday workshop on prospecting was presented by Cecilia Hogan. The speaker for our keynote, The Secret to Great Research, was Helen Brown, President of the Helen Group, who also presented a break-out session on international resarch. The keynote was followed by a panel discussion with a diverse group of Ohio fundraisers. Members of the OPRN board hosted a panel discussion on prospect management meetings, and Page Bullington and Lawrence Henze from Blackbaud’s Target Analytics, presented break-sessions. Thanks to Blackbaud Analytics for serving once again as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2009 CONFERENCE (download brochure): 

Our two-day conference was held on Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Our Thursday workshop on Data Mining was presented by Marianne Pelletier and our New Researchers’ Workshop by Kimberly Elahab and Craig Kahn. Our Keynote Speaker was Elizabeth Crabtree, president of APRA'; her first presentation was entitled “Guiding the Way: Rating Wealth, Capacity, and Potential for Philanthropic Giving” and her keynote presentatino was entitled “Partners in Fundraising: Creating Synergy Between Researchers and Fundraising.”. The keynote was followed by a panel discussion with a diverse group of Ohio fundraisers. In addition, Katherine Swank, J.D., from Blackbaud’s Target Analytics, served as a speaker. Thanks to Blackbaud Analytics for serving once again as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2008 CONFERENCE (download brochure): 

Our first two-day conference held on Thursday, May 29 and Friday, May 30 at Hilton Columbus at Easton Town Center. Our Thursday workshop on Data Mining was presented by Peter Wylie of Margolis-Wylie Associates. Our Keynote Speaker was Christina Pulawski, an independent consultant and the winner of APRA’s 2005 Distinguished Service Award; her presentation was entitled The Future of Prospect Research and How We’ll Get There. In addition, David Lamb and Lawrence Henze, both from Blackbaud Analytics, served as speakers. Eileen Fitzgerald received this year’s OPRN Distinguished Service Award, and the annual scholarship was named in Eileen’s honor. Thanks to Blackbaud Analytics for serving once again as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2007 CONFERENCE: 

Held on Friday, March 30, 2007 at Marriott North in Columbus, Ohio. Our Keynote Speaker was Bobbie Strand, Consultant, Bentz Whaley Flessner, presenting Informatics and Prospecting: Metrics, Analysis, and Application. In addition, David Lamb from Blackbaud Analytics and Glenn Blair served as speakers. Anne Mayer received this year’s OPRN Distinguished Service Award, which will now be named after her. Thanks to Blackbaud Analytics for serving once again as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2006 CONFERENCE: 

Held on Friday, April 21, 2006 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Our Keynote Speaker was Joshua M. Birkholz, Bentz Whaley Flessner. Additional speakers were Lawrence Henze from Blackbaud Analytics, Mackensie Wittmer, and Georgie “Jo” Swanson. The OPRN Distinguished Service Award was presented to Bev Robertson. Thanks to Blackbaud Analytics for serving once again as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2005 CONFERENCE: 

Held on Friday, April 1, 2005 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Our keynote speaker was Jon Thorsen, Senior Director of Development Resources at American Red Cross National Headquarters, presenting Games Without Frontiers. In addition, David Lamb from Blackbaud Analytics discussed privacy issues, and the OPRN board presented breakout sessions on several topics. OPRN Scholarship winners were Christie Weiner, Ohio Dominican, and John Selzer, Bowling Green University, and the OPRN Distinguished Service Award Winner was Jackie Robbins from Kenyon College! Thanks to Blackbaud Analytics for serving once again as our title sponsor.

SPRING 2004 CONFERENCE: 

Held on Friday, April 30, 2004 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, OH. Our Keynote Speaker was Cecilia Hogan, author of the new book Prospect Research: A Primer for Growing Non-Profits, presenting Around the Research Campfire: Stories of Dismal Failure, Near Misses, and Great Success. An additional presentation was made by Lawrence Henze, Managing Director of Blackbaud Analytics, entitled Applications of Market Research to Promote Fundraising Success. The conference concluded with afternoon Concurrent Multi-topic Sessions with the OPRN Board. Sponsored by Blackbaud Analytics

SPRING 2003 CONFERENCE: 

Featuring: Christina Pulawski, Director of Development Research, Northwestern University – Sessions on: Prospect Identification & Prospect Management – Friday, May 2, 2003 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbus, OH. Sponsored by Blackbaud Analytics

SPRING 2002 CONFERENCE: 

Friday, April 26, 2002 Ohio Historical Center Columbus, OH – The Role of The Internet In University Advancement & The Sticky Web Has a Hold of Prospect Research Presented By Carl Brown – The Prospect Researcher As Change Agent – Presented By Dr. Rick Dorman

Fall 2001, Regional Gatherings:

MIAMI VALLEY OHIO October 22, 2001 Dayton Art Institute – Free tour of famous glass artist Dale Chihuly’s exhibit, “Form from Fire” Contact: Rob Boley or Mackensie Clark
NORTHEAST OHIO November 9, 2001 Oberlin University Development Office Contact: Beverly Robertson

Spring 2001, Regional Gatherings:

NORTHWEST OHIO Friday, April 27 Mileti Alumni Center, Bowling Green State University Contact: Gail Hanson
NORTHEAST OHIO Friday, April 20th Student Center at Kent State University Contact: Beverly Robertson
CENTRAL OHIO Friday, May 4 Fawcett Center on Ohio State’s campus. Contact: Lisa Miller
SOUTHWESTERN OHIO Thursday, May 10 610 University Hall, University of Cincinnati Contact: Craig Kahn
MIAMI VALLEY OHIO Tuesday, April 17th E157B Student Union at Wright State University Contact: Rob Boley

Other Past Events:

November 3, 2000 “Advanced Research Methodologies” & “Strategic Prospecting” Diane R. Crane, Managing Associate, Bentz Whaley Flessner

April 28, 2000 “Research for Beginners” Jackie Robbins of Kenyon College and Lisa Hornick of Wright State University. “Planned Giving for Researchers” Robert F. Conrad and Kelli L. Bell, Director and Assistant Director of Development, respectively, in Planned Giving at The Ohio University Foundation.

October 26, 1999 “Privacy and the Right to Know.” Neil Reisner, journalist for the Miami Herald

April 30, 1999 “Applying Technology in the Research Office” and “Internet Research 1-2-3″ Joe Boeke, Director of Advancement & Information Services, Bucknell University

November 13, 1998 ” Moves Management and Document Imaging” and ” Prospect Research for Beginners” Kathleen Foley, Director of Development Services, Carleton College, Beck Sittason

May 1, 1998 “Information Overload: Death of the Research Profile.” Jim Bennetts, Development Officer, Prospect Information & Management, Mayo Clinic

November 7, 1997 “Houston, we have a challenge!” Commanding the Development Research Module through the Information Explosion Jon Thorsen, Director of Development, Princeton University

May 8, 1997 “Targeting Donor Markets – 2000 and Beyond” Judith E. Nichols, PhD, CFRE

October 25, 1996 “Ethics in Fund Raising” Marilyn Fischer, PhD, Assistant Professor Philosophy, University of Dayton

April 26, 1996 “Finding that Magic Number” (A step-by-step discussion for estimating net worth and giving ability) Robert G. Millar, III, Director of Development Research Services, Boston College

October 6, 1995 “Prospecting” Debra Johnson, Bentz Whaley Flessner

April 28, 1995 “Planned Giving” Joseph O. Bull, Director of Planned Giving, OSU

October 14, 1994 “Understanding the Internet” Christopher D. Felker, Sr. Research Officer, Mass. Institute of Technology

June 17, 1994 “Researching Special Constituencies” Ann Castle, Director of Development Research, Harvard University

October 22, 1993 “Cen$us: Surveys Simplified” Gerlinda S. Melchiori, President, Melchiori Consulting

May 14, 1993 “The Paper Chase: Effective Records Management Techniques” Irene Szmania and Jill Tatem, Case Western Reserve University

October 23, 1992 “Bridging the Gap: From Research to Solicitation” Michael J. Ferin, V.P. Development, Wittenberg University & Joyce Dean Van Vactor, Director of Research, Wilmington College