Leveling Up: Turning Prospect Profiles Into Fundraising Strategy

Leveling Up: Turning Prospect Profiles Into Fundraising Strategy

Description
A prospect profile brings together useful information about a person. How can we use that information to help a gift officer decide what to do next?

This session demonstrates how AI can help researchers add evidence-based fundraising strategy to an existing profile. Using a fictional prospect and sample CRM exports, we’ll connect giving history, Contact Reports, Next Steps, Proposals, and recorded capacity to assess donor interests, engagement, and readiness.

We’ll follow the process from clarifying the research request to preparing a strategy section with a recommended next action, meeting questions, and follow-through. Along the way, we’ll distinguish documented facts from researcher interpretation, identify gaps that could change the recommendation, and discuss where human judgment remains essential.

Attendees will leave with a practical approach to creating profiles that support prospect management and donor conversations. Examples will use Slate, but the approach applies across CRM systems.

Speaker
Ryan Clement, MS, is Director of Prospect Research at the Cleveland State University. His work combines prospect research, portfolio management, and AI-assisted analysis to help development officers prioritize engagement and plan fundraising strategies. He previously served as Manager of Philanthropic Research at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Ryan holds a master’s degree in business psychology and brings a practical focus on behavior, communication, and human judgment to his work with data and AI. He is an Apra and OPRN member and presented at OPRN’s 2026 Annual Conference.