Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: California Institute of Technology

Title of entry: Opportunity Offerings

About this entry: Right-sizing portfolios is one of the top challenges in prospect management today. Fundraisers with an overwhelming prospect load quickly become unfocused, distracted, and stressed. None of which promotes successful fundraising. It’s an issue that has perpetually produced more questions than satisfactory answers. Fundraisers may be reluctant to give up prospects, and how does an organization avoid missing out on opportunities that arise in the (now larger) unmanaged pool?

Recently, Caltech implemented a series of business process improvements that have resulted in a game changing paradigm shift for how fundraisers build and approach their portfolios. Centered on tasks, the new system makes a distinction between the managed portfolio of actively worked prospects already moving toward gift conversations and new opportunity offerings from PMR (Prospect Management & Research) that the fundraiser could pick up. This solution gives the fundraiser a sense of ownership over their formal portfolio, as they built it, while purposefully leveraging the strategic data and research PMR provides as partners in fundraising.

The desired actions are reinforced through reporting tools and metrics. Task offerings are visible in our Portfolio Health report and the on the DO homepage, alongside regular Qualification/Prospect Manger assignments, so fundraisers have easy access to track their opportunities. Accepted offerings count toward qualification goals, encouraging outreach. This streamlined, focused approach to prospect management has had incredible impact. Fundraisers who previously struggled to meet yearly targets are now set to pass their dollar goals well before year end, and we can see the activity fueling these successes.