More than just a name: the art of prospect research

Abstract

Prospect research aims to provide all the information necessary for the solicitation process (i.e. asking a potential donor for a gift), from compiling lists of names in the first instance, to building up an in‐depth profile of the prospect. There are a number of resources available to the researcher, including biographical books, newspapers and magazines and electronic media such as online databases and CD‐ROMs. In addition to researching individuals, companies and trusts in the United Kingdom and possibly the United States, the prospect researcher in Britain is increasingly being asked to investigate prospects around the world, to provide country profiling, as wealthy individuals become ‘citizens of the world’, rather than just one country, and as British charities begin to look overseas for donors.

Citation

Jeffery, C. (1996), "More than just a name: the art of prospect research", Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 48 No. 4, pp. 103-107. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb051415