Autumn 2021 Apra Fundamentals: Prospect Research

Ryan Frank is the Associate Director of Research and Portfolio Management at California Baptist University, where leads the University’s prospect research and prospect management programs. Prior to CBU, Ryan served as Director of Prospect Management and Research for National Public Radio (NPR). In this role, he oversaw the Prospect Research team and created a new Prospect Management department. Prior to joining NPR, Ryan was the Director of Prospect Management at City of Hope, where he implemented novel prospect management strategies to help increase fundraiser success. As an embedded strategist, he worked closely with senior leadership and direct line fundraisers on donor strategy, portfolio optimization, and also monitored the robust Grateful Patient pipeline. Ryan has previously held the position as Senior Researcher at UC San Diego, where he created, implemented and managed the daily functions of UCSD’s Grateful Patient Program, and provided strategic prospect insight to fundraisers and senior development colleagues. Ryan has more than 15 years of experience working in Prospect Development, specializing in Prospect Research and Prospect Management.

Lori Hood Lawson has spent over 20 years helping the fundraising sector harness the power of actionable data and using CRMs to deliver these insights. She co-founded WorkingPhilanthropy.com LLC and served as editor of several books, including Big Good: Philanthropy in the Age of Big Data & Cognitive Computing and The Nonprofit Buyer: Strategies for Success from a Nonprofit Technology Sales Veteran. She got her start in the sector at Florida State University Foundation, where she served as Associate Director of Prospect Research. She then joined Prospect Information Network (P!N) and had the opportunity to transition its flagship product, ProfileBuilder, to a SaaS CRM solution after Kintera’s acquisition of P!N. Many of her innovations, and those of her P!N team and colleagues, are still in use today. Lori is a long-time volunteer with both Apra and aasp. She is passionate about ethics and compliance, due diligence, data privacy and protection, and best practices in prospect development. She’s a frequent speaker at industry conferences and author of numerous blog posts and articles. You can find Lori on Twitter @workinglori. She lives with her husband David and their floofy corgi Cooper in Tallahassee, FL, while the kids are busy making our world a better place in various parts of the country.

Jennifer Moody joined Gobel after a career with Henry Ford Health System as the Manager of Research and Prospect Management. While in this role, she developed and implemented a prospect management program that streamlined major gift officer portfolios and increased fundraising efficiency. Before that, she served as Research and Donor Stewardship Coordinator for The Henry Ford, an arts and culture organization, where she contributed to the launch of a $150 million comprehensive campaign. Jennifer is also active with the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (Apra), as the Finance Lead for Apra’s Michigan chapter and as a faculty member for Apra Fundamentals – Prospect Research, and having previously served on the Ethics & Compliance Committee. She is cowriting a chapter focused on pipeline management for the Researchers in Fundraising Best Practice Guide and Handbook for Prospect Research. Jennifer is certified in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge Fundamentals and received her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. She resides in Wyandotte, Mich.

Nedra serves as Executive Director of Research & Prospect Management for the University of Georgia’s Development and Alumni Relations division. Before that, she served as Senior Director of Development Research and Prospect Management for Georgia State University’s Development and Alumni Affairs division. During her tenure at GSU, she provided leadership in critical areas of prospect development. She partnered with senior advancement leadership to support a $300 million campaign, including developing prospect pools, managing the prospect management system, and conducting fundraising performance analysis.

Nedra is a fundraising and development professional with more than 25 years of experience in philanthropic fundraising and non-profit management, including all aspects of prospect development (prospect management, prospect research, information engagement, and data mining/analytics).

Previously, she served as Manager of Prospect Research at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where she worked for more than 14 years. In addition, Nedra has been an active member and volunteer of Apra and served as President of the local Apra-Georgia Chapter.