This presentation will describe the combined efforts of the Prospect Development and the Advancement Systems teams at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota to adopt a more data-driven and automated approach to prospect pipeline development for major gifts fundraising. It will outline our previous approach to pipeline development work, our motivation for a more efficient and transparent approach, and lessons learned while implementing new processes and systems.

Topics covered include the methods used to systematize prospect pipeline elements such as prospect capacity, quality, and interest areas; dashboards created to visualize, filter, and display the pipeline and constituency; how these new systems are being used to prepare and deliver new prospects for fundraisers; and dashboards employed to track pipeline movement.

The goal of this session is to provide participants with an example framework for systematizing, visualizing, and driving qualifications in a prospect pipeline using a data-driven approach. We also aim to demonstrate how using these systems and automation can increase efficiency and effectiveness in pipeline development, helping participants identify circumstances where these techniques could be applied to their own work.