Data-Driven Pipeline Development: Collaboration Between Prospect Development & Advancement Systems
This session will describe the joint efforts of the Prospect Development and Advancement Systems teams at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) to create a more data-driven and automated approach to major gifts pipeline development. Presenters will outline the evolution from earlier approaches to a more efficient and transparent framework, sharing lessons learned and refinements made along the way.
Topics include methods for systematizing pipeline elements such as prospect capacity, quality, and interests; dashboards that visualize, filter, and display the pipeline; and tools used to help prepare and deliver new prospects to fundraisers. The session will also highlight how these systems are used by the Prospect Development team, how they increase efficiency and effectiveness, and what has been learned from frontline fundraisers’ perspectives as end users.
The session will conclude with key takeaways and Q&A, leaving participants with a practical framework for applying data-driven systems and automation to strengthen their own pipeline development work.
Details:
Wednesday November 12th
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Central
Grace De Jong is the Assistant Director of Prospect Management at the University of St. Thomas. She started her work in fundraising as assistant to the chief advancement officer at St. Catherine University. She then moved into prospect research in the same division and eventually ended up in prospect management at St. Thomas. In her current role, Grace supports gift officers working to fundraise for many areas at St. Thomas. She enjoys the variety of duties her work entails, including figuring out ways to improve processes, helping gift officers meet/reach their goals, pulling and analyzing data, and of course much more! She has been lucky to serve on the Apra-MN board since January of 2024.
Joe Hennen is a Data Quality Analyst at the University of St. Thomas, where he manages data quality and data collection for University Advancement. Previously, he was a Prospect Research Analyst at St. Thomas, leading pipeline development, and a prospect researcher at Carleton College, where he supported prospect development and analytics during a $491M campaign. He also worked as a Development Specialist with a national K-12 educational venture and has experience as a grant writing and prospect development consultant, social program evaluator, and AmeriCorps VISTA. He earned his B.A. in philosophy from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and is pursuing a STEM MBA from St. Thomas. Joe served as Programming Co-Chair and Vice President of Apra Minnesota and is now a mentor. He has been a speaker for Apra International, Apra Data Science Now, and CASE conferences and webinars.
