Hi folks - we are working on building out a system to identify major donor prospects from within our database. We are currently using iWave to collect information on select constituents and then want to rank those constituents by assigning values to various pieces of information/criteria collected. Does anyone have best practices and/or a rubric for ranking prospects in this way that they could share?
Not sure what access you may have, but the Kennedy Center did a great presentation in "Strategic, data-driven fundraising in Tessitura" at this year's TLCC about a new ranking system they had implemented. It's complex (and involves machine learning), but the big take-away for me was that in putting more emphasis on engagement than capacity, they saw big returns.
We haven't had a chance to get into the dirt on that notion at the Goodman, but I'm really keen to see if it could help us not just raise dollars, but raise dollars efficiently.
Good to know! I can't find the presentation on this site, but if anyone from The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts happens to notice this discussion, I would love a link to the presentation.