In the complex, fast-paced world of fundraising, ambition is the name of the game. The stakes are high, the goals are lofty — and the passion? Undeniable. So, it’s no surprise that sometimes the ideas get a little ... creative.

That’s where prospect development (PD) teams come in. We translate inspiration into information, dreams into data and sometimes we get truly memorable requests. To celebrate the wonderfully strange and earnest intersection of fundraising and research, we recently sent a survey to PD professionals, asking: "Tell us about a time you received a research request that made you do a double take. What was it, and how did you respond?"

The responses? A goldmine. Equal parts hilarious, head-scratching and heartwarming. And while we promise we’re not laughing at anyone, we are laughing — because let’s face it, we’ve all been there. In research, we may not know exactly what it’s like to close a seven-figure gift, but we sure know the feeling of trying to ID a person from the back half of a first name and a hunch.

Below are some highlights from the survey results.

Exhibit A: ‘M Something, Powers or Bowers, Maybe Automotive?’ 🤔💭

One researcher shared this gem: "Once I received a request where a fundraiser said she met a woman at an event she was invited to by one of our corporate partners. The woman's name started with an 'M' and her last name was something like Powers or Bowers, and she probably worked in the automotive industry. The fundraiser wanted me to figure out who this person was — and do a profile on her. I am proud (and feel a little insane) that I was able to figure this out. Never again."

If you’ve ever solved a mystery like this, please accept your honorary PhD in Context Clue Sleuthing.

‘Let’s Just Call Elon Musk at Home’ 😃☎️

Another favorite involved a request to track down Elon Musk’s home phone number. "They were certain he would give money 'if we could just reach him at home when he was most relaxed.'"

We admire the optimism, truly. But we gently reminded them that Elon probably doesn’t take cold calls over dinner.

License Plates and Gas Stations and ... WWII? ⛽🎖️

In our survey, we came across a whole genre of requests that require the subtle art of managing expectations: “Can you run a license plate from a luxury car I saw on campus?”; “A guy told me about two alumni who met during the Bataan Death March. Can you find out who they were?”; “There’s a John who works at the biggest company in town. No last name. Just ... John.”

And then there are the ones that toe the legal line: "I was asked to find a billionaire’s minor children. I flatly refused. That’s not research, that’s surveillance."

Boundaries, friends. Boundaries.

The Crowd Favorites, AKA, ‘Are You a Magician?’ 🎩🪄

Sometimes, against all odds, we actually do find the answer. Like the researcher who, with only a vague memory of a gas station owner, somehow tracked down the exact alum in under an hour. Or the one who was told only that a mystery real estate developer was Armenian-American and in the tri-state area, and still found them.

We may not be pulling rabbits out of hats, but when we do hit the mark? It’s magic.

To our fundraising partners, we get it. You’re on the front lines, forging relationships, chasing possibilities. Your questions come from a place of hope, intuition and big-picture thinking. And if we roll our eyes (just a little), it’s only because we care, and because sometimes we have to Google 250 names after someone RSVP’d yes to a webinar.

To our fellow PD professionals: may your databases be full, your requests be specific and your researchers be endlessly creative. At the end of the day, this is all in service of something greater: bringing people together to support a mission that matters. Even if we sometimes have to start with “M Something, maybe Bowers or Powers.”

Let the mystery solving continue.