True portfolio optimization isn't just about clearing out old data. It’s a core strategy that ensures top prospects get the attention they need to yield major gifts. To help prospect development professionals navigate these complexities, Apra presents the upcoming Fall session of Plug In: Plug in to Portfolio Optimization. This virtual learning experience is designed to give you practical, tested approaches to define, evaluate and strengthen portfolios at your organization. 

Whether you are building portfolio standards for the first time or looking to update existing practices, this event addresses the real-world obstacles that make portfolio management challenging. Attendees will explore strategies for navigating complex relationship histories, shifting leadership expectations, decentralized structures and uneven data quality. Plug In highlights real-world insights and success stories from industry leaders who have transformed their portfolio management practices. 

Join us for an exclusive lineup of virtual sessions featuring real-world case studies and innovative frameworks from top higher education and nonprofit institutions. You’ll hear how the University of Notre Dame executed major portfolio shifts under tight timelines, while UNICEF USA formed a thriving strategic partnership between prospect development and their corporate and civil society partnerships team. The University of Michigan will reveal how moving to a policy-first strategy, leveraging interactive gift officer onboarding and managing complex health system integrations boosts fundraiser engagement. 

Packed with actionable strategies, these sessions dive deep into the cutting-edge practices reshaping the industry today. Learn how Michigan State University harnesses machine learning algorithms to eliminate portfolio over-penetration and prioritize top leads and explore Louisiana State University’s adaptable framework for tailoring portfolio size and health benchmarks to match actual fundraiser capacity. Finally, discover how the North Dakota State University Foundation created a structured, guilt-free process empowering gift officers to confidently disqualify stagnant prospects and refocus on high-value donors. 

By joining your peers at this interactive event, participants will learn how to create custom portfolio standards and health benchmarks tailored to their unique team structures, understand how to adapt traditional rules to specialized roles and gain practical toolkits for measuring and reporting portfolio health to leadership. 

This event is tailored for anyone working in prospect development, prospect management or advancement operations who wants to optimize portfolio size, improve data health and position their fundraising teams for sustainable success. Don't miss this opportunity to turn portfolio management from a reactive task into a proactive driver of philanthropic results. Register today for Apra’s Fall Plug In and get ready to optimize your pipeline for maximum impact! 

Ginger Derrow 
Assistant Director of Development Research and Donor Experience, University of Michigan 

Ginger serves as the Assistant Director of Development Research and Donor Experience at the University of Michigan, where she leverages expertise in information management to enhance donor-centric fundraising, with a special focus on libraries and the arts.