Can a small, budget-conscious prospect development shop build its own secure AI tool? In the latest issue of Connections, Nikolai Shchelkov, MSIS, MBA, shares how he designed and tested a secure, offline agentic AI prototype at Eastern New Mexico University. Running entirely on a single laptop with zero budget, this tool allows researchers to ask natural-language questions of their donor giving history and get immediate, calculated results without risking sensitive constituent data.
Get ready to enhance your prospect management at Plug In to Pipelines, a virtual two-day conference held June 2-3. This event dives into sophisticated metrics, AI-driven health assessments, and strategies for building the next generation of major gift pipelines. Whether you are a solo practitioner or part of a large team, you will gain actionable insights on tracking portfolio movement and maximizing limited resources from experts across the sector.
Couldn’t make the conference or listen to the recording? No need for FOMO! This article brings the conference experience to you!
The 2025 Apra Debates focused on three critical prospect development issues: data access for fundraisers, the problem of too much data, and AI readiness. Debaters weighed data transparency against the need for expert interpretation, and the strategic value of comprehensive data against the risk of "analysis paralysis." While the audience leaned toward compromise on access and adopted an optimistic view of AI, the session underscored a core theme: prospect development professionals must remain strategic, adaptable, and focused on continuous learning to navigate the evolving industry landscape successfully.