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Prioritize Purpose with Stage-Based Research
Prospect Research
Prioritize Purpose with Stage-Based Research
By Catherine Flaatten | November 06, 2025

Tired of vague or "overkill" research requests? Traditional models rely on gift officers to translate strategy into research deliverables, often leading to wasted time.

Stage-Based Research fixes this by mapping specific frontline needs to appropriate, right-sized intelligence at each donor cultivation stage. By prioritizing the purpose of the research, your team shifts from service provider to strategic partner, ensuring every effort is efficient, drives action, and scales your impact across the pipeline.

From Opportunity to Impact: The Apra PD Lottery Winners Spotlight
Professional Development
From Opportunity to Impact: The Apra PD Lottery Winners Spotlight
By Stephanie Willis | October 23, 2025

Struggling with a tight professional development budget? You're not alone.

Discover how the Apra Foundation's new PD Lottery is bridging the gap, investing in the next generation of fundraising and prospect development professionals! This article shines a light on the seven inaugural winners who—thanks to a $2,500 prize covering registration, travel, and hotel—attended the Apra PD conference for the very first time.

Hear inspiring stories from winners like independent consultant Morgan Heck and Yale's Laurel Zhuang on how this opportunity boosted their skills, expanded their networks, and connected them with a vital community. Read about the impact of investing in professional growth and learn how you can help the Apra Foundation continue to fuel development across the field.

Building a Culture of Data at your Organization
Leadership
Building a Culture of Data at your Organization
By Stacey Barnes | October 16, 2025

Unlock the secrets to building a truly data-driven culture by learning from the strategic, multi-year journey of the Iowa State University Foundation. This article outlines a successful, multi-layered approach that moved the organization beyond subjective impressions toward quantifiable, data-informed decision-making. Discover the four key phases: from establishing an executive-level vision and declaring a "Year of Data," to creating a reporting blueprint that aligns organizational structure with analytical needs, inspiring adoption through key leaders, and operationalizing broad needs with standardized dashboards and unified terminology to foster data literacy at every level.

MORE RECENT Articles from Connections
Prioritize Purpose with Stage-Based Research
Prioritize Purpose with Stage-Based Research
Reading Between the Lines: Bridging the Gap Between Prospect Development and Gift Officer Strategy
Reading Between the Lines: Bridging the Gap Between Prospect Development and Gift Officer Strategy
From Opportunity to Impact: The Apra PD Lottery Winners Spotlight
From Opportunity to Impact: The Apra PD Lottery Winners Spotlight
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