Prospect Research #Chatbytes

Prospect Research #Chatbytes

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Prospect Research #Chatbytes episodes

  • 145: Evelyn Chen on Braver Leadership and Philanthropic Due Diligence

    What do you do when research uncovers something uncomfortable about a major donor? Evelyn Chen, Partner at Russell Philanthropies, shares how the Braver Leadership framework — clarity, candor, and courageous follow-through — helps organizations navigate the gray areas of philanthropic due diligence with integrity.

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    Resources Mentioned
    • Connect with Evelyn Chen: LinkedIn
    • Russell Philanthropies: Enews Subscribe
    • Getting Started and Getting Serious about Due Diligence with Courtney Cutler
    • Workshop | Due Diligence: Practice to Policy?
    21 min
  • 144: Mary Petersen on Why Gift Officers Stall on New Prospects — and How to Start

    Major gift coach, podcaster, and author Mary Petersen has spent 25 years in the field and she's seen what happens when fundraisers don't act on research, chase high-capacity but low-affinity prospects, and avoid making the first call. In this episode, she shares what the early discovery phase of major gift fundraising really looks like, and how researchers and development officers can work better together.

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    Resources Mentioned
    • Connect with Mary Petersen: LinkedIn | Website
    • Book: What to Say: 12 Major Gift Asks to Get a YES
    • Course: How to Have a Donor Meeting
    • Small Group Coaching Program: Momentum
    • Hey Fundraiser! Podcast
    20 min
  • 143: #CareerCurious on Going Solo in Prospect Development with Regina Alhassan

    Regina Alhassan didn't plan to end up in fundraising — but 30 years later, she's the CEO of ResearchPRO and a passionate advocate for the value prospect development professionals bring to the table. In this Career Curious episode, she opens up about the accidental beginning, the faith walk of entrepreneurship, and what she'd tell anyone thinking about going solo.

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    Resources Mentioned
    • Connect with Regina on LinkedIn
    • ResearchPro
    21 min
  • 142: Tricia Marsherall on Clean Data, Clear Strategy, and How Donor Databases Really Work

    Tricia Marsherall, founder of Donor Database Experts, has seen it all: nonprofits convinced their database is broken, teams without a shared definition of "major gift," and the costly mistake of switching systems to solve a strategy problem. In this episode, she shares what thriving fundraising operations actually look like — and the preventative care every nonprofit needs.

    Resources Mentioned
    • Connect with Tricia on LinkedIn
    • Donor Database Experts | Knowledge Hub
    • Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't | Jim Collins

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    20 min
  • 141: Valerie Anastasio on the K-Shaped Economy and the Ultra-Wealthy Donor

    Fundraising consultant Valerie Anastasio explains the K-shaped economy, why the ultra-wealthy require discipline rather than optimism from researchers, and how to focus on the 10% of high-net-worth prospects who actually align with your mission—instead of chasing every billionaire.

    • Connect with Valerie Anastasio: LinkedIn
    • Inside Philanthropy by David Callahan: insidephilanthropy.com
    • The Wall Street Journal: wsj.com
    • Bloomberg: bloomberg.com

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    28 min
  • 140: When Portfolio Management Isn't Working: Amy Modin's Advice for Starting Over

    Amy Modin, Director of Research and Prospect Management at the U.S. Air Force Academy Foundation, shares how she rebuilt a broken portfolio management system by meeting fundraisers where they are, building trust through humility, and showing up consistently—even when best practices don't fit.

    Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    20 min
  • 139: Vered Siegel on Why Judgment Is the New Scarce Resource in Fundraising

    Vered Siegel, CFRE, Director of Prospect Management and Research at American Friends of the Hebrew University, unpacks what it really means to be a strategic partner in the age of AI—and why judgment, not information, is now the scarcest resource in fundraising operations.

    Resources Mentioned

    • Connect with Vered Siegel : LinkedIn | Website
    • Don't Just Ask the Database Directly | Vered Siegel | White Paper | 2026
    • What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael J. Sandel
    • Moralizing Technology: Understanding and Designing the Morality of Things by Peter-Paul Verbeek
    • The Ethics of Ambiguity by Simone de Beauvoir
    • Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP)

    Read More on the Learning Edge Blog

    23 min

About Prospect Research #Chatbytes

From the publisher's feed

Prospect research professionals share their stories, tips, and commentary on topics that affect our fundraising work and our lives. We also sneak in guests from outside our field to shake up our…