Aspire Research Group

Group Coaching Call
2026-05-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-06-11 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-15 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-08-06 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-09-16 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-10-14 13:00 - 14:00, 2026-11-05 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-12-10 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Monthly group coaching calls are open to Research Asset Members and those who have purchased and are currently enrolled in a course.
Coaching calls are a safe, judge-free space where you can talk freely, ask questions, and receive mentoring without being recorded.
We send reminder emails with the Zoom link access the day before and an hour before the call. However, we encourage you to block out the times and dates on your calendar to ensure you can attend.
Access to these coaching calls does not apply to individual Workshop or Bundle purchases.

K-Shaped Capacity Ratings Workshop
2026-05-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Gift “Kapacity” Ratings in the K-Shaped Economy
What if you’re missing your biggest prospects because you’re using the wrong measuring stick?
Here’s a wake-up call: In 2022, half of all principal gifts to colleges and universities came from people who never walked across the campus as students. As the K-shaped economy continues to concentrate wealth at the top while squeezing the middle class, this trend is only accelerating. Your traditional, visible assets capacity rating models can’t keep up!
The old playbook of tracking real estate holdings and public assets? It’s leaving millions (or billions) on the table.
In this workshop, you’ll discover:

How the K-shaped economy is fundamentally reshaping where wealth lives—and why it matters for your campaign goals
Field-tested techniques for spotting ultra-wealthy prospects hiding in plain sight
A dual-strategy framework: different capacity rating approaches for the top versus the bottom of the “K”
How to make recommendations your development officers can use and adapt to verify capacity ratings through strategic prospect interactions

Bottom line: Stop undervaluing the prospects who could transform your campaign. Learn to find and rate the wealth that traditional models miss.

Solo Researcher Survival Kit Workshop
2026-06-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
Navigate requests, set realistic expectations, and prove your value as a solo prospect researcher
You’re the only researcher. Every request lands on your desk. And sometimes you’re not even sure if what they’re asking for is reasonable—or possible.
Sound familiar?
Being a solo researcher means you’re juggling it all: prospect identification, prospect research, portfolio management, and somehow managing your development team’s expectations without a peer down the hall to reality-check with.
And if you’re new to the profession? You might be wondering: Is this request normal? Should this really take me three days? Am I doing this right?
Here’s the truth: You’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.
This workshop is your space to connect with fellow solo researchers and build the communication toolkit that helps your development team actually understand what you do (and why it matters).
You’ll walk away with:

Generic table of contents for prospect research and prospect management manuals you can adapt to start documenting your practice
Questioning techniques to uncover what your development officers really need—even when they don’t know how to ask for it
Sample job aids and marketing strategies to help your team understand your services and use them effectively

Bottom line:
Stop second-guessing yourself. Learn to manage expectations, create a plan, and communicate your value with confidence—even when you’re a team of one.

Monkey in the Middle: A.I. Tug of War in Fundraising Research
2026-07-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar
You’ve seen the debate play out. On one end of the rope: people convinced A.I. will upend everything we know about research and prospect management — for better or worse. On the other end: those equally certain it is the key to unlocking capacity, insight, and impact like we’ve never had before.
And there you are in the middle — trying to do your job well.
This session is for everyone on that rope. Whether you’re skeptical, all-in, or curiously somewhere in between, join Jen Filla for a candid, peer-driven conversation about what it actually looks like to navigate A.I. in fundraising research right now — not in theory, but in practice.
We’ll explore where caution is warranted, where opportunity is being left on the table, and how professionals across the spectrum are making decisions they feel good about. No hype. No fear-mongering. Just real talk and practical ideas you can take back to your desk
RSVP TODAY: https://www.aprafl.org/events/monkey-in-the-middle-a-i-tug-of-war-in-fundraising-research

Small Shop: Grow Major Gifts With the Team You Have
2026-07-30 12:00 - 13:00
What prospect research skills look like in a small shop—and how to build them without a new hire.

You have a development coordinator, a database administrator, maybe a jack-of-all-trades who handles a little of everything. They’re capable and hardworking — but your major gift pipeline isn’t where it needs to be, and you’re not sure what they could be doing to better support you.

In this webinar, Jennifer Filla, CEO at Aspire Research Group, shows you how nonprofits can upskill existing staff to better perform core prospect research skills – proactively surfacing your best donors, delivering right-sized prospect profiles, and supporting moves management for your team. You’ll walk away knowing what to ask of staff doing the research, how that role can evolve to support your growing major gifts or campaign, and where to find research-specific step-by-step training for your staff member.

About Your Presenter

Jen Filla

CEO | Aspire Research Group LLC

President | Prospect Research Institute

Jen leads Aspire Research Group LLC, a prospect research firm assisting fundraisers across the country who are concerned about finding the right prospects, worried about what size gift to ask for, or struggling to meet major gift goals.

A popular speaker and trainer, Jen co-wrote the book, Prospect Research for Fundraisers: The Essential Handbook, She launched the Prospect Research Institute to provide rigorous online courses. No more hidden gaps in knowledge affecting fundraising success! The Institute is on a mission to create opportunities for learning and provide an outlet for new ideas in the field of fundraising research.

Deeply committed to advancing philanthropy and the fundraising profession, Jen has served as a volunteer and trustee for numerous organizations over the years including The Center Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of Delaware County, PA.

She is a member of the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She received a B.S. from Neumann University.

The Organization That Said 'Hold My Coffee' to Industry Standards: Hear a first-hand account of bridging the gap between industry standards and organizational truth
2026-08-12 10:30 - 11:30 | Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60605
It’s a common story. You are excited to take a new job because you can shape and grow research and prospect management as the major gifts team grows. Who knows? Maybe you can start to build a team, too! But a few weeks in, you realize what sounded like good data practices in reality is inconsistent at best and the more you hear the major gift officers talking, the more you realize everyone has their own system.

Sound familiar?

This session tells you a real life story and equips you with a practical framework to assess your current state, identify the gaps that matter most, and build buy-in across your major gifts team.
