“Every capital campaign requires a unique blend between the art and science of philanthropy. Our campaign cabinet had been working on 25 top prospects- we knew them, they knew us- but we had no idea what to ask for. By accessing a wide array of public information, Aspire Research helped us verify the interest and capacity of several prospects and confirmed that no public information was available on the rest. Aspire provides us with good data, the science, which we are using to build stronger relationships- the art of philanthropy.”

Steve Dickie, Oklahoma Methodist Manor

Prospect Research for Fundraisers: The Essential Handbook

Jen Filla, president of Aspire Research Group, teamed up with Helen Brown to write Prospect Research for Fundraisers: The Essential Handbook.

“Congratulations to the authors on producing a book that should be in every development officer’s library.” -Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE

From essential overviews to how-to-search skills, this practical book gives the development team the tools to understand how to use prospect research in ways that best fit their goals for each stage of the fundraising cycle.

prospect profile

Industry Practice Review: Prospect Profiles with Jen Filla

by Aspire Research Group
December 23, 2024April 29, 2025

Profiles are like denim: they never go out of style, are long-lasting, and yet they trend like fashion! Whether you… Read More »Industry Practice Review: Prospect Profiles with Jen Filla

Fishing for Prospects: The Promise of Validations

by Aspire Research Group
October 31, 2023March 28, 2025
Profiles, Prospect Identification

Finding new prospects is often compared to fishing. You throw out a proverbial net and hopefully get an incredible number… Read More »Fishing for Prospects: The Promise of Validations

Strategic Research for Transformative Gifts

by Aspire Research Group
June 26, 2023March 28, 2025
Major Gift Teams, Profiles

Asking for a major or transformative gift is a little bit like asking someone to marry you. You’ve (likely) been… Read More »Strategic Research for Transformative Gifts

Finding the Right Cheese for the Cracker: Using Research to Create Strategies and Tactics for Cultivating Prospects

by Aspire Research Group
June 1, 2023March 28, 2025
Major Gift Teams, Profiles

For some prospects, it’s easy to know how they made their money. For instance, if they are a CEO or… Read More »Finding the Right Cheese for the Cracker: Using Research to Create Strategies and Tactics for Cultivating Prospects

Learning to Drive: Using Prospect Research for Early Cultivation Meetings

by Aspire Research Group
May 1, 2023March 28, 2025
Major Gift Teams, Profiles

Remember the first time you got behind the wheel of a car? Maybe you had taken your learner’s permit test… Read More »Learning to Drive: Using Prospect Research for Early Cultivation Meetings

To Use or Not to Use Corporate Capacity Ratings

by Aspire Research Group
April 23, 2020July 23, 2025
Profiles, Prospect Identification, Research in Fundraising

While capacity ratings are the typical researcher’s bread and butter, we asked our panelists about the use of capacity ratings… Read More »To Use or Not to Use Corporate Capacity Ratings