How to strategically use prospect research with the British Red Cross

We’re revisiting a webinar we held with Abi Adcock (Senior Prospect Development Officer) and Samantha Harford (Philanthropy Manager – Transformational Giving) from the British Red Cross. Abi’s team specialises in delivering research on current donors and prospects with insights into high-value fundraising. Her work supports Samantha’s team, partnerships team, and a diverse group of fundraisers, focusing on high-value gifts from individuals, trusts, foundations, corporate partners, and institutional funding bodies. We’ve recapped our conversation with the pair in this blog. 

Let’s give some context: What are your responsibilities?

Abi: We provide high-quality research that varies based on the fundraisers’ requests. For instance, we often provide research into new prospects identified through data mining or emergency appeals. In some contexts, such as for our corporate partnerships colleagues, we may carry out cold prospecting, examining specific sectors to determine potential interest in our work. We also provide research on current donors or qualified prospects, which often includes in-depth profiles detailing income, gift capacity, affiliations with the British Red Cross, areas of interest, and notable news.

Why is repurposing prospect research important?

Sam: The research provided by Abi’s team is instrumental in my role as a philanthropy manager. It supports the donor lifecycle, helping to move donors through key milestones. For example, with new and colder prospects in my portfolio, Abi’s team helps me engage these supporters and bring them closer to the British Red Cross. The research helps me think creatively about how to connect with new supporters and establish our team within the organisation.

Research also helps with understanding the philanthropic sector and provides insights such as gift tables, which analyse new donor data. This helps us track the likelihood of repeat gifts and overall engagement. By analysing donations over time, the research team helps us understand our donor database better, set informed targets, and make data-driven decisions.

Lastly, research supports relationship management by providing clues about the right time to uplift donor support. It helps in framing proposals and deciding which British Red Cross team members might best engage with a donor. This ensures a more informed and personalised approach to building long-term relationships with donors.

How are your teams structured for success?

At the British Red Cross, we’ve purposefully structured our team so that supporting teams like Prospect Development are really embedded in our department. Structurally, they are part of our team, and the way we work and engage with each other reflects that. 

Something that’s been helpful is building closeness where it might not be structurally embedded already. For instance, we have fortnightly department meetings where all of the philanthropy team, including support teams like Prospect Development, Events, State and Performance, Communications, and even our Strategic Funding team, get together. They don’t sit directly in the philanthropy team but play a huge role in helping us identify and develop proposals. These meetings help us share work, insights, successes, failures, and feedback.

One of the best aspects of these meetings is that they help us become more aware of the broad skill sets each team and colleague has and how they might help us. For example, Prospect Development helps with network mapping and strategic pieces like gift tables. These huddles build a real sense of togetherness and help us recognise the role we all play in fundraising success. 

In terms of team structure, fostering closeness and having teams embedded together has been quite helpful. I’ve noticed a real change in how Relationship Managers now think about research and stewardship. It’s always on our minds because we interact more and hear about each other’s work more frequently. This has been a positive change for us. 

How can other nonprofits set up a structure like this?

The first place to start is ensuring that fundraisers have a strong understanding of what Prospect Development or research can offer. Even if you can’t structure your organisation like ours, it’s crucial to be educated about the value of research. This includes understanding how it can be used throughout the donor lifecycle and strategically.

One way to implement this is through an induction process for new starters. For example, our team uses a Loom video to provide a strong understanding of what Prospect Research means at the British Red Cross. This helps new fundraisers come in informed and ready to ask questions.

Another approach is setting objectives related to research. For instance, within our Philanthropy and Partnerships Directorate, we have an overarching objective called “Understand Our Supporters and Their Worlds.” This aims to use insight, research, and analysis to better understand our supporters and advance our relationships with them. Having this objective and buy-in from leaders ensures that research is used throughout the donor lifecycle. By being held accountable to these objectives, teams implement research more effectively. 

Interested in hearing more?

You can listen to our full conversation with Abi and Samantha here.