Case study: Streamlining due diligence and prospect research at Michigan Medicine with Xapien 

Background on the organisation 

Michigan Medicine, the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, is a leading healthcare provider and research institution. In addition to delivering high-quality clinical care, it plays a key role in advancing medical science and education. 

As part of its advancement and fundraising strategy, Michigan Medicine conducts thorough due diligence and prospect research to inform decisions, ensure alignment with institutional values, and mitigate reputational and financial risks. 

Xapien was already in use across the University of Michigan, which made its introduction to Michigan Medicine both practical and strategic. The tool’s presence across other university departments demonstrated its broad applicability, encouraging Michigan Medicine to adopt it to support its own growing research and due diligence needs. 

The challenge

The Development team at Michigan Medicine was operating with limited resources—just three staff members were responsible for managing complex due diligence requirements. Their remit includes researching high-value prospective donors, particularly those connected to gifts of $5 million or more. 

On average, each research project required 8–9 hours, and cases involving individuals with complex backgrounds took even longer.

The team was also often asked to research individuals who had not yet reached the threshold, increasing pressure on their capacity. 

Manual search processes made it difficult to scale operations or carve out time for more strategic, high-impact activities. A solution was needed to maintain depth and accuracy, while improving speed and consistency. 

Where Xapien adds value 

To address these challenges, Michigan Medicine implemented Xapien, an AI-powered research platform that automates due diligence and prospect profiling. Xapien delivers structured, comprehensive profiles from publicly available data, reducing the time and effort involved in research. 

Xapien enables faster turnaround on critical research tasks while upholding high standards of quality and rigour

Now integrated into the Prospect Development Research team’s workflow, Xapien enables faster turnaround on critical research tasks while upholding high standards of quality and rigour. The platform’s intuitive format also makes it easier to share insights across teams. 

Tangible outcomes 

• Improved capacity within a lean team: By cutting down the time required to compile due diligence reports, Xapien has allowed the small Prospect Development Research team to manage a greater volume of work—even as demand for research continues to grow. 

• Enhanced research consistency and quality: Automated, structured reports have reduced the variability in findings that can arise from manual processes, helping the team maintain a clear and consistent research standard. 

• More time for strategic work: With less time spent gathering information, the team can now focus more on analysis, strategy, and internal advisory, adding greater value to fundraising and donor engagement efforts. 

• Smooth integration and procurement: Thanks to Xapien’s existing presence within the University of Michigan’s procurement system, implementation at Michigan Medicine was seamless. 

Conclusion

Michigan Medicine’s implementation of Xapien has enabled its Prospect Development Research team to work more efficiently and strategically, even with limited resources. By reducing manual effort and enhancing consistency, Xapien has become a reliable part of the institution’s advancement toolkit. 

As Michigan Medicine continues to refine its approach to donor engagement and due diligence, Xapien is playing a supportive role in helping meet those evolving needs.