News flash! Knowing what you're doing is good!
A recent story in the Chronicle of Philanthropy says so: Donor Research Plays a Key Role in College Fund-Raising Success, Study Finds ...
Colleges that win the most contributions ... have done so in part by spending more money than other institutions to hire full-time staff members to conduct research on alumni and other potential donors, according to a new survey.
Of course, that's like saying pedestrians who look both ways before they cross the street have a lower rate of getting hit by cars.
The study mentioned, by WealthEngine is available here: 2009 Best Practices in Prospect Research in Higher Education Fundraising (registration required).
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 30 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you'll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com. 
