Created by: Joan Ogwumike, Principle Gifts, Prospect Research Analyst, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Founding Principal, Jstrategies

Apra-IL presents 50 Shades of Prospect Development; a series of illustrations that seek to provide a visual depiction of the complexities in all aspects of the Prospect Development field. Each colorful image will represent the emotional ups and downs, moments of pride, successful projects and relationships, conflicts with our co-workers/technology/work-life balance, and/or opportunities for growth we find in our careers.

Apra-IL dedicates this final illustration to those who are new or desire to join Prospect Development. We welcome you to a field that is quietly growing and establishing its roots in fundraising for decades. The different roles in prospect development intertwine at times, allowing one to dabble in prospect research, prospect management, and analytics. You could even do all three if you’re in a one-person shop. And once you join the field, it takes time to learn about and recognize the three main roles in prospect development. In this illustration we are giving you an idea of who is who, and their purpose using a magnifying glass for our prospect researchers, a graph for those in data analytics, and a spreadsheet for our prospect management professionals.

To our seasoned colleagues, which role do you play in your organization? And what advice would you give a new colleague?