All,

 

The Apra-IL board has decided to cancel the April 22^nd Spring Symposium. In making this decision, we sought information from health experts and our government officials, both local and national. We seek to approach this issue with an eye toward protecting all members of our community, with particular attention to those who are most vulnerable.

 

We will be sending out regular emails to our contact list with information about online events (both free and those with a small registration fee) hosted by other Apra chapters. If you know of an upcoming event you’d like shared, please email us at apraillinois@gmail.com to add the event to our calendar and future emails.

 

The Apra-IL board is actively planning for online webinars to be available this spring as well. For previously recorded webinars, go to the Webinars section of the Apra-IL site (accessible only to those with active memberships).

 

Because your membership sustains our organization, we’d ask that you consider renewing your Apra-IL membership this month as many of you likely planned to do in conjunction with registration for our spring event. Year-long membership costs $40 and gives you access to:

• Discounts on events
• Free event attendance for member appreciation parties, happy hour, webinars, and more
• The Apra-IL chapter membership directory
• Monthly member emails which contain information about upcoming chapter and regional Prospect Development events, blog content, and job postings
• A curated links library with links for:
• • The Career Center – information on how to write the perfect resume, job hunt, etc
  • Research Resources
  • Relevant blogs
  • Apra-IL Salon content – targeted information on recent topics of interest including cryptocurrency and valuing art
• Webinar recordings
• Job postings (available through following our social media: Twitter and LinkedIn)
• Yearly scholarships for professional development funds

 

We wish you all health and peace during this tough time. Please let us know if you have resources to offer other members, need assistance getting in touch with others in our industry, or any other help we can offer you.

 

The Apra-IL Board

 

Kathryn Thomas, President

Peter Kotowski, Vice President

Kara Mehrkens, Treasurer

Amy Tibbs, Secretary

Julia Dimick, Director of Marketing

Teresa Liu, Director of Membership

It’s March! Apra-IL is celebrating Research Pride Month, Women’s History Month, and March Madness. We hope that you join us in the festivities as we test how well everyone addresses prospect research - specific scenarios. An online poll posted on Twitter and LinkedIn pose the questions, and here are the results and a review of the answers. We hope that you can participate, and thank you for engaging with us on all forums, as we learn from each other. 

And the results for the first question are in! The correct answer was real estate.

Philanthropy can be understood as a means of giving and showing generosity, generally displayed monetarily. So, in this case, a family foundation is an asset established to give away money through grants or contributions to nonprofits by a family or in honor of a family member. The act of giving to a community organization shows that you are philanthropic. Real estate (also referred to by some as real property) is actually a wealth indicator, and is a sign of a person’s ability to invest in an asset and gain equity. Therefore, real estate, does not equate to someone’s inclination to want to give and be generous. It is, however, part of the overall analysis of someone’s capacity to give, which includes philanthropic giving and wealth indicators. 

Thank you for participating, and onward to question #2!

February is known as the month of love, and the celebration of African American history and culture. So, with love in our hearts here are few lists of diverse prospects (People of Color, women and/or part of the LGBTQ+ community) as you prospect this month for potential donors, board members, and volunteers. Diversity is the evidence of difference, and the outside the box of “normal”. And inclusion matters because it creates opportunity and representation. By adding diverse prospects to your donor base, you are making room at the table.

This month (and hopefully for the rest of the year and beyond), we hope that you make room for love and diversity at your organization: 

10 Black Female Venture Capitalists

50 Female Entrepreneurs Everyone Should Know

The 50 Most Powerful Latinas in Corporate America

The 23 most powerful LGBTQ+ people in tech

21 influential black professionals in tech

5 Asian women in tech

26 Women of Color Diversifying Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley, Media, and Beyond   

20 Successful Companies Founded or Owned by Black Entrepreneurs

Goal Setting Tools 2020

4 functional tools and applications that will help you get organized and set goals in 2020

Happy New Year, All!

As a new year begins and everyone strives to set goals and become more organized as a means of having a productive new year, here are four functional tools and applications that can set you up for success in 2020.

Yes, Pinterest!  It is a great way to organize your thoughts and goals – visually. The visual aspect of Pinterest may intrigue visual learners who enjoy seeing their ideas. The application is free and user-friendly. The uses of Pinterest are endless as you have the ability to create a vision board for your year, on-the-go.

A Journal is still a reliable tool for 2020. It is a resource that has come in handy for all those who enjoy note-taking and idea-jotting. There are different types of journals that can help you be even more productive - a planner, for example. Planners have sections or pages for your daily, weekly and monthly goals. A place where you can see your own plans outlined, and enjoy the swift movement of checking them off as accomplished. A planner and journal can also work as spaces for reflection and celebration of written ideas.

If you prefer typing up your lists, notes, ideas, and goals, then here are three application options that are great for notes, audio, and organizing information:

Evernote is a great note-taking application that keeps you organized on-the-go, and on all devices. It also has different organizational features that make its users feel productive and have the ability to manage their tasks with ease. Evernote offers its products based on paid plans and a free basic plan.

If Evernote does not appeal to you, a similar application is Microsoft OneNote, which is free and can be used on all devices. However, the devices must have Microsoft Office or access to the OneNote website. OneNote allows you to manage notes, audio, PDFs, images, and more – OneNote can be “your digital notebook.”

Asana is a great project management tool that guides you through your tasks. You can set up alerts/reminders for when a task needs to be completed and it helps you prioritize your to-do list based on High to Low and stage of completion.

The always reliable post-it notes (sometimes referred to as sticky notes). This is a true and dependable way of making reminders and lists. Always trust in the post-it notes, large or small, because they will help you with your tasks.

As the year comes to a close, this new series will highlight what our members have been most grateful for in this industry in 2019. We look forward to hearing about rock star co-workers, tools without which we would be lost, and experiences that will stay with us for years.

Apra-IL would like to express its gratefulness for its members who continually push us to provide better programming, introduce new ways to network, and find the best catering and happy hour spots around!

~

This week's notes are provided by Kara Mehrkens, Associate Director for Advancement Research at Illinois Wesleyan University.

I'm grateful for a supervisor who loves to play with data. I think I'd even call him a data geek!

I'm also appreciative of all of the resources I have at work. This includes subscriptions, conferences, Apra sources, list servs, etc. There are so many ways to not only do prospect research but also to connect with colleagues.

Finally, I'm most grateful for walking out at the end of the day with a sense of accomplishment. It's good to work hard but it's even better to go home.

As the year comes to a close, this new series will highlight what our members have been most grateful for in this industry in 2019. We look forward to hearing about rock star co-workers, tools without which we would be lost, and experiences that will stay with us for years.

Apra-IL would like to express its gratefulness for its members who continually push us to provide better programming, introduce new ways to network, and find the best catering and happy hour spots around!

~

This week's notes are provided by Amy Tibbs, Development Research Associate at the National Audubon Society and Apra-IL Secretary.

I am grateful that we can do our work from anywhere! Combined with an organization that supports flexible work arrangements, I am able to strike a healthy work/life balance because I can access the resources and databases and public information I need from any location with the internet.

There’s something so comforting to me that I work in a field where most of us are supporting “Good Work” – being at nonprofits, our work helps donors connect with ways to support: environmental conservation and the fight against climate change; programs and students in higher education; medical research and patient care; providing food for the hungry; supporting our communities; and so much more! Being a cog in the machine to improve the world around me feels pretty good at the end of the day.

I’m always grateful for the prospect research community. Whether people come to the field with a librarian, business, programming, or data analysis background or if they just landed here somehow (like a lot of us), the tie that binds us is that this group is smart and generous with their time and knowledge, and more often than not, we can find someone to help us with CRM insights, tips to navigate tricky software, finding tough-to-locate information on a prospect, or just simple brainstorming on how to communicate our findings effectively. And, of course, to commiserate on the challenges we all face every day.

As the year comes to a close, this new series will highlight what our members have been most grateful for in this industry in 2019. We look forward to hearing about rock star co-workers, tools without which we would be lost, and experiences that will stay with us for years.

Apra-IL would like to express its gratefulness for its members who continually push us to provide better programming, introduce new ways to network, and find the best catering and happy hour spots around!

~

This week's notes are provided by Joan Ogwumike, Prospect Research Associate at the Obama Foundation and blogger.

I am grateful for community - the Apra community has shown me so much support since I joined the industry. In 2019, I am grateful to have met a wonderful group of researchers that have shown me what it truly means to be part of a community full of support, respect, kindness, and friendship.  

For research when it is used not just as information but as a strategic tool.

And for the new year, which will bring so many new possibilities.  

As the year comes to a close, this new series will highlight what our members have been most grateful for in this industry in 2019. We look forward to hearing about rock star co-workers, tools without which we would be lost, and experiences that will stay with us for years.

Apra-IL would like to express its gratefulness for its members who continually push us to provide better programming, introduce new ways to network, and find the best catering and happy hour spots around!

~

This week's notes are provided by Trent Nichols, Associate Director of Prospect Research and Management at Wheaton College.

I’m grateful for the Prospect Development industry’s openness and transparency to share best practices and professional development in so many ways. This happens more formally at various national and chapter conferences, through the PRSPCT-L exchange, Apra online newsletter, and more informally through posting LinkedIn articles and white papers, Apra chapter networking, and ongoing communication among researchers via email, phone, and in person. I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and I still see this same esprit de corps present today as I did when I started.

For new colleagues coming into the profession with eagerness and readiness to learn and absorb traditional and new paths in Prospect Development.

And I am grateful for a field that provides new opportunities for learning and growth, while rooted in a philanthropic tradition.

As the year comes to a close, this new series will highlight what our members have been most grateful for in this industry in 2019. We look forward to hearing about rock star co-workers, tools without which we would be lost, and experiences that will stay with us for years.

Apra-IL would like to express its gratefulness for its members who continually push us to provide better programming, introduce new ways to network, and find the best catering and happy hour spots around!

~

This week's notes are provided by Kathryn Thomas, Apra-IL Director of Membership & Marketing and Senior Prospect Identification Analyst at the Wisconsin Foundation & Alumni Association.

 I am grateful for a building absolutely brimming with school spirit! It is a reminder every day why my team does the work they do with the intensity and focus we do it.

 

This year, particularly, I am grateful for covered parking provided by my workplace. October snow is simply not my favorite thing.

Finally, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the Apra-IL board. It has gifted me with a broad network of colleagues and friends and I look forward to continuing that work in 2020!

Apra-IL Presents 20 Questions with ... Kathryn Thomas

Based on the 73 Questions series produced by Vogue, Apra-IL presents a series of 20 questions to members and the board. We're excited for you to learn more about your leadership and fellow members in this series of 20 rapid-fire questions.

Kathryn is a proud representative of Wisconsin here on the APRA-IL board as Director of Membership & Marketing. She has worked at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association since 2015; first in Prospect Research and now as the Senior Prospect Identification Analyst focused on proactive identification. Previously, she worked as a corporate archivist and librarian.

1. What is the super power that you use often at work?

I have the ability to organize anything. When I worked as a corporate archivist, this came in the form of physically organizing hundreds of boxes of photos, videos, and other items. As a prospect identification analyst, that means organizing accessible data on a person and distilling it into 3-5 sentences to help a Development Officer understand their connection to our organization.

2. What is one thing Apra has done for you?

Apra has provided me a broad network of like-minded, talented professionals who I can call on when in need – whether that’s asking for recommendations on vendors or wondering how to deal with an interpersonal situation in the office.

3. If the annual Apra International conference could be anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?

Oh man – that’s a tricky one. I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore (my college roommate grew up there) and finding the time to go by myself has been difficult. I’d love to have a work-related reason (and funding) to travel there!

4. How do you explain your role to people outside of Development?

I tend to tell people I work in fundraising. If they ask follow-up questions, I tell them I do research on our alumni and donors to help Development connect them with the right funding opportunities.

5. If you were not in Prospect Research, what career would you have?

I’d love to be a university or museum librarian – being surrounded by art is a lovely way to spend the day.

6. If you could tell your 15-year-old self about your job, what would you say?

I would tell her that her lifelong love of learning was going to come in very handy while tracking down the fifth-great-granddaughter of a UW alumnus for whom a building on campus was named!

7. Why did you join the Apra-Illinois board?

I joined the Apra-IL board to get more involved in the programming aspect of Apra. Because I’m our current webmaster, head of member e-mails, and czar of Apra-IL’s social media accounts, it’s been a fantastic learning opportunity. Before taking this role, I’d never tweeted, processed an online payment, or created an event banner. I’ve also had great fun working with Apra-IL members on our blog (hi there!). One of the most fun series was our horror stories about the field – head over and read those if you haven’t yet!

8. Why do you think Apra-Illinois and all of the local Apra chapters matter?

Local Apra chapters give us a place to speak to people doing our work in our region. This is helpful when it’s time to implement a new process (vendor recommendations, best practices) and also when it’s time to look for a new career opportunity (both through Apra-IL job postings and networking). Apra international serves a similar purpose, but on a broader scale.

9. What is your #1 productivity tip?

When you’re in the zone, stay there. When you’re not in the zone, give yourself a break and do something requiring less brain power. I get a lot of Apra-IL tasks completed while I’m distracted from my day-to-day work!

10. Best advice ever received?

I can’t say I’ve received a ton of advice, but one quote that I love comes from The Book of Joy in which the Dalai Lama quotes Viktor Frankl, “Our perspective toward life is our final and ultimate freedom.”

11. If you wrote a book about prospect development what would it be called?

"Finding the Impossible, Immediately"

12. If you wrote a memoir on your life, what would it be called?

I’m not sure anyone would read a book about my life! But I guess I’d call it "From Little House on the Prairie to a Life Unbound."

13. What book are you reading right now?

I just re-read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

14. Currently, what is your favorite restaurant in your city?

Madison has lots of culinary variety. My favorite place is a Thai restaurant called Sa-Bai Thong that's about five minutes from work.

15. What is your favorite social platform to connect with people?

Though I’m in charge of Apra-IL’s Twitter account, I’m stuck firmly in the early 2000's and only really use Facebook to connect with people.

16. What is the last movie you watched?

I dove back into the 90s and watched Now and Then on Netflix.

17. If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?

I’d love to have dinner with Charles Dickens. I had a real obsession with his writing when I was young and he seems like he was a character ... I might attempt to put a word limit on his side of the conversation, though!

18. What is your hobby?

I’m not really a hobby person. When I’m not a work, I like to read and re-watch The Office. I also love a good road trip.

19. Are you a texter or a caller?

Depends on the person. I’m typically a texter until we get onto a good topic and then I’ll give in and call.

20. Who or what inspires you?

I’m really inspired by people who manage to find the good in a bad situation. That isn’t a trait I find easy, so to meet and know people for whom this is second nature is fascinating to me.