Continuing our celebration of Research Pride Month, we asked, Nicole Konieczny, Prospect Research Analyst at the University of Notre Dame, to share her insights as a relatively new professional in the field.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in this field, and what keeps you motivated in the work you do today?

A: I was ultimately inspired by the University of Notre Dame's Catholic character; meaning, to be a powerful force for good in the world. I stay motivated to do my job as a prospect research analyst knowing that my work provides valuable insight for frontline fundraisers regarding their potential prospects/benefactors.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about your role, and how has your perspective on the industry evolved over time?

A: I am still relatively new to the industry, however, I find it most rewarding to see gifts come in from prospects I provided research on.

Q: What trends or innovations do you see shaping the future of our field, and how do you think we should prepare for them?

A: I see AI shaping the future of our field at this very moment. AI can be very helpful in auto-generating personalized responses via emails and questions which helps save us time. I think we should also proceed with caution while using AI and be sure to double-check the work AI provides.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone just entering this profession, what would it be?

A: The heart of prospect management is people! Focus on relationship building, the rest will follow.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in this field, and what keeps you motivated in the work you do today?

A: My family life is what drew me to my first position.  When we moved to Indy, the decision was I would stay home with our daughters, who were 4 and 8 years old, to help with the adjustment. When I was ready to enter the workforce again, my family was not as excited, so I started with a part-time prospect research job at UWCI.  I stayed in the field because it provided me with great work-life balance. I also enjoyed the types of people I worked with. 

Q: What do you find most rewarding about your role, and how has your perspective on the industry evolved over time?

A: I enjoy working with the gift officers and helping them develop a strategy with donors. I enjoy the one-on-one conversations with the gift officers. I think they are fun people to be around. I feel our industry has become more sophisticated with data over the years. For example, I have seen impressive presentations on how engagement scores have helped with prospecting, and in other areas in an organization.

Q: What trends or innovations do you see shaping the future of our field, and how do you think we should prepare for them?

A: Data analytics projects continue to grow. AI is going to change how our lives look so I would expect to see some impact in Prospect Research. I recommend to never stop learning! I encourage reading, watching, and participating in the industry webinars and conferences. When I look at my first prospect research book, published in 2008, it does not include any information on analytics from Apra International’s Book of Knowledge. The analytics area is where I see the industry growing the fastest.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone just entering this profession, what would it be?

A: Use Apra Indiana and/or International to meet people in the field. I would encourage you to reach out and talk to them, learn how their shops work, ask what projects they are working on, ask what they feel is going well, and what frustrates them. This is the best way to learn the industry, and gain ideas to bring back to your shop. I have only worked in single-person and small shops so I needed this network to grow my skills.