Contact reports and proposals are essential to the development process and are made up of many distinct pieces of data collected within the database. The process of managing the entry of these key functions can be laborious, requiring data entry from multiple sources, extensive review, and sometimes re-entry. This session will demonstrate a team-based approach that incorporated subject matter expertise from prospect management, data management, and information systems culminating with the development of an application using The Raiser’s Edge application programming interface (API). The application automated the contact reporting and proposal processes, saving substantial staff time, improving data accuracy, enforcing entry of required data, and enhancing the security around donor data.

3. provide insight and inspiration on how to build an automated processSESSION Overview

5. Define our key development functions – the collection of the contact reports and proposals

6. Describe how we automated a process for collecting this dataAGENDA

7. Introductions Minnesota Medical Foundation at the University of Minnesota Daniel Lantz, Application Development Manager, Information Services Deborah Mueller, Director of Prospect Development

8. OUR MISSION The Minnesota Medical Foundation (MMF) helps people live healthier lives by advancing the health-related research, education, and care at the University of Minnesota.

9. OUR Objectives

11. Separate 501(c)(3)

12. First staff hired in 1959

13. Raised 1/3 of the University total during Campaign Minnesota

14. Brought in 3 of the largest gifts in University history:

15. $65M for cancer research

16. $50M for U of M Amplatz Children’s Hospital

18. A contact report is a meaningful and constructive communication between an MMF staff member and a potential donor The contact report involves various data elements collected within Raiser’s Edge WhatisACONTACTREPORT?

20. To record the history of the relationship

21. To communicate with other MMF staff

22. Establish metrics to measure performance

23. Maintain official records of the prospect relationshipWHYCOLLECTACONTACTREPORT?

25. Brief summary of contact

26. Complete narrative of visit

27. Prospect strategy

28. Next steps

29. Prospect manager, prospect classification and rating

30. Philanthropic interests

31. Basic demographic changes

32. Need to add/update prospect teamcontact report details

33. NOTES

34. ACTIONs

35. PROSPECT INFORMATION

36. A verbal or written document that defines a problem or need, proposes a solution to a problem and requests funding to implement the solution. WHAT IS A PROPOSAL? Mikelonis, Victoria M., Betsinger Signe T. Nielsen, and Constance Kampf. Grant Seeking in an Electronic Age. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2004. Print.

38. Proposal solicitor

39. Anticipated ask date

40. Proposal status

41. Gift type and vehicle

42. Dollar range – rating

43. Anticipated ask amount

44. Amount and date asked

45. Amount and date anticipated

46. Amount and date fundedPROPOSAL details

47. Automating KEY DEVELOPMENT FUNCTIONS

49. Created e-mail template

50. Service Center approach

51. New application via API processHistory of Collecting Contact Reports/ Proposals

53. Increase efficiency and simplicity for all staff

54. Empower major gift officers

55. Build secure process

56. Eliminate use of e-mails

57. Provide mobility and flexibility

58. Control completeness and accuracyOverallProjectGoals

60. Remote access

61. Gather same info as currently collecting

62. Display existing data in RE

63. Allow modification of certain data elements

65. Easy to access and use

66. SecureProjectRequirements

69. contact report processing reduced time allocated to data entry from 67% to 10%

70. Simplified interface increased speed of data entry

71. development assistants had time for other projects - data is entered directly by MGO’s

72. Metrics and other reports more accurate and up-to-dateOutcomesofNewApplications

74. contact reports can wait in queue and be shared with other MGO’s

75. contact reports are no longer emailed

76. More accurate data

77. required fields are limited

78. data must accepted before entry into RE

79. RE business rules are maintained by using API

83. ColdFusion 9.1 – dynamic web development

84. jQuery – user interface tricks

85. HTML – core building blocks for web page

86. CSS – styling the page

87. RAISER’S EDGE

88. Visual Basic .NET

89. Raiser’s Edge APITOOLS used

91. Business rules set in Raiser’s Edge are enforced via the API

92. API is accessible via code written in VB.NET or Visual Basic 6.0

94. creating a contact report

96. Validating Contact report/proposal

97. CollectingProposal DATA

99. Get MGO buy-in

100. Need to be flexible while rolling out / application phases

101. Feedback and responses from MGOs

102. Trustworthy and accurate systems

104. Thankyou ContactInformation MinnesotaMedicalFoundationattheUniversityofMinnesota DanielLantz–d.lantz@mmf.umn.edu DeborahMueller–d.mueller@mmf.umn.edu