Prospect Pipeline

Over the last several years in particular, we at KCI have found ourselves increasingly being asked by our clients to collaborate with them on the building of three, five and even 10 year revenue generation plans for their organizations. These professionals and their volunteers are telling us that while they are encouraged that they have managed to ride out the worst of the recession (hopefully!) by reducing costs and keeping existing donor relationships strong, they now need to focus on how to grow revenues and want to be sure they maximize every opportunity.

Interestingly, as we partner with our clients on this work, we’re finding that in the midst of the innovative ideas and strategies for raising funds that are being uncovered, there is one staid, traditional but perhaps most important area that needs time and attention – the prospect pipeline.

In this edition of Philanthropic Trends Quarterly, we explore the prospect pipeline in depth by examining a variety of questions that we knew would be of interest to the sector: What role does a healthy pipeline play in my overall revenue generation plan? What does a healthy pipeline look like? How will I know if my pipeline is healthy? What can I do to ensure the health of my pipeline? How do I check for leaks? And finally, what can I do once I have found them?