Starting out with the prospect module

@Claudia Wellwood We use the Prospect Module and I have completed it and it works well for us. Some suggestions for the drop down box. Now depending on if you are using Database View or RE NXT, since in Database View, you can make fields required and in RE NXT you cannot make all of many of them required. Below is the info for the Proposals/Opportunities

NAME: We make this required and it is text. I suggest name the proposal appropriately and include the year or FY, whatever you use in the name.

PURPOSE (also required and I suggest have them really mean something). Some of ours are: Capital Expansion, Education, Planned Giving, Sponsorships and then we have various names of Events.

FUNDRAISER: (again required): Very important

PROPOSAL STATUS (Required): Our status contains the following: Step 1:Planningh, Step 2: Asked, Step 3: Approved/Accepted, Step 4: Complete/Closed. We also have Declined and Withdrawn in this section. Also in RE NXT you can enter the number of days, the first three steps should be in.

Ask Amount (Required)

Ask Date: (Required)

Below is an example. Each time the Status moves from Step 1 to Step 3, the ask date gets updated. When we run an proposal/opportunity list in RE NXT, we use the Date Added (which the system produces) into RE as opposed to Ask Date. Found this to be more beneficial.

You can add other drop-downs for the ones below that are not required.

Make sure the gift officers fill this out as soon as they begin a proposal and make sure they have the info filled out correctly.

Now your ORG may want to do thing differently, but I found this to be the best for us, especially when we report on our gift officers for the FY and what proposals they have, what steps and which ones get funded. Once they get funded our gift processor puts in the amount, the funded date. changes the status to Complete and links the gift.

We also use the following for the Prospect Status : Our Prospect status contains the following: Step 1: Identification/Research, Step 2: Qualification, Step 3: Cultivation, Step 4: Solicitation, Step 5: Stewardship, Not a Major Gift Prospect at this time. In RE NXT we have how many days each of the 5 statuses should be in.

Hope this helps.

@Claudia Wellwood In RE NXT (cannot do this in Database View), pick any record, go to the opportunity tab, click on the setting wheel and here you can put the number of days that each status should be (the number of day is something your ORG needs to decide). When it goes past you will get a warning on the record. TAKE NOTE: You cannot query or report on this right now.

The same process for the PROSPECT STATUS.