Prospect Status - examples for table entries

@Diana Gray This is what we use:

Step 1: Planning

Step 2: Asked/Pending

Step 3: Approved/Accepted

Step 4: Complete/Closed

Declined

Withdrawn

I feel the key is simplicity.

@Diana Gray So agree with keep it simple and written definitions of each status. Our list of inactve/no longer used is way to long, IMO. Different development staff have changed thru the years.

Our current active include:

There's also a cultivation status but I don't know definition for that vs. identification. Not area I work with.

@Diana Gray Do you have a moves management program already in place that you are in the process of adding to RE? If so, I would use the terms your staff is most familiar with. If this is a completely new process then simple is definitely better with very clear definition of terms and when gift officers should change them. So basically, what JoAnn and Joe have already said. :-)

@Diana Gray We have adopted a naming system from a presentation @Mark Guncheon did for the NNE User Group a few years ago. Mark, please chime in if I adapted too much . . . .

Actual Prospect Status Table Entry (Our definition - not part of the table entry)

Discovery (We find out about them)

Cultivation (They find out about us)

Solicitation (The ask)

Stewardship (The thanking)

Declined (Shhhh we don't like to talk about this one)

We also use opportunities for our Annual Fund ask amounts each year as well and for that I simply use.

AF_Open

AF_Closed

@JoAnn Strommen I really like the Permanent Stewardship - although in my typical naming I'd probably go with Stewardship_Permanent so if fell after Stewardship

@Diana Gray
Here is what we developed.

• Prospect Pool - Constituent has been added to the pool of prospects through some data analysis or ranking criteria.
• Identification - Constituent has been identified as a prospect for future work based on rankings and geographic location.
• Qualification/Research - Constituent is at a stage of being qualified as a prospect through research into potential interests, affinity, and capacity.
• Strategy Development - Constituent has been researched, and a strategy is being developed to cultivate.
• Cultivation - Constituent is being cultivated to confirm or adjust strategy and working to an eventual solicitation.
• Advanced Cultivation - Constituent has been in the cultivation stage for at least six months, and a plan is in place with 2-3 next steps to advance the relationship.
• Pre-Solicitation - The cultivation process is progressing, and the constituent is ready and willing for solicitation but waiting on the availability of all parties involved.
• Solicitation - Solicitation is scheduled.
• Negotiation/Close - Following up after solicitation, working with the constituent on the gift proposal to close.
• Stewardship - Constituent was closed on gift proposal and is being acknowledged, and ongoing stewardship activities are commencing.
• Renewal - Constituent's current gift commitment is nearing completion; cultivation and solicitation activities should resume.
• Deferred – Constituent's deferred commitment to a specific follow-up time, research/strategy/cultivation should be re-evaluated based on that time.
• Declined - Constituent declined commitment with no timeframe for follow-up, research/strategy/cultivation should be re-evaluated periodically.
• Low Affinity - Through conversations and outreach, the prospect has let staff know they have low affinity for the organization.

@Diana Gray
Just a quick comment here. I think all of these responses are great and really depend on your level of detail in tracking. One thing I wanted to caution is to make sure that you use different terms for your Opportunity/Proposal statuses as it can get confusing. I like to think of Prospect Status as specific to the person and Opportunity/Proposal Status as specific to the ask. Hope this is helpful.