In case you haven’t heard, Helen Brown started this wonderful movement via blog post as a means to advocate for our profession. And, it looks as if the movement is spreading like wildfire.
I take great pride in my role as Director of Prospect Research and Management at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and as the new President of APRA-MidSouth -- mostly because I work with a wonderful team at UAB as well as a dynamic group of APRA-MidSouth board members who are also committed to promoting our profession. But one thing I’ve noticed as I’ve progressed in my career, prospect development is not only a job. It is ingrained into everything I do and say – and I’m not ashamed at all. For example:
- Whenever my prospect research eyes spots a newly mounted for sale sign in my neighborhood, my first impulse is to pull up Zillow and/or my county tax assessor’s database to see how that sale will affect my bottom line.
- My relationship management instincts kick in every time my daughter asks for a sizable donation. Usually, the response is for her to qualify a few more prospects before hastily jumping into the solicitation.
- And even though I’m not directly involved in data analytics, I have even managed to define the characteristics of our upcoming family reunion attendees that have the strongest potential for causing a ruckus.
So please join me in showing your #ResearchPride and let us know how APRA-MidSouth can advocate for you. We are planning a wonderful calendar of events for this year and will be sharing those dates very soon.
Sabrina Latham
Director, Prospect Research and Management
President, APRA-MidSouth
