Resources for Finding Physician Compensation

In estimating a prospect’s gift capacity, having a good sense of his/her compensation range is very important. Many industries offer resources that can help you gain a better picture of estimated compensation, and I am always excited to learn of new resources!

For physician compensation, I like to use Merritt Hawkins. They post physician job postings on their website, complete with salary ranges. I typically use this and cross-check it against Cejka (a popular resource among my colleagues), and the two are almost always comparable. Look to the far right side of the web page, where you can search job postings by specialty. You can also search by region, but I usually include all regions in the initial search – the results include a column with the region listed, and this way you pull all the postings in the selected specialty.  The trick is needing salary info for a position that is currently posted…

What compensation resources do you use for other industries?

Caroline Rossini, Treasurer, APRA MidSouth
treasurer@apramidsouth.org

Rich Lists

The following link shows a compilation of various rich lists. It looks like it will be particularly useful for international research. The U.S. lists are at the bottom.

http://www.helenbrowngroup.com/services/the-rich-list/

Guest Post: Excel Tip of the Week: Pivot Tables

Knowing how to use Microsoft Excel is important when it comes to analyzing research data.  It's even better if you know about pivot tables.  Please check out this illuminating blog post on pivot tables by friend-of-APRA MidSouth, Doug Midkiff.  Thanks, Doug!  You can see more of Doug’s excellent Excel tips here.

Newsletters, Listservs, and Blogs, oh my!

I am always looking for ways to add new resources to my research tool box. Newsletters, listservs, and blogs are the perfect solution and let you sit back and have all of those helpful links come right to you. Of course, you know about the great resources APRA MidSouth is offering on our blog, but what about non-traditional prospect research sources? Business librarians and other information entrepreneurs know their stuff and they have some great resources.

Here are some of my favorites:

My absolute favorite newsletter is from BestBizWeb. Once a month I receive this gem in my email box full of some of the best business research sites The Information Advisor has recently come across. I love the simplicity of the email and that I can quickly learn if the site they’re suggesting is free or fee-based, the URL, type of information provided, and a quick review of the site itself.

If you haven’t heard of ResearchBuzz, go there NOW and sign up to follow their blog by email. You’ll receive an email summarizing lots of great information on search engines, databases, and other online information collections.

The Internet Scout Report is another way to satisfy your inner nerd every Friday through another electronic newsletter. The Scout Report is the flagship publication of the Internet Scout Project and has been published continuously since 1994. Even when it is not related to prospect research, I always walk away learning something new. As a bonus, be sure to check out the site’s Scout Weblog for some interesting links to other blogs and topics around the world.

Marcy Phelps of Phelps Research has a monthly newsletter you can subscribe to and receive monthly tips and sites for Internet research.

Phil Bradley’s weblog focuses on Internet searching, Web 2.0 resources, and search engines and their development. He’s a good one to add to your RSS feed.

Sometimes I don’t need a link to a new site, but I do need a little professional motivation or insight. My daily alert to the Harvard Business Review always provides an interesting blog post or two on a variety of subjects including managing people, innovation, leadership, and various business topics. (Note: there is a limit on the number of articles you can view per month.)

Now it’s your turn – what are some of your favorite blogs and newsletters?

Angie Herrington, Vanderbilt University

One Stop Shops

One of the most common sites prospect researchers frequent are county property assessors to look for or verify property ownership. Over the years I’ve found several sites I like to think of as “one stop shops.” These sites provide a comprehensive list of county property assessor links. In addition to these helpful links, several sites also provide access to other free public record searches in every state and county in the United States.

Similar to the amazing and comprehensive website Christine Pulawski created (http://www.pulawski.net/) these websites save valuable time (and your sanity) when looking for the direct link to the online database for an obscure county’s property assessor.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Free Public Records Search Director
http://publicrecords.onlinesearches.com/
I use this site the most when searching for a county assessor’s page.

(Click on images to enlarge them.)

After clicking on the state you are searching, you can quickly access the specific county you want by using the drop down menu in the left corner of the page. You will then be directed to a series of links associated with that specific county.

Not sure which county your city is located? Use the Geographic Names Information System (http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/) OR the U.S. Census Bureau’s State and County QuickFacts (http://quickfacts.census.gov/cgi-bin/qfd/lookup) to quickly find the county.

BRB Publications, Inc.’s Free Resource Center
http://www.brbpub.com/free-public-records/

Although this site will also search county property assessors by state, it has turned into my first stop for looking up state occupational licensing boards.

Sorted by state, BRB provides a comprehensive list of occupations to choose from to verify an individual or firm’s information. Each state is different about how much information they provide, but some include current employer, education, specialty board certifications, community service/awards/honors, disciplinary history, etc.

Other comprehensive sites you might find helpful and can add to your research toolkit:
Northwestern University’s research department compiled and maintains a comprehensive and incredible site:  http://www.nudevelopment.com/research/bookmark.html

University of Virginia’s Portico is a very helpful web resource:  http://indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/home.html

The University of Vermont also has a helpful compilation of prospect research sites:  http://www.uvm.edu/~prospect/index.html

University of Southern California’s research office has also compiled and organized multiple online resources:  http://www.usc.edu/dept/source/index.html

Although it has not been updated in several years, David Lamb’s prospect research page still has helpful links:  http://www.lambresearch.com/

NETROnline:  http://www.netronline.com/

Wall Street Executive Library:  http://www.executivelibrary.com/Research.asp

Search Systems.net:  http://publicrecords.searchsystems.net/

Virtual Gumshoe:  http://www.virtualgumshoe.com/resources/

Property Assessment Directory:  http://www.propertyassessmentdirectory.com/

What comprehensive sites have you found most helpful with your work? Share with us in the comments.

Research Catalog: APRA MidSouth Presents an Exciting New Resource for Members

APRA MidSouth is pleased to announce the latest benefit for its members, an extensive resource catalog containing insight on over 80 fantastic free internet resources to aid and assist prospect researchers and development offices.

A prospect researchers dream come true, this meticulous catalog covers everything from corporations and stock holdings to real estate information and philanthropic giving histories.  This guide was compiled by a series of seasoned researchers and is a wonderful compliment to any shop or individual seeking to expand their research capacity without engaging in various subscription fees or to simply enhance their online resource pool.  In essence, it's making the most of your budget and the pantheon of content that is offered by the world wide web.  Here's a sample of what this catalog contains:

This is a mere sample of the actual catalog and one of the many perspectives and resources that can be gained by joining APRA MidSouth.