May 17, 2001 | Read Time: 1 minute
By NICOLE LEWIS
The typical fund raiser who specializes in conducting background research on prospective donors is a college-educated woman aged 35 to 44 who earns between $30,000 and $39,999 annually, according to a new survey.
The survey, by the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, found that one-fourth of the prospect researchers who responded to the survey earn between $30,000 and $35,000, and nearly one-fifth earn $35,000 to $39,999. About 1 percent earn $85,000 or more.
About a fourth of the association’s 1,896 members provided data for the survey, which is based on information from last year.
Spending Patterns
All but 3 percent of respondents work for nonprofit organizations, with 62.5 percent employed by higher-education institutions, 14 percent by health-care institutions, and 5 percent by arts organizations.
A majority of respondents said their employers spend $25,000 to $50,000 on prospect research, not counting salaries. Most of the money is used to hire companies or obtain access to Internet databases to check donor addresses and to gather public information on donor finances and interests.
Free copies of the executive summary are available on the group’s Web site, http://www.aprahome.org, or from the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, 414 Plaza Drive, Suite 209, Westmont, Ill. 60559; (630) 655-0177. The full report is available only to the association’s members.
