March 7, 2017 | Read Time: 4 minutes
A few years after earning her master’s degree in anthropology, Amelia Aldred was working at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, where she managed its field-trip center and as many as 20 employees. The job was fun but far removed from the research she loved as a graduate student.
“On a busy day, we would see up to 6,000 children. Which is 12,000 mittens, right?” she says with a laugh.
In late 2012, Ms. Aldred landed a job as the University of Chicago’s first prospect researcher devoted to international fundraising. Chicago at the time was beefing up its fundraising abroad, adding structure and staff to what were largely ad hoc efforts.
Many universities and large nonprofits are now doing the same, which makes Ms. Aldred something of a veteran. From the beginning, she showed a scholar’s joy for discovery as she plunged into learning on the job. She researches not just individual donors but also a country’s culture, industry, and government, looking for insights into both wealth and philanthropy.
Ms. Aldred and colleagues at other institutions are helping each other learn. She runs a personal website that features her writing (fiction and nonfiction) but also resources for prospect researchers focused on donors abroad. Among the tools is an open-source Google doc pointing to helpful publications, websites, and organizations. These include the website for Ireland’s charities regulator, a ranking of Chilean law firms, and a list of Hong Kong’s wealthiest individuals.
Ms. Aldred also maintains a crowdsourced glossary that translates useful words and phrases like “salary” or “donate” into nearly 20 languages.
Here, Ms. Aldred shares advice about international prospect research:
Study the country as well as the donor: Ms. Aldred specializes in Latin America and Europe. With each country, she tries to answer questions like: What is the equivalent of the Securities and Exchange Commission? What industries are growing? How are nonprofits regulated? What private and public institutions influence or monitor giving and charitable work?
“We use a lot of primary sources; there’s not a comprehensive database,” she says. “It’s a lot of boots-on-the ground, old-school research.”
Apart from reading a lot about a country, Ms. Aldred talks with volunteers and others who’ve lived or spent time there. When gift officers return from a visit abroad, she debriefs them about the donor but also about their experience and the country’s economy, culture, and such.
Study a country’s customs and traditions of philanthropy: No country has a philanthropy model akin to what’s found in the United States, Ms. Aldred says. In many Asian countries, for instance, donors may be uncomfortable with a naming gift unless it honors someone else, like a former teacher or parent.
“If we want to be donor-centric,” she says, “it’s really important that we look at the context that our donors are operating in.”
Don’t expect ready-made outlines of a donor’s giving interests. Thanks to annual reports, foundation grant reports, and public announcements of big gifts, donors in the United States often leave a paper trail that speaks to their philanthropic interests. There are few such sources in foreign countries, Ms. Aldred says. “We really have to look at each donor holistically. You can’t take shortcuts.”
Spend time working with gift officers to develop a picture of a donor’s giving interests. This is part of any fundraisers job, but it’s more critical in foreign countries that don’t have a handy record of giving. Ms. Aldred works with gift officers before their visits to develop good leading questions to draw out information about their interests.
Recognize that donors often split their time between cities. “People with global interests are often global citizens,” she says. “Someone with a flat in London may also spend a lot of time at their office in Hong Kong.” Development staff should not assume donors will attend events only in the city where they officially reside.
Never assume a country lacks a culture of philanthropy. Giving in many countries is done privately. According to Ms. Aldred, there’s a strong tradition in Chile of giving to parish churches — philanthropy that’s largely under the radar.
Import other countries’ best ideas and traditions. Ms. Aldred says nonprofits often expect other countries to adopt American-style philanthropy. But she argues that fundraisers should explore what other countries can teach us about giving.
“I think we’re leaving ideas on the table,” she says. “If we’re not looking at the many ways that people do philanthropy, we’re missing out on the creativity and generosity of human beings.”
