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• Apra-IL Webinar: Building Bridges, Not Lists - Turning Portfolios into Pipelines That Perform

  • When
    Tue, January 27, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom
  • Registered
    20 registrants

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  Apra-IL Webinar: Building Bridges, Not Lists - Turning Portfolios into Pipelines That Perform

  At Caltech, gift officers build their portfolios one at a time after being presented with prospective donors by the Prospect Research team. Only those prospective donors who show signs of philanthropic inclination and possible motivation to give are put in front of gift officers; keeping portfolios small in this way helps ensure a strong donor pipeline by letting gift officers focus on tailoring individualized approaches for each assigned prospect. With the Research team prospecting for potential donors and the Prospect Management team keeping their portfolio data up-to-date, Caltech's gift officers are free to concentrate on meeting their yearly fundraising goals. 

  In this presentation, learn how Caltech keeps their prospect data organized so that their fundraisers can visualize their gift strategy for all of their potential donors.

  Speaker Bio: 

  Cynthia Mikimoto serves as Associate Director of Prospect Management at Caltech, where she partners closely with development officers to ensure their portfolios remain accurate, current, and strategically aligned. Collaborating with Information Services, she works to uncover insights and narratives within data that empower fundraisers to focus their efforts more effectively.

  Cynthia has co-presented on the critical collaboration between fundraisers and prospect development at conferences in 2023 and 2024. In recognition of her leadership and contributions to the field, Cynthia was elected President of the California Advancement Researchers Association (CARA) in 2025.

  
  

  
  

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• Apra-IL: February Office Hours

  • When
    Fri, February 06, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom
  • Registered
    2 registrants

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  Apra-IL: February Office Hours

  • Are you new to prospect development?
  • Are you a new Apra-IL member?
  • Are you a team of one and want to meet other prospect researchers?
  • Are you exploring a new project or tool and want to hear others' experiences?
  • Do you want to meet others in the field?

  Join the Apra-IL Board for an informal Office Hours session to discuss current projects, ask questions, learn about upcoming events, and meet other chapter members virtually!

  If you have a specific question or topic you want to be sure is covered, let us know when you register and we will be sure to address it.

  Registration is free and open to Apra-IL members and non-members alike.

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• Apra-IL Webinar: Revolutionize Your Database - Fix Messy Data and Build a Strong Foundation

  • When
    Tue, February 24, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom
  • Registered
    6 registrants

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  Apra-IL Webinar: Revolutionize Your Database - Fix Messy Data and Build a Strong Foundation

  Do you trust the data quality of your database? Do you ever pull a list of donors and question the validity or accuracy of the data? You are not alone. In a competitive fundraising environment, it can be challenging to build a pipeline of future donors, but some of your best prospects might be hiding in your database. In this hands-on workshop, attendees will be guided through ways to identify messy data, how to build a plan for cleaning the data, and strategies for building processes and procedures for not only keeping data clean but using it to prospect for new donors. Participants will be challenged to think about ROI of cleaning certain aspects of the database, no matter what database system they use. As you prepare for this session, take this data self- assessment to see how accurate YOUR donor database is.

  
  

  Speaker Bio: 

  Stephanie Willis - Senior Manager of Prospect Development, Creative Fundraising Advisors: Stephanie is passionate about helping nonprofits understand how to effectively use data and research to enhance fundraising. She has over ten years of experience in prospect research, prospect management, and data analytics at both higher education and nonprofit organizations. Stephanie is the author of the upcoming book, The Art and Science Approach to Fundraising Data and Research (Amplify Publishing Group, 2026). At Creative Fundraising Advisors, Stephanie’s main responsibilities are establishing strategy, procedures, and processes for the areas of prospect research, prospect management, and data analytics, while also providing operational support for client campaign and fundraising initiatives.

  Stephanie is Blackbaud certified in Raiser’s Edge NXT and Raiser’s Edge, and has a master’s degree in library science. Additionally, she is a Gallup-certified Strengths coach and enjoys helping others understand, apply, and integrate CliftonStrengths results into their lives and work. Stephanie has also been an Apra member and volunteer since 2013. For six years, she served on the Apra Indiana Board in roles including webmaster, programming chair, treasurer, and vice president. In 2019, Stephanie co-founded the Apra Great Lakes chapter to launch a new regional experience for local state chapters. She has been a regular attendee and speaker at the annual Apra PD conference and served on the Curriculum Planning Committee for three years. Stephanie is currently serving on the Apra International Board and is the President of the Apra Foundation.

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• Apra-IL Webinar: Excel Sorcery - Top 5 Excel Formulas to Utilize in Prospect Research and Management

  • When
    Wed, March 18, 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom
  • Registered
    7 registrants

  Register

  Apra-IL Webinar: Excel Sorcery - Top 5 Excel Formulas to Utilize in Prospect Research and Management

  Have you ever wondered how Excel wizards conjure up data and insights by typing what seems like pure gibberish? Well, wonder no more!

  Join Chris Copsey, the UNC Health Foundation's Assistant Vice President of Prospect Development, for a fast-paced, fun, and practical session that reveals the top 5 Excel formulas to utilize in Prospect Research/Management.

  By the end of the session, you'll: 

  • Understand the magic behind the key Excel formulas
  • Learn how to apply them in your daily work
  • Walk away feeling like an Excel wizard

  This session is for the formula novice, or if you're looking to sharpen your spreadsheet skills. By the end of the session, you can count yourself as part of the army of Excel users!

  Speaker Bio: 

  Chris Copsey is the UNC Health Foundation’s Assistant Vice President of Prospect Development. Since 2019, Copsey has provided the Health Foundation with data and analytical support, mainly supporting grateful patient identification, cultivation and solicitation activities. He assists with the strategic coordination of critical data and information sharing between the donor and alumni database, EPIC, and other resources as necessary, and serves as a liaison between the Health Foundation and University of North Carolina Development office as it relates to data management and information sharing. He is also very active in Apra, serving currently as a board member of Apra Carolinas and previously helping to organize their one-day conference for philanthropic data professionals called Data Science Now.

  Copsey graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in 2008 with a dual degree in Political Science and History. He enjoys reading books on American History, playing golf (poorly) and plotting out the best ways to grow vegetables in his yard — a work in progress! Copsey lives in Snow Camp, North Carolina, with his wife Trinh, and son, Theodore.

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