News Article

After the Wall Street Journal published an article raising questions on how nonprofit fundraising targets wealthy patrons and donors, some fear the government will place new restrictions on what information can be accessed for fundraising use.

Last week's meeting of the Association of Prospect Researchers for Advancement allowed fundraisers to express their concern over the article's portrayal of their profession, according to Chronicle of Philanthropy blogger Raymund Flandez.

During that meeting, Flandez writes that Elizabeth Crabtree, the former president of the APRA and director of prospect development for Brown University, said that the article was misleading, and that prospect researchers follow an ethics code and only use publicly available data, such as real estate and stock holdings, to assess potential donors.

"Prospect research is an integral part of helping organizations be more efficient and effective in engaging donors for the right project and the right ask amount," Crabtee told the source. For example, at Brown University, her department identified 11,671 new potential donors which allowed the school to raise $649 million in new gifts and pledges.

The disputed article in the May 16th issue of the WSJ - "Smart Money: Is Your Favorite Charity Spying on You?" - described ways in which technology has expanded to allow nonprofits to monitor potential donor behavior, from analyzing social media interactions to using "satellite images to eyeball the size of your swimming pool."