That means that they take names from UW's Advance database and match them against other lists of people who might have the capacity to make a gift. This gives us is a powerful tool in the effort to identify new prospects. The answers are exciting. There are some limitations to a screening of this kind.
False matches go with the territory.
The information returned is often incomplete. Occasionally it is out of date. Before the front-line fund raising staff starts making appointments, the research staff is making sure that the information is accurate and as complete as needed to make that first contact. We're looking for people who have titles, property, securities and work for high-flying companies, but who have modest lifetime giving and are not on the prospect tracking system yet. These represent a potential donor population that is relatively untapped.