LOS ANGELES, SEPTEMBER 1, 2009 – Prospect research specialist Fitzgerald Information Services announced the launch of The Advancement Research Toolkit – a comprehensive series of online courses designed to provide advancement professionals with strategies and training to effectively target and track fundraising prospects. The Toolkit currently features five robust courses and more than 200 pages of content. The Toolkit has been approved by the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) International, the premier credential for professional fundraisers, and offers subscribers the opportunity to earn 5.5 credits toward CFRE certification.

“The Advancement Research Toolkit is designed to address the needs of all levels of advancement staff – from the brand-new assistant to the senior fundraiser,” says Aimee Fitzgerald, president of Fitzgerald Information Services, who has 15 years of experience in the field with such institutions as the University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount University and Pepperdine University. “Asking the right donor for the right gift for the right project at the right time is the key to fundraising success. It was my goal, in developing the Toolkit, to offer affordable, easy-to-access training to help ensure that success for development operations of all sizes. To gain insider’s tips on prospect research, you no longer have to spend time away from the office or incur travel and lodging expenses by attending a conference.”

A free preview of The Advancement Research Toolkit, along with information on the various subscription packages, is available at www.AdvancementResearchToolkit.com. Current courses include:

• Advancement Research, which covers the fundamentals of researching individual, foundation and corporate donor prospects, and provides in-depth descriptions of where to find detailed biographical information, how to value stock holdings, private businesses, real estate and other financial indicators, as well as evaluating a prospect’s giving history and interests.
• Research Tools, which explores sources of free information as well how to get the most out of commercial database aggregators, such as Lexis-Nexis, Factiva and Dialog.
• Prospect Management & Tracking, which addresses how to effectively track and report donor data.
• Ratings & Classification, which provides guidance on to interpret and effectively utilize the research you’ve uncovered.
• Advanced Research Primer, which offers more in-depth and complex tools to take an advancement program to a higher level.

Subscribers obtain full access to all of the courses, even new ones as they are added, for the duration of their subscription period. New modules currently being developed include International Research, Evaluating Resources and Products, and Proactive Research Planning. The modules can be learned in any order, enabling busy professionals to proceed at their own pace. Since the challenges to advancement staffs are ever-changing – as currently demonstrated by the economic crisis – the Toolkit aims to be a flexible resource by offering interactivity as well as convenient, easy-to-navigate materials.

Subscribers can use the Toolkit’s online question-and-answer section and page-by-page commentary, and also have direct access to Fitzgerald through private email conversation for confidential response to specific prospect research questions and challenges.

“The Advancement Research Toolkit gives you access to one of the top researchers in the profession,” says Nancy Taylor, development research specialist at the University of Southern California. “Aimee’s depth of knowledge and experience is priceless.”

Subscriptions start at $300 for the first month, with discounts for additional months – which can be nonconsecutive. Multiple fundraisers within an organization can share a subscription, but only one person may log in at a time. For more information, visit www.AdvancementResearchhToolkit.com, email training@fitzgeraldinfo.com or call Fitzgerald at 310.259.6864.

About Fitzgerald Information Services
Founded in 2005, Fitzgerald Information Services is dedicated to helping nonprofits utilize a targeted approach to identifying giving capacity and inclination among their donor prospects. Company founder Aimee Fitzgerald previously served as Director of Prospect Research at both Pepperdine University and Loyola Marymount University, and was a research associate at the University of Southern California during its precedent-setting $2.85 billion fundraising campaign. Her for-profit experience includes work for numerous corporations ranging from Grey Advertising to NBC Entertainment. Fitzgerald is a frequent presenter at seminars and conferences for such organizations as the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA), California Advancement Researchers Association (CARA) and the Special Library Association (SLA). She is a member of APRA, CARA and the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP). The new Advancement Research Toolkit enables Fitzgerald to share her 15 years of prospect research experience even more widely.