Resources (Outside U.S.A.-focused)

Individual and Institutional Resource pages (publicly accessible):

Tools and Tips

GDPR Resources:

Professional Organizations’ Resource Pages (accessible to members of APRA and CASE):

Books for International Researchers:

  • Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained 
  • The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy
    • Available for purchase here
  • Across Frontiers: New International Perspectives on Educational Fundraising
    • Available for purchase here.
  • Success with Asian Names by Fiona Swee-Lin Price (ISBN -13: 978-1-85788-378-7)

Amelia Aldred’s General Guidelines for International Prospect Research:

  • There is no comprehensive database for international research (sorry) but there are databases which contain international data from certain countries (see the bookmarks pages linked above).  Because of scarce database resources, you will often rely on primary and secondary sources including in-country resources, local experts, government documents, newspaper articles, academic studies.
  • Find ways to share information across departments and divisions at your organization.  Because travel budgets and time are limited, take advantage of every point of contact with your international prospects, including through volunteers, administration, and colleagues outside of fundraising.  At my organization, every office that has any regular international presence meets once a quarter to update each other and swap info.  If a regular meeting isn’t feasible, explore shared travel calendars, spreadsheets, and other online communication strategies.
  • Some information is better than no information.  Always ask yourself, “what does my organization need to know in order to take the next step with this prospect?” rather than “how do I find all the information possible about this prospect?”
  • Due diligence is especially important when doing international research because we often don’t know the context of individuals, companies, and foundations outside our own countries. For example, you may not be aware of a high-profile bankruptcy or lawsuit that hasn’t been covered by your domestic press.  Be familiar with your organization’s gift acceptance policies and make sure that you include relevant info for both domestic and international prospects.
  • The culture of philanthropy is different around the world; just because a country’s philanthropic practices don’t mirror those of the United States doesn’t mean that residents don’t have a “culture of philanthropy.”  Also, individuals may or may not subscribe to the general philanthropic culture of their country.  Use local philanthropic models as context for engagement, not as a hard and fast rule.
  • Finally, you cannot know everything, but you can learn just about anything!  While researching prospects I have learned about the parliamentary system in India, the London real estate market, the concept of pituto in Chile, and basic GIS usage.  Our strength as researchers isn’t our ability to be an expert on everything, but to figure out how to access the info that we need for a specific task.  Be bold and willing to learn new things!