Most independent schools don’t struggle to understand why wealth screening and career intelligence matter. The real challenge is operational: if the insights aren’t easy to use in the fundraising workflow, they become an occasional reference rather than a daily advantage.
The solution is not “more reports.” It’s repeatable segments that refresh automatically, show up when you need them, and map to clear development and advancement actions.
One-time lists create two problems:
Recurring segments solve both. You define the logic once, refresh it on a schedule, and use the refreshed output to drive weekly execution.
If you implement only five (5) recurring segments this year, start with this starter set:
Logic: High net worth above a threshold (e.g., $5M or $10M+) AND not assigned to a prospect manager.
Why it matters: It’s the cleanest way to reduce leakage. Get visibility into high-value constituents who aren’t in anyone’s line of sight.
How teams use it: Monthly portfolio build and reassignment meeting.
Logic: High net worth AND lifetime giving below your leadership giving level (or below a set amount).
Why it matters: These are the “surprise gifts waiting to happen” if the relationship is built intentionally.
How teams use it: Monthly outreach list for frontline fundraisers and advancement leadership.
Logic: No gift in X years AND recent promotion/new role/meaningful title change.
Why it matters: Timing matters. Career momentum is an engagement trigger that creates a natural reason to reopen a relationship.
How teams use it: Stewardship-based reactivation: congratulatory note, personal call, invitation, or tailored ask.
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Logic: Households in portfolios AND recent liquidity, move, mortgage, or other “money-in-motion” signals.
Why it matters: This helps teams prioritize who to contact now versus later—without relying on anecdotal updates.
How teams use it: Monthly “who moved up / who cooled off” check-in before travel planning and outreach.
Logic: Multi-generational cohorts (Alumni, GP, Past Parents) AND high net worth AND recent wealth/career updates.
Why it matters: Historically, schools screened only once a year and focused only on new parents. This misses the 20%+ of funding that comes from alumni and legacy families. These groups need year-round monitoring to catch shifts in wealth, employment, and propensity.
How teams use it: Quarterly pipeline reviews to ensure legacy families aren't "aging out" of your outreach just because the student graduated.
Once the starter set is running, schools typically add the following more advanced segments:.
Event invitation segments that actually convert. Combine geography (metro area, property ownership) with wealth and engagement. Invite fewer people, get more meaningful attendance.
Matching gift opportunity segments. Compound results from existing donors by mapping employer data to your donor list. Set up triggers to proactively identify and engage donors who work for companies with high-ratio match programs.
Planned giving pipeline segments. Build a planned giving prospect list using wealth, age/tenure indicators you already track, giving history, and philanthropic signals.
A segment without a next step becomes busywork. Before you publish any segment, decide:
→ A simple rule: if the segment doesn’t change a meeting agenda, an outreach plan, or portfolio assignments, it’s not ready.
Here’s a cadence many schools can sustain without adding meetings:
This keeps intelligence moving through the system without becoming another project.
Ready to apply segments to your organization? Request a Windfall demo today.