Michigan State University Libraries - Prospect Research Resources

Prospect Research Resources

General Prospecting | People Prospecting | Company Prospecting
Professional Organization Directories | Professional Research Organization Directories

General Prospecting

David Lamb's Prospect Research Page
http://www.lambresearch.com/
A popular, comprehensive guide to prospect research information on the Internet maintained by David F. Lamb, Director of Prospect Research (and a few other things), University of Washington, 1200 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101-1116; Phone (206) 685-1980; FAX (206) 685-8911; E-mail: dlamb@u.washington.edu. Provides helpful links to company/executive information, foundations, commercial information providers, search engines, general reference, and other home pages.
Dr. Lamb has also published Prospect Research : A Primer for Growing Nonprofits which is available in the MSU Library Main Stacks or through interlibrary loan.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Foundation Center
Reference Guide for Researching Individual Donors
http://fdncenter.org/getstarted/guides/indivdonors.html
If you are looking for information on individual donors, this user aid will help you in your search. We have selected a few of the most important print and electronic resources for you to begin your search.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Internet Prospector: A Nonprofit Service to the Prospect Research Community
http://www.internet-prospector.org/
A terrific site maintained by Randy Bunny at the University of Wyoming. This home page provides the last dozen issues of The Internet Prospector, a monthly electronic newsletter that "mines the Net" for prospect research nuggets. Each issue reports on research sources related to Internet access, software access, corporations and ethics, foundations, grants, and international resources. Provides information on free e-mail subscriptions and lists contributing editors. Contains links to people locators and specialized Internet directories.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Investigator's Guide to Sources of Information
http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/soi/contents.htm

The 1997 edition of Investigator's Guide to Sources of Information by the U.S. General Accounting Office contains five chapters, four on information sources and a fifth on how to access information through the Internet.

The first four chapters--on local and state governments; federal agencies; directories, reference works, and other sources; and electronic databases--discuss selected information sources in definitive categories that investigators will find helpful. The guide's descriptions of information found in specific electronic databases were furnished by the organizations that administer the databases and have not been validated by GAO. Depending on their specific needs, users of the guide may want to independently validate the currency and accuracy of information in the databases. Tables in chapters 1 and 2 provide details on topics discussed in the chapters.

Chapter 5 is a guide to using the Internet for investigative purposes. In addition to sections on how to access the Internet and the tools and functions available for Internet interaction, chapter 5 contains a sample search that may be of particular interest to the novice Internet user. Chapter 5 also informs the user about the types of information available from the Internet. For specific information on the Internet and specific web browsers, please consult applicable software manuals, local bookstores and libraries, and/or various Internet service providers.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

NETSource : Selected Sites for Prospect Research on the Web
http://www.usc.edu/source/
Sponsored by the University of Southern California, Development Research Department. Covers corporate intelligence sources, both in the U.S. and abroad; people directories; online newspapers providing both full text and searchable archives; etc.
[Also listed as University of Southern California NETSource]
(Last checked 09/29/08)

NOZA's Prospect Research Resources for the New Researcher
https://www.nozasearch.com/prospectResearch.asp?!=1
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Philanthropy News Digest
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/
A weekly online news service provided by the Foundation Center, summarizing philanthropy-related articles and feature topies in the U.S. media.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Prospect Research
http://www.fundraisersoftware.com/content/view/180/
Prospect research refers to the techniques used to be able to ask the right people for the right amount and the right project at the right time. Why should you dedicate time and effort (or even money and staff) to this process?
John D. Rockefeller, in 1933, commented on this, saying, "it is a great help to know something about the person whom you are approaching. You can not deal successfully with all people the same way. Therefore, it is desirable to find out something about the person you are going to-- what his interests are, whether you have any friends in common, whether he gave last year, if so, how much he gave, what he might be able to give this year, etc. Information such as this puts you more closely in touch with him and makes the approach easier." Advice from Michel Hudson, Fundraiser Basic eNewsletter, Sept. 1, 2004.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Researching Funding Sources on the Web
http://www.zimmerman-lehman.com/internet.htm
This article deals with researching fundraising information on individual donors, foundation, corporate and government sources online. Tips from Zimmerman, Lehman, a consulting firm in San Francisco.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Researching Major Donors on the web
http://www.zimmerman-lehman.com/majordonorresearch.htm
Every day in this country nonprofits are sending direct mail letters to folks and asking them for $50--folks who could give $5,000 or $50,000 if asked face-to-face instead of by mail. Read here to find out how the web can teach you about prospective donors: Who they are, what their interests are and how much they might give.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Sandra Larkin's Prospect Research Blog
http://larkinresearch.blogspot.com/
An interesting way to share information and highlight your own prospect research services!
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Seventeen Minutes to Sustainable Funding : Building A Self-Sustaining Individual Giving Program
http://www.benevon.com/
Terry Axelrod has launched a web site for nonprofit leaders, esepcially development folk, who are interested in building a self-sustaining individual giving program for their organizations. Although nearly 90% of all charitable contributions come from individual donors, the vast majority of organizations are still heavily dependent on corporate and foundation grants or special events. The site draws heavily from a workshop Terry's been teaching and even includes a free online version of the $5000 workshop! She promises to update the site regularly with resources of value to people raising money from individuals.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Stanford University Development Office
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/OOD/RESEARCH/
(Last checked 09/29/08)

SupportingAdvancement.com
http://www.supportingadvancement.com/
Pulls together a wide variety of information resources of potential interest to college and university development employees.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

University of Southern California NETSource :
Selected Sites for Prospect Research on the Web
http://www.usc.edu/source/
Sponsored by the University of Southern California, Development Research Department. Covers corporate intelligence sources, both in the U.S. and abroad; people directories; online newspapers providing both full text and searchable archives; etc.
[Also listed as NETSource : Selected Sites for Prospect Research on the Web]
(Last checked 09/29/08)

University of Vermont Advancement Research Office
Prospect Research and Reference Tools
http://www.uvm.edu/~prospect/index.html
A collection of resources by Gray Cargill.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

University of Virginia Portico
http://indorgs.virginia.edu/portico
Assembled by prospect researchers at the University of Virginia, this web site includes pages on biographical information, corporate information, asset location and evaluation, nationwide listing of property assessors, public records, and more.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Valerie Au's Research Bookmarks
http://users.rowan.edu/~au/
A web site created by a former employee of the Michigan State University Office of Development Research, now at Rowan University in New Jersey. Includes links grouped by the following categories: corporations, education, foundations, government and politics, international, online vendors, phone/zip, professional groups.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Veritas Information Services Prospect Research Links
http://veritasinfo.com/page3.html
Another excellent compilation of web links.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Wall Street Executive Library Research Links
http://www.executivelibrary.com/Research.asp
Provides an impressive array of prospect research sources of information.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Waltman Associates
http://www.waltmanassociates.com/
Providing innovative reference works for prospect research. Also specializing in prospect research consulting and training.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

For additional resources on this topic, search the online catalog, Catalog of Nonprofit Literature. You can begin your search using the subject heading "Prospect research" or "Fundraising--individual solicitation." Note articles and publications can be requested through your favorite Foundation Center Cooperating Collection or your local public library.

People Prospecting

Note: No one web site is totally comprehensive. This is simply a collection of various useful tools I have discovered on the web. Some are great for finding e-mail addresses; some for postal addresses; some provide biographical information. All have potential for the prospect researcher. Enjoy.

Accurint
http://www.accurint.com/
Instantly find people and their assets, associates, relatives, and much more. A subscription database.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Alumni.Net
Formerly called World Alumni Page
http://www.alumni.net/
Trying to track down a former friend or graduate of a particular institution. Well if everyone registered, it might prove an awesome database. Check it out to see how many people have registered with the college or university of your choice.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Anywho Directory Services
http://www.anywho.com
Find Telephone Number, Email, Home Page URL, FAX, Toll Free Number, and Address. Sponsored by Internet Directory Group of AT&T Labs.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Argali ® White & Yellow
http://www.argali.com/
The most complete and reliable search of telephone and email directories on the Internet. Requires downloading of free software.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

BigFoot
http://www.bigfoot.com/
Bigfoot has the Internet's largest collection of e-mail addresses and "white page" listings. So finding your groovy family, friends, and colleagues starts here!"
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Big Yellow
http://www.bigyellow.com/
Useful for finding both people and businesses, courtesy of the yellow pages.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Biography.com
http://www.biography.com/
This site is provided by A&E Television Networks, the producer of the Biography television series. There are biographical descriptions of 20,000+ persons with the descriptions varying in length from a few sentences to several paragraphs.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Find a Friend
http://www.findafriend.com
Search by social security number, birth date or name, last known address, through consumer reporting agencies; or through national deceased file. Searches cost from $20 to $50. Sponsored by ACG/Computech Direct.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Finding People
http://www.lawhern.org/Findfolk/Start.htm
Lots of people want to use the Internet to find somebody. Advice from Richard A. Lawhorn.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Findlaw Reverse Directory
http://www.findlaw.com/directories/reverse.html
Search by phone number or by address.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Forbes 400 Richest People in America
2005: http://www.forbes.com/richlist/
Archives : http://www.forbes.com/richlist2003/rich400land.html
In another dog-bites-man story, Bill Gates once again tops Fortune's Richest 400 list this year. Interactive maps show national distribution of the richest Americans. Users must register (for free) to read the dozen features that accompany the list.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

InfoSpace.com's Ultimate Directory
http://www.infospace.com/
InfoSpace is a new Web based phone directory that claims to be the "most comprehensive on the Internet," with over 112 million listings. Users can search people, businesses, yellow pages, and fax directories in the U.S. and Canada. A blue pages government and toll free 800 number directory is available for the U.S. only at this time. Forthcoming services include a large email search service and map-based individual, business, and government directories. As always, there is no guarantee that information found is correct (as it is based on telephone directory listings), but the sheer magnitude of this venture, along with the fact that it includes Canadian as well as American listings, merits a look.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

INFOUSA.com's Nationwide Directory Assistance
formerly Lookup USA
http://adp.infousa.com/
Search by business name or person's name. Also provides reverse lookup.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Internet Address Finder
http://www.iaf.net/
Internet white pages. Also available in other languages.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Law Research People Search Databases
http://www.lawresearch.com/v2/cepeople.htm
A good collection of web sites compiled by Law Research. Needs updating though.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Lycos WhoWhere?
http://www.whowhere.com/
"WhoWhere? is the leading Communications Guide enabling people and businesses worldwide to find, connect and collaborate with each other by providing directories of email addresses, phone numbers and addresses, company URL's, free web based email and much more." Courtesy of the Lycos Network.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

The Obituary Page, 1994-
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Obituary/README.html
An attempt to capture obituary information from around the world. The webmaster invites readers to submit information from their local areas around the world.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

PeopleSpot
http://www.peoplespot.com/
Aims to be the ultimate search tool for info about people on the Web. Links to such things as vital records, demographics, e-mail, phone, reverse directories and genealogy resources.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Social Security Death Index via Roots.Com
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Switchboard
http://www.switchboard.com/
"Switchboard is the leading provider of white pages, yellow pages, free homepages, free email, and other personalization services on the web. If you use your yellowpages phonebook to find a business or lookup businesses you should be using Switchboard to lookup businesses online in the online yellow pages. If you are using the white pages phonebook next to your telephone to lookup people, find phone numbers, you should be using the online white pages from Switchboard to lookup people, find addresses and find phone numbers. Switchboard has addresses, zip codes, maps and directions, as well as information about nearby businesses for both businesses and people. Switchboard also has email lookup where you can find an email address, look at message boards and find free email and homepages associated with people on the web."
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Tax Assessor Database
http://www.pulawski.com/
(Last checked 09/29/08)

University of Virginia General Biography Internet Reference Sources
http://viva.lib.virginia.edu/reference/general/people.html
Interesting collection of web sites kept up to date.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Yahoo's People Search
http://people.yahoo.com/
Attempts to provide more information than the typical "white pages" listings. Besides e-mail addresses and personal web pages, some entries include information about educational institutions (high schools and colleges attended and years of graduation), employers, and special interests.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

10K Wizard
http://www.10kwizard.com/
Check to see if a prospective donor has been metioned in a company proxy report.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Company Prospecting

CEO Express Business Research
http://www.ceoexpress.com/#business
Provides an impressive array of business research tools available over the web. Categories include: business links, company research, financial markets, government agencies, international business, investing and ipo research, online investor services, online marketing, quotes and market news, sec, small business, statistics, and more. Also check out the daily news and info section which provides extensive links to news resources.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

EDGAR
http://www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm
EDGAR is a database of corporate information provided by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. For a tip on how to use EDGAR for prospect research, click here.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Fortune 500
http://www.pathfinder.com/fortune/fortune500/
Includes links to the company's web pages.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Hoover's Online
http://www.hoovers.com/
They call themselves "The Ultimate Source for Company Information." Whether your looking for CEOs or corporate headquarters addresses, this site has the data. Hoover's provides free access to over 10,000 company capsules. Each capsule provides a general description of the company and basic contact information, as well as links to other sites. For a subscription fee, you can get indepth corporate information for more than 2500 public and private companies worldwide, along with links to company web sites and to other information. Hoover's Online recently announced that it now provides access to the latest news stories on thousands of public and private companies worldwide, thanks to partnerships with CNNfn, the Los Angeles Times, Pathfinder, Ziff-Davis' ZD Net, Infoseek, and washingtonpost.com.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Internet Prospector's Corporate Information Sites
http://www.internet-prospector.org/company.html
The Corporate Sector on the Net is a wellspring of information for prospect researchers. Visit this site for a current collection of sites well worth visiting.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Locating Company Information on the Internet
http://www.llrx.com/features/company.htm
Martina Anders, LLRX, June 1999.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Matching Gift Details [Book]
Provides profiles of more than 7500 companies with matching gift programs. Latest edition currently available: 47th, 2002-2003. Available in Main Library Reference (1 East) Funding Center under the call number HG4028 .C6 C3

National Directory of Corporate Public Affairs [Book]
The new 15th edition is the only comprehensive listing of corporate individuals involved in public and community affairs, government relations and lobbying, public relations/communications involved in public and community affiars, government relations and lobbying, public relations/communications and policy planning and regulation. It also provides up-to-date contact information on over 1,900 major U.S. corporations and includes accurate descriptions of their foundations and charitable trusts, political action committees, publications, and related personnel. The directory cross references companies and their subsidiaries, companies that have recently changed names, and companies that have merged with other companies, to make it easier to find company information. 977 pages. Available in Reference under the call number HD59 .N37

Wall-Street.Com
http://www.natcorp.com/
"We provide convenient, free access to all the important financial and investment information on the Internet. Read our profiles of fast-growing companies and order annual reports. Browse our list of public corporations offering DRIPs. You can access the SEC's EDGAR server, stock quote servers, financial publications and investment newsletters, plus investor information from futures to mutual funds. We link to online banks, small cap companies, large companies and IPOs. We offer rapidly growing lists of online publicly traded companies, including those on the NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ (NMS, SMC and OTC-BBS."
(Last checked 09/29/08)

BigBook
http://www.bigbook.com/
Offers users access to listings for 16 million businesses. Each listing includes the business name, address, telephone number, and a street map of the area. Zoom buttons allow you to enlarge or narrow the focus of your map.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

BigYellow
http://www.bigyellow.com/
Big Yellow, provided by NYNEX Information Technologies is a U.S. national yellow pages phone directory of over 16 million businesses. The user can search by city, state, address, business category, and business name. Results provide name, address, and phone number. BigYellow is a work in progress, and some of its features, such as the business category feature, are not yet mature.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

GTE's Superpages
http://superpages.gte.com/
Reasons for using those hefty phone books only for door stops keep growing. GTE SuperPages provides phone numbers for more than 10 million businesses. And it's super fast.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Switchboard
http://www.switchboard.com/
Switchboard, provided by Banyan Systems, Inc., allows users to search its U.S. database of over 110 million names for telephone numbers and addresses. Listings are compiled from white pages directories throughout the U.S., although because white pages directories are usually updated annually, there is a possibility that the listing you get might be out of date. Switchboard is searchable by name, city and state. Retrieval looks exactly like a telephone listing. A help file is available on the home page. You may also register at the site and personalize your listing, adding an e-mail address if you wish. 10 million U.S. businesses are also searchable.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

World Pages
http://www.worldpages.com
"WorldPages.com is the world's premier Internet Yellow Pages and White Pages, Email directory, featuring 117 Million U.S. & Canadian white and yellow pages listings, 30 million URLs, 125,000 web sites hosted for local businesses, government listings, email and web search, maps, classifieds, ecommerce, and links to over 350 international online government, business and email directories worldwide."
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Professional Organization Directories

American Medical Association Doctor Finder
http://www.ama-assn.org/
Find physician addresses and credentials. From the AMA home page, click on "AMA Health Insight" and then "Physician Select".
(Last checked 09/29/08)

LawOffice.Com
http://www.lawoffice.com
Try the "Find a Lawyer" section.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator
http://lawyers.martindale.com/marhub
The online version of the well-thumbed, multi-volume lawyers directory. Find addresses, phone numbers, professional credentials.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

National Directory of Corporate Public Affairs [Book]
The new 15th edition is the only comprehensive listing of corporate individuals involved in public and community affairs, government relations and lobbying, public relations/communications involved in public and community affiars, government relations and lobbying, public relations/communications and policy planning and regulation. It also provides up-to-date contact information on over 1,900 major U.S. corporations and includes accurate descriptions of their foundations and charitable trusts, political action committees, publications, and related personnel. The directory cross references companies and their subsidiaries, companies that have recently changed names, and companies that have merged with other companies, to make it easier to find company information. 977 pages. $95 prepaid. Order by writing or faxing Columbia Books, Inc., 1212 New York Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Fax: (202) 898-0775. Available in Reference under the call number HD59 .N37

Professional Research Organization Directories

Association of Fundraising Professionals
http://www.nsfre.org/
The Association of Fund Raising Professionals has unveiled a new web site containing background information on the association and its certification program for fund raisers; a calendar of events sponsored by the association; and articles that explain the association's views on matters such as compensation and how to value gifts of appreciated property.

Future plans call for a national directory of fund-raising consultants, schedules for meetings of its 138 local chapters, and articles from its newletter.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Association of Professional Researcher's for Advancement (APRA)
http://www.aprahome.org/
Provides conference announcements, membership information, and links to resources.
(Last checked 09/29/08)

CASE Library Services
http://www.case.org
The web site for the Council for the Advancement and Support for Education, the international education association serving professionals in the fields of alumni relations, communications, and philanthropy. Be sure to check out the web links.
"Do you need sample annual fund brochures, job descriptions, phonothon scripts, or class agent manuals? Do you need articles from our CURRENTS magazine about donor recognition, the importance of endowment campaigns, or the steps in a major donor solicitation? Do you need to find the name of that new book on fund raising on the Internet, setting up a school foundation, or planning a library campaign? To find out what we can do for you, call (202) 328-5942 or 328-5958, stop by our Washington, D.C. office, or e-mail library@ns.case.org.]
(Last checked 09/29/08)

Assistance Requested

Thanks for visiting The Grants and Related Resources Home Page. This site is continuously updated and expanded, so check back soon for the latest changes.
If you notice any errors on this web page or would like to suggest an addition, please send an e-mail to: Jon Harrison

Jon Harrison : Page Editor Funding Center Supervisor Social Sciences Collections Coordinator Michigan State University Libraries 100 Library E. Lansing, MI 48824-1048 Last revised 09/29/08

This page has been visited

times since June 1, 1996.