--Last Updated 3/5/2007

Prospecting
(Using free Internet resources and library electronic databases)

Prospecting is:  The process of looking for information about people, places, and/or things that have the potential to impact an organization's funding streams.

When doing research on an individual you begin by looking for any information that you can find and then try to build on what you have found.  Try looking for information in the categories listed below then use the information that you find to find out more.

Conducting a simple name search can often result in increasing your information about a person.  Biographies and news article often provide information about an individual's family (including spouse, children, grandchildren, friends, associates, etc), relevant dates, education, civic interests, business history, and giving history.

1. ZoomInfo (formerly Eliyon Technologies):
   Search by executive or company name. 
       http://www.zoominfo.com/




2. MERGENTonline: (Must have a library card to log-in):
   Search by executive name to see if any companies are associated with them.
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/business.html




3. Forbes People Search:
   Provides information on many executives. (Must create a free username & password)
       http://www.forbes.com/peopletracker/




4. Obituaries – America's Obituaries & Death Notices:
   Often contain relevant dates, interests, and relationships.
   Library Database (Must have a library card to use):
       This database has access to the St. Louis Post Dispatch 1988 – present. 
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html
   


5. Hoover's Online Pro: (In Library Use Only)
   Detailed financial and executive biographies on more than 40,000 companies.
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/business.html
   


6. Marques Who’s Who:
   Library Database:
       Biography Resource Center has access to Marques Who’s Who 1985 – present
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html

1. Property Assessment Databases:
   Search by name or home address to see how much the property is worth. 
       http://www.saintcharlescounty.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=1029 (St. Charles County) 
       http://stlcin.missouri.org/assessor/lookup.cfm(St. Louis City) 
       http://revenue.stlouisco.com/ias/ (St. Louis County) 
       http://www.netronline.com (National search for Assessor's Databases)
   


2. Google Maps:
   To get a visual feel for the neighborhood try using:
       http://maps.google.com/

Occupation
Many professional organizations provide relevant information about a person's education, professional associations, interests, as well as home addresses.

1. Dentists:
   Professionals registered with the American Dental Association
       http://www.ada.org/public/directory/index.asp




2. Lawyers:
       Martindale-Hubbell
       http://www.martindale.com/xp/Martindale/home.xml
       Official Missouri Bar Lawyer Search
       http://www.mobar.org/directory/search_form_a.htm (Name)
       http://www.mobar.org/directory/search_form_b.htm (Practice)
       Findlaw.com: gives biographical information  
       http://wld.com  




3. Physicians:
       http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/amahg.htm 




4. Professional Registrar (Missouri Only):
       CPA's, Tattoo Artists, anyone who needs a license in the state of Missouri
       http://pr.mo.gov/

Place of Work / Corporate / Company Info 
Researching a person’s place of employment will often provide a lead to a greater understanding of the person’s giving potential (either personally or through his/her company) as well as an increased knowledge of the individual business relationships.

1. Secretary of State Database:
       http://www.nass.org/busreg/corpreg.html (National)
       http://www.sos.mo.gov (Missouri)
       http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/(Illinois)
   




2. WIS St. Louis MSA Workforce Information System:
       http://pprc.umsl.edu/wis/ (Main Page)
       http://pprc.umsl.edu/wis/Pages/bilgcomp.htm (Largest St. Louis Companies)
   




3. ReferenceUSA:
       Library Database
       ReferenceUSA provides access to information about companies .
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html
   
   




4. Dun & Bradstreet Million Dollar Database - Total US:
       Library Database
       Dun & Bradstreet provides company information such as sales & employee data, contact information, line of business, and more .
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html
   

Salary: Note: Public companies have to disclose salaries and compensation of its top officers, all of this information is located in the company's proxy statements that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

EDGAR "DEF-14A" (proxy statements): Proxy statements are VERY long, use EdgarScan to download the statement in rich text format (.rtf), then use the find feature on your document reader to search through the statement for your prospect's name.

1. MergentOnline: (Library Database - Need a Library Card to Access)  Enter the Executive's name in the Text Search to see if any companies are associated with that person.
   http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html#M




2. EdgarScan
   Then go to Price Water House Edgar filings to check out and download the company's annual report (10K) or proxy statement (DEF-14A)
   http://edgarscan.pwcglobal.com/servlets/edgarscan
   




3. Yahoo Finance:
       http://finance.yahoo.com/
   




4. Hoover's Online Pro: (Library Database - Need a Library Card to Access)
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html#H
   

Political Activities (with name or a company)
This type of research is useful in determining a person's interests as well as gauging his/her giving capacity.

1. Tray.com Political Money Database:
       Search by Executive name and/or business name.
       http://www.tray.com
   




2. OpenSecrets.org: This website lists top political contributors by zip code
       www.opensecrets.org  
   


3. Fundrace: Search Political Contributions by neighborhoods
      http://www.fundrace.org
   


4. Missouri Ethics Commission:
       Find contribution filings for local Missouri Candidates.
       http://www.moethics.mo.gov/Ethics/CampaignFinance/CF_PublicSearch.aspx?Candidate
   

1. The St. Louis Post Dispatch:
        http://www.stltoday.com/ (STLtoday)
       ** Also Available:  Library Database
       NewBank has access to the St. Louis Post Dispatch 1988 - present
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html
   




2. The Suburban Journals of the St. Louis Metro Area:
       STLtoday - neighborhoods
       http://stltoday.com/neighborhoods




3. St. Louis Commerce Magazine:
       http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/search/index.asp
       **Also Available: Library Database
       ProQuest has access to the St. Louis Commerce Magazine Business Journal
      1990 – current.
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html




4. St. Louis Business Journals
       Bizjournal: Search business journals of many major cities.
       http://www.bizjournals.com/search.html
       **Also Available: Library Database
       ProQuest has access to the St. Louis Business Journal 
       1999 – 2004. 
       http://www.youranswerplace.org/lanmenu/lanalpha.html
   

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