First, I’d like to wish all of our clients and happy new year and extend our collective WealthEngine best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010.As we enter the new year, its natural to reflect on the one that just came to a close. 2009 proved to be a watershed year for our Company. We experienced record growth as more organizations sought out the value of our products, services and prospect research expertise in a difficult fundraising environment. A number of client organizations—particularly those in the higher education segment—are beginning to successfully quantify the impact of prospect research on their fundraising effectiveness and are experiencing some very positive return on investments metrics. Prospect research directors are then leveraging this ROI analysis at leadership levels of the organization to preserve and grow their prospect research budgets. Since I believe so strongly that prospect research is the foundation of fundraising, WealthEngine is making an effort to encourage all of its clients to view prospect research through a return on investment lens more often.
We also have made a significant commitment to thought leadership, knowledge sharing and education in 2009—and will continue to do so in the years to come. Last year, WealthEngine established a Best Practices initiative that resulted in two in-depth studies that explored Best Practices in Prospect Research in Healthcare and in Higher Education. The studies were well received and were followed by related webcasts, roundtable discussions and educational, inperson group seminars. Once again, we extend our sincere thanks to the organizations that participated in these studies. Look for much more to come in this area in 2010 and beyond.
Some of the growth we experienced in 2009 was the result of clients using our products in new and innovative ways. For example, more hospitals have started “Grateful Patient” programs building daily or weekly patient screening through our WebExpress product into their regular fundraising business process. Stealing a page from this strategy, some of our university clients are adding regular or event-driven batch screening to their larger annual screenings of parents and alumnae. Some of our museum and arts-related clients are performing regular patron screening to consistently increase membership, rather than relying on more labor intensive membership drives.
Working with our 2000 clients, I’d like to think that together, we are changing the way in which fundraising business processes work. Perhaps its more of an evolution—either way, WealthEngine and its clients are doing it together and… its working, as evidenced by the fundraising effectiveness metrics clients are sharing with us. As we charge into 2010, WealthEngine has never been more committed to helping clients be successful in reaching their fundraising goals. Speaking for all of us at WealthEngine, we appreciate your business and we look forward to an exciting and engaging new year.