How the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Increase Giving Potential by 61%

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis serves central and southern Indiana through 125 parishes, 69 schools, five Catholic Charities agencies, and numerous ministries dedicated to faith formation, education, and service to the most vulnerable. Since 1834, it has played a vital role in faith formation, charitable outreach, and services for vulnerable populations.

For years, the Archdiocese relied on experience and intuition to manage major gift portfolios. While relationships were strong, there was no consistent way to quantify prospect donor potential, resulting in stagnant portfolios and missed opportunities. With limited resources and no consistent way to prioritize prospects, gift officers struggled to focus their time where it would have the greatest impact. It was clear that a new approach was needed to overcome these obstacles and drive meaningful change.

Putting Data in Service of Stewardship

Executive Director of Stewardship and Development Jolinda Moore set a goal to strengthen stewardship and development by putting data at the center of major gifts work. To support this shift, the Archdiocese brought on Jennifer Briganti, a database consultant with Blackbaud partner Prenger Solutions Group and adopted Prospect Insights Pro to bring greater structure and clarity to portfolio management. Briganti worked with them to upgrade to Prospect Insights Pro because of the impact it would have.

“Prospect Insights Pro screens the entire database and elevates people who can give to you in the next year, making it possible to target portfolios far more efficiently,” she noted.

By leveraging Prospect Insights Pro, the Archdiocese identified 311 new prospects ready to engage and gained clear visibility into who belonged in major gift portfolios versus annual giving. Through careful refinement, removing lower potential prospects while elevating those with greater readiness and capacity, the team uncovered nearly $14 million in new opportunity.

This data-driven approach gave gift officers confidence to focus their time where it mattered most, aligning outreach with donors most likely to make an impact in the near term.

“The Propsect Insights Pro data allowed us to be more strategic,” said Moore. “We could say, ‘It’s time to say goodbye,’ to some relationships and confidently say hello to others where deeper, more impactful conversations were possible.”

Building Accountability and Efficiency

With clearer insight into donor readiness, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis strengthened portfolio management by establishing a structured, accountable major gifts program. Leaders established consistent metrics for actions, opportunities, and outcomes—and required timely updates to donor records. “We made it a requirement,” Moore said. “If it’s not in the database, it never happened. Our staff now understands how tracking these details helps the organization—not just their individual relationships.”

Prospect Insights Pro and Raiser’s Edge NXT helped the team move away from clustering asks in a single season by making timing more visible and actionable. Prospect Insights Pro highlighted which donors were most likely to give in the next 12 months and which relationships needed renewed engagement sooner rather than waiting for the annual appeal.

At the same time, opportunities and actions in Raiser’s Edge NXT helped teams plan asks across the calendar and capture every interaction in one system, reinforcing a more thoughtful, year round solicitation strategy instead of last minute, seasonal outreach.

Briganti explained that establishing procedures and aligned metrics was critical to sustaining this shift. “Having structured data allowed us to align metrics with actual prospect data,” she said. “It was revolutionary in helping us prioritize prospects and streamline decision-making.” Prospect Insights Pro also reinforced a culture of accountability. As Moore reflected, “Jennifer’s neutrality as a consultant encouraged gift officers to rely on data rather than feelings—and it built a network of trust and encouragement.”

The Archdiocese also reinforced the importance of entering data into the system, ensuring that all actions, opportunities, and notes were recorded for future reference. This created a foundation for long-term success by preserving institutional knowledge.

Onboarding and Training for Success

The adoption of Prospect Insights Pro also transformed the Archdiocese’s onboarding process for new gift officers. Moore described the updated approach: “We ensure all incoming officers dive into BlackbaudU training resources so they understand how the system works. Then, Jennifer and I collaborate to build tailored portfolios for new officers that support success from day one.”

By integrating data-driven insights into the onboarding process, new officers were better equipped to focus immediately on fostering relationships with high-potential prospects. “Using Prospect Insights Pro, we were able to efficiently create portfolios that set new officers up for success,” said Briganti. “The solution elevates the best prospects to focus on, saving time and maximizing their impact from day one.”

Expanding Donor Engagement for the Future

With data now at the forefront, the Archdiocese blends analytics with mission-driven, personal conversations to deepen donor engagement. Drawing on insights from Prospect Insights Pro, gift officers assess both capacity and interest, then identify new philanthropic opportunities that align with donors’ values and the Archdiocese’s mission—moving beyond transactional gifts toward more meaningful, long-term relationships and opportunities for transformational giving.

“This process grounded our team in why we record actions and data,” Moore reflected. “It’s about building relationships between donors and the Church—not just between donors and individual officers—and helping those relationships grow over time.”

The team applies this same disciplined approach to managing its nearly $6 million annual appeal, spacing proposals throughout the year to avoid peak‑season overload and minimize donor fatigue. This proactive scheduling creates a steady cadence of asks that supports thoughtful timing for both donors and gift officers.

By committing to a single source of truth, every interaction, plan, and outcome is documented and accessible, supporting continuity through staff transitions and enabling future officers to build on established knowledge. Together, these practices lay a strong foundation for sustained donor engagement and continued fundraising success.