Online Prospect Research Tips

August 2006 By Elaine Lotto

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* How can I find biographical information about someone?

Web site: www.zoominfo.com

At ZoomInfo, enter a person’s name and click “Search.” You’ll find identifying facts about him or her, and maybe even a photo. You can click on the person’s name to find numerous Web sites that mention the person, or click on the company name and connect to Web sites about it.

* How can I find someone’s income at a public company?

Web site: http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html

The salaries of the top five officers of public companies are in proxy statements. Enter the name of the prospect’s company on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Web site. You need to be sure you enter the name of the ultimate parent company, e.g., for Citibank you must enter Citigroup Inc. Click “Find Companies,” and then select the company name again. Scroll down until you get to form DEF 14A (the definitive proxy). Click “html” and DEF 14A again. Use the Find feature on your browser to jump to each mention of the prospect within the document, looking for salary, stock holdings, options, etc.

* How can I find out a person’s salary at a private company?

Web site: www.salary.com/salary/layoutscripts/sall_display.asp

Private companies rarely publish such information, but at Salary.com you can find average incomes by job title, narrowed down by geographic location. Select the job category that fits the donor, along with the city and state, and click “Search.” You’ll find many job descriptions, so look for one that closely matches your prospect’s position. Then you can see base pay and bonus information for free.

Elaine Lotto is principal at Pittsford, N.Y.-based nonprofit prospect-research firm Development Research Systems. She can be reached via www.elainelotto.com

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