It's one thing having the tools and quite another to be able to use them effectively. Research oriented books and training courses are invaluable in showing you how to develop your research skills.

Books

Why the Wealthy Give; The Culture of Elite Philanthropy by Francie Ostrower (1995)

Seminal study of American philanthropy by a Professor of Sociology, based upon personal interviews with 99 wealthy donors.

Targetting the Powerful: international prospect research by Vanessa Hack (1997)

Wonderfully detailed discussion of all aspects of prospect research by the former Head of Research at Oxford University, although some parts, understandably, are now slightly dated.

Find the Funds by Chris Carnie (2000)

Great little introduction to the principles of prospect research by a leading European researcher. A good place to start if you are new to research.

Prospect Research; A Primer for Growing Nonprofits by Cecilia Hogan and David Lamb (2004)

Another very comprehensive guide to prospect research by two leading American researchers.

Why Rich People Give by Theresa Lloyd (2004)

To some extent, a British version of Why the Wealthy Give (with which it can stand comparison in scope and acievement) by a leading fundraising consultant. Well worth reading.

Major Donors; Finding Big Gifts in your Database and Online by Ted Hart, James Greenfield, Pamela Gignac and Christopher Carnie (2006)

A superb collection of papers by the editors and 14 other leading fundraising and research specialists. A must-have book in my opinion.

Courses & Conferences

There are various training options available to researchers, new and experienced, so shop around to ensure that you get the most suitable training package for your needs.

Researchers in Fundraising, the Institute of Fundraising's Special Interest Group for prospect researchers, holds Spring and Autumn Conferences which provide invaluable training, advice and support for those carrying out prospect research. Previous conferences have covered the City of London, European Trusts and Foundations, the ethical screening of prospects, and much, much more.

CASE Europe (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) hold several conferences a year which include prospect research training sessions. At their 2006 Annual Conference in September they had a day long prospect research masterclass.

CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) hold various courses of interest to researchers, including advanced internet search techniques and finding and understanding company information.

APRA (The Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement) is a US based organisation which represents over 1900 research professionals around the world. They hold an annual conference as well as regional conferences.

Factary offers various training options, including one to one training and 'Research Immersion' which involves spending a day at their Bristol office.

Fundraising Research & Consultancy Ltd provides various research services, including training.

Hands on Research offer a variety of training options for those looking to establish or develop their fundraising research resources.

Midas Charity Appeals Service provides research related courses.

Milestone Research holds one day research workshops in London and Bristol.

Prospecting for Gold runs a two-part seminar series every year: 'An introduction to Prospect Research' and 'Using Prospect Research effectively'.