2025 Apra Data Science Challenge

Deadline for Interest Form: Monday, May 19
Deadline for Submission: Monday, July 14

Apra’s sixth annual Data Science Challenge is back — this time with a collaborative twist! Instead of competing individually, participants will work together in teams to solve a pressing real-world problem in nonprofit fundraising analytics.

This Year’s Challenge: Building portfolios from a new prospect pool

Your fictional organization’s leadership has approved funding for two new fundraiser hires to strengthen the donor pipeline and drive sustained success over the next three to five years. Your team’s challenge is to analyze the data and design a portfolio strategy that will help leadership determine how to allocate these new resources most effectively to support both near-term and long-term fundraising goals. Using the available data, you will recommend and structure two new portfolios, providing a summary of how these portfolios align with leadership’s objectives and ensure the right fundraisers and strategies are in place to maximize donor engagement and long-term impact.

Participants are encouraged to use innovative visualizations; however, sometimes the simplest solutions are the best — use whatever techniques you think would work best for your organization.

Submissions will be judged based on communication, design and analytical approach. The deadline to submit interest in the competition for pairing is Monday, May 19, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. CT. Submissions will be highlighted throughout the Data Science Now conference, and attendees will have an opportunity to explore each submission in more detail during the poster viewing session. 

Additionally, at least two submissions will be featured in a special joint Data Science Now conference discussion session. Featured participants will have the opportunity to present their approaches to attendees in greater detail and foster subsequent discussion roundtables. Please note that while you do not need to be registered for Data Science Now to participate in the challenge, in-person attendance is required for consideration as a featured participant.

Some participants in the challenge will be recognized in Connections, Apra’s content hub, and will have the opportunity to be featured in additional Apra educational content!

How to Participate

  1. Sign up individually and we’ll help match you with a team based on your interests and strengths.
  2. Teams will receive a dataset replicating real-world fundraising data and further challenge instructions via email by early June.
  3. Collaborate with your teammates to analyze the data and develop a strategic approach to portfolio building.
  4. Submit your team’s findings poster and full analysis in a structured, creative format to speakers@aprahome.org by Monday, July 14, at 11:59 p.m. CT.
  5. All submissions will be reviewed by Apra’s Data Science Committee. Featured participants will be notified by Monday, July 28, and will be asked to share more about how they approached the challenge at Data Science Now on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in Baltimore.

Submission Requirements
Poster Summary: Participants will be provided a PowerPoint template to share text highlights and images/tables/graphs related to the analysis. Apra will assign a QR code to each poster for attendees at Data Science Now to learn more and access your full analysis file. The posters will be displayed digitally during the Data Science Now event for attendee viewing and may be used in additional education offerings. 

Full Analysis
Feel free to use whatever format you prefer.

  • Excel file
  • Dashboard
  • PowerPoint
  • Written report
  • Video recording
  • Web application
  • Be creative! (TikTok, YouTube, GIFs)

The Challenge

Organizational Context
Recently, your organization expanded, attracting a new pool of potential donors. With this expansion, the vice president of advancement has tasked your team with developing data-driven fundraising portfolios for the new prospect pool. This challenge is not just about identifying prospects but about strategically organizing them into portfolios that maximize fundraising efficiency and impact.

Research Questions
Below are questions you and your team may choose to consider as you work through this challenge. These are only meant to be suggested starting points, and you are encouraged to take your analysis in any direction you see fit.

  • What type of portfolios and how many make the most sense?
  • Which prospects should be assigned to which portfolio and why?
  • Are there prospects that should be set aside from portfolio-building?
  • What characteristics define the best prospects in each pool?
  • How should fundraisers prioritize outreach to maximize engagement and giving potential?

Data Files and Descriptions
Participants will be provided the data files to utilize for this challenge beginning in June. The data is meant to replicate data found in the real world and may contain missing or otherwise “messy” information. Getting the data into a usable format for your presentation is part of the challenge!

Looking for Inspiration? 
Check out past Data Science Challenge winners to get a glimpse into the great work this program produces.

Ready to Begin? 
Submit your interest form with your intention to participate today!