It was not all that many years ago that advancement services was thought of as the "back office"--a term that still makes veterans in the field cringe. Historically, the role of advancement services was keeping donor and alumni records up-to-date, processing gifts, sending receipts, and generating fundraising progress reports. However, in the past decade, advancement services offices have taken on more responsibility and with that a more significant role within advancement, thanks, in part, to a proliferation of data about alumni and donors, an explosion of charitable giving and financial accounting regulations, and ever-changing technological advances. Changes in the way people collect, analyze, report, and use information have garnered advancement services, on many campuses, an important seat at the advancement strategic planning table. The supporting role advancement services once played has increasingly morphed into a strategic planning one. An inspired advancement services operation not only helps find the answers fundraisers and other advancement professionals seek, but it anticipates the questions and develops answers--in advance. In this article, the author discusses how advancement services helps institutions use data strategically to meet fundraising goals.