Advisor, Prospect Research & Strategy (P3)

Save the Children US; Lexington (KY); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 103,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedules

Health, dental, vision coverage

Parental/adoption leave

Retirement plan

Wellness days

Employee Assistance Program

Learning & growth opportunities

Job summary

Save the Children is seeking an Advisor, Prospect Research & Strategy to drive major gifts fundraising through rigorous donor research and strategic analysis. You will partner with frontline fundraisers and leadership to translate complex information into actionable donor strategies.

The role emphasizes data integrity, due diligence, and collaboration across teams, with hybrid opportunities across US offices including Lexington, KY.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent with 5+ years in prospect or fundraising research.
• Ability to independently research, analyze complex information, and translate findings into actionable insights.
• Experience producing concise prospect profiles, research briefs, or strategic deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Identify and research prospective donors and support major gift opportunities.
• Analyze donor data to identify patterns, trends, and fundraising opportunities.
• Maintain accurate prospect research data in the CRM and collaborate with teams to improve processes.

Skills

Prospect research

Data analysis

Communication

Project management

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Blackbaud CRM

LexisNexis

Relationship Science

Wealth-X

Job description

Save the Children

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places – over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you’re creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.

Save the Children

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world’s hardest-to-reach places – over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you’re creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.

The Role

As the Advisor, Prospect Research & Strategy, you’ll be integral to our work in helping vulnerable children achieve a brighter future. You will play a pivotal role in our mission to drive transformative fundraising initiatives. Reporting to the Managing Director, Research, this position is at the heart of our efforts to secure major and principal gifts that enable us to make a lasting impact on children’s lives worldwide.

Location

Hybrid – Washington DC, Fairfield, CT or Lexington, KY office locations

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change

Donor Research & Fundraising Analysis, 50%

• Identify, qualify, and research prospective and existing donors to support major and principal gift opportunities.
• Analyze biographical, philanthropic, financial, corporate, and relationship information to assess donor capacity, affinity, interests, and organizational fit.
• Develop clear, concise research profiles, briefings, and other deliverables that translate complex information into relevant insights and practical recommendations for fundraisers.
• Support portfolio and pipeline development by identifying promising prospects, surfacing potential relationship pathways, and contributing research-based recommendations for prioritization.
• Partner with frontline fundraisers to understand research needs and provide guidance that informs donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Monitor relevant philanthropic trends and share insights that may inform prospect identification and donor engagement.
• Support research related to prospective board members and other organizational leadership priorities.
• Collaborate with research colleagues and fundraising teams to improve research approaches and respond to evolving business needs.

Data Analysis & CRM Integrity, 25%

• Analyze donor and prospect data to identify patterns, trends, and potential fundraising opportunities.
• Use established analytical methods and tools to support prospect identification, segmentation, portfolio review, and pipeline development.
• Maintain accurate and consistent prospect research information in the CRM, following established data standards, privacy requirements, and documentation practices.
• Partner with Advancement Operations, Business Technology, and fundraising teams on defined data and research initiatives.
• Identify data-quality or process issues and recommend practical improvements to strengthen research effectiveness and usability.

Due Diligence, 15%

• Conduct due diligence research on prospective and existing individual, corporate, and foundation donors and partners using established policies, frameworks, and escalation procedures.
• Review publicly available information related to mission and values alignment, reputational considerations, philanthropic and partnership history, and other potential areas of risk.
• Synthesize findings into clear, objective assessments that support informed fundraising and partnership decisions.
• Identify issues requiring further review and elevate complex, sensitive, or ambiguous findings to research leadership.

Projects & Team Contribution, 10%

• Manage assigned research projects independently, balancing priorities and meeting agreed-upon timelines.
• Contribute to improvements in research tools, templates, workflows, and documentation.
• Share knowledge and serve as a resource to colleagues on research methods, tools, and established practices.
• Participate in the evaluation of research resources and vendors and provide recommendations based on user needs.
• Lead defined projects with limited risk, complexity, and resource requirements, as needed.

Required Qualifications For The Role

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 5 years of relevant experience in prospect research, fundraising research, philanthropic intelligence, development operations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to independently research and analyze complex information and translate findings into clear, actionable insights.
• Experience producing concise, accurate, and well-organized prospect profiles, research briefings, or strategic research deliverables.
• Knowledge of Blackbaud CRM or a similar constituent relationship management system.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze philanthropic patterns, trends, and relationships among individuals, corporations, and foundations.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, exercise sound judgment, and meet deadlines in a responsive service environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders at different organizational levels.
• Professional proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Qualifications For The Role

• Experience using prospect research tools such as LexisNexis, Relationship Science, Wealth‑X, or comparable platforms.
• Familiarity with financial documents, including SEC filings, and their application in wealth and capacity analysis.
• Experience conducting reputational or donor due diligence using publicly available information.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and other analytical techniques used to synthesize data and identify insights.
• Experience supporting major gift, principal gift, corporate, or foundation fundraising.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled research tools and responsible practices for using them in research and analysis.

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $91,800 - $102,600 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $83,725 - $93,575 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $74,800 - $83,600 base salary

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record. Actual base salary may vary based on, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here).

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Flexible schedules and time off: Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays, and hybrid working opportunities
• Health: Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family: A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to [e-mail].