Development Analyst

The University of Georgia; Athens (GA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Georgia is seeking a Development Analyst to enhance fundraising efforts through prospect research and analytics. In this role, you'll support the Division of Development & Alumni Relations by identifying and profiling potential major donors.

The ideal candidate should possess a Bachelor’s degree, excellent research skills, and experience in data analytics, preferably within the nonprofit sector. Join us in making a significant impact on our fundraising initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent.
• At least one year of experience in prospect research or data analytics.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level research on individuals and organizations.
• Compose profiles and reports for fundraising strategies.
• Analyze and synthesize data to identify major gift prospects.

Skills

Research skills

Data analytics

Communication skills

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Tools

CRM systems

Online research tools

Data mining software

Job description

Development Analyst – Prospect Researcher I

Division of Development & Alumni Relations – University of Georgia, Athens Area.

Position Summary

The Development Analyst is an integral member of the campus fundraising team. Reporting to the Director of Prospect Research, the Development Analyst provides prospect identification, analytics support, and research support for the Division of Development & Alumni Relations (DAR). The Development Analyst creates concise, accurate, and timely ratings, strategy briefings, and profiles using biographical information, financial data, news, philanthropic history, and other public‑related resources to support principal, major, and annual giving frontline fundraising efforts. As part of a collaborative team, the Development Analyst coordinates with Prospect Management staff to ensure that the best prospects are assigned to development officers and plays a critical role in developing and cultivating relationships with Development staff. The incumbent participates in various regional and Central‑wide meetings to ensure that research needs are met to advance DAR’s fundraising mission. They proactively and independently plan and execute creative strategies to identify sources of major gift ($50,000+) private support using creative research techniques and electronic searching methodologies to ensure that campus‑wide fundraising initiatives have sufficient prospects to meet fundraising goals. They develop and execute strategies to ensure that newly identified prospects are presented and assigned to appropriate campus fundraisers in a timely manner. This position will be expected to actively participate in scheduled portfolio meetings with fundraisers, prospect managers, and leadership, and provide a strategic assessment of prospect and donor behavior and trends to inform decision‑making. The Development Analyst will work closely with the Prospect Management Team, the Director of Research, and the Director of Prospect Management by utilizing appropriate information to help discover, analyze, qualify, and maintain prospects capable of making philanthropic contributions to the University. This individual will collaborate with fundraising stakeholders, build strong professional relationships, and effectively use advancement research resources and databases. This position will be expected to maintain an understanding of industry best practices in prospect development and contribute to a culture of compliance with professional standards.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent

Preferred Qualifications

• At least one year of direct or related experience in prospect research, data analytics, or nonprofit fundraising support is preferred, including but not limited to donor research, data analysis, advancement services, prospect management, or development operations
• Experience in prospect research and data analysis, including the use of online research tools, databases, and related analytical resources, with familiarity in prospect research methodologies and wealth screening practices preferred
• Experience collecting, interpreting, and synthesizing data from multiple sources, including large data sets, to produce reports supporting projects and decision‑making
• Experience working with CRM systems, donor‑management systems, or related databases preferred
• Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to clearly present research findings and analytical information to a variety of audiences
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Analytics and Information Technology teams on technical projects requiring coding support, batch processing, and data system integration
• Research experience in nonprofit or higher education advancement, development/fundraising, business, law, or a related field preferred
• Demonstrates behavior that supports the mission, vision, and values of the University of Georgia

Responsibilities

Prospect Research & Analytical Reporting

• Provide high‑level research on individuals, corporations, and foundations using a wide variety of biographical, organizational, and financial sources, including state‑of‑the‑art online database services, library and government sources, and other external repositories of public information. Analyze and synthesize accumulated information to assess financial capacity, philanthropic tendencies, giving propensity and linkages to campus. Evaluate research results to develop and implement further research strategies utilizing ethical intelligence‑gathering techniques of the information profession.
• Compose documents (profiles, biographies, project summaries) using style, grammar, and content appropriate to specific audiences. Interpret and translate complex financial, legal, and corporate language into easily comprehensible terms while adhering to university standards of discretion and confidentiality. Extract and communicate key information that directs cultivation and solicitation strategies. Prospect knowledge, including ratings, interests, and linkages acquired through research is preserved and maintained in a complex database system that is accessible to campus‑wide fundraising staff and used to develop future cultivation strategies. Summarize key findings and create actionable recommendations to appear prominently in profiles, prospect lists, and other products.
• Meet multiple deadlines while working on several concurrent projects, while always promoting and adhering to the University’s development analyst policies.
• Respond to a broad spectrum of high‑priority projects at the request of the Director for Prospect Research. Provide investigative and analytical support for special and/or urgent requests from development officers and administrators throughout campus and in the central office.

Prospect Identification, Portfolio Strategy, & Data Analytics

• Proactively and independently plan and execute creative strategies to identify sources of major gift ($50,000+) private support using creative research techniques and electronic searching methodologies to ensure that campus‑wide fundraising initiatives have sufficient prospects to meet fundraising goals.
• Responsible for building prospect queries for the purpose of high‑giving capacity prospect identification, by utilizing data‑driven software. Data mine and prioritize list results by sorting and assessing wealth screening, in‑house database mining, engagement/affinity, model scoring, and other available scoring data.
• Analyze and organize prospect data to identify philanthropic patterns, tendencies, and relationships among individuals, corporations, and foundations.
• Identify new prospects using news alerts and other prospecting strategies.
• Serve as a liaison to a portfolio of development directors. Collaborate and consult with diverse campus contacts including development officers, development staff, and other University staff on matters related to portfolio development, solicitation strategy formulation, and information gathering through peer screenings. Interpret results and provide direction on the segmentation and management of large groups of prospects and donors identified through the electronic screening process.
• Actively participate in scheduled portfolio meetings with fundraisers, prospect managers, and leadership and provide a strategic assessment of prospect and donor behavior and trends to inform decision‑making.
• Assign prospect referrals to development officers and be responsible for maintaining the research flow of data and information from identification to gift by providing research information, updating, and tracking changes in the database, and by making recommendations related to the assignment of prospects as well as post‑assignment research and detailed financial analysis. Provide oversight for removal and re‑assignment of individual, corporate and foundation prospect referrals.

Industry Monitoring, Data Management, & Operational Support

• Stay abreast of trends in prospect research, online searching, analytics, and monitor national, statewide, and regional news alerts for prospect activity and to identify new major gift prospects.
• Track and disseminate news and information about top donors and prospects.
• Respond to alerts from national wealth tracking databases by conducting proactive research to identify new major gift prospects.
• Update donor/alumni constituent records in GAIL regularly with information obtained through research.
• Perform other responsibilities as needed.
• Help with work related to the campus‑wide financial and fundraising database (GAIL) as needed.
• Work in a team environment with the Director of Prospect Research in providing direction and training to newly hired Research staff and student assistants.

Organizational Engagement & Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Attend Development staff meetings to maintain awareness of institutional and divisional priorities and needs.

Professional Development & Continuous Improvement

• Continuously develop fundraising knowledge and professional skills through internal/external training, research webinars, and local and regional conferences and workshops.
• Participate in continuing professional development opportunities as requested and resources allow.
• Applying skills and knowledge gained from cross‑training to provide support for varying services and special projects on an as‑needed basis to achieve and maintain organizational success for both the Prospect Management and Prospect Research teams.

EEO Policy Statement

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR ([e-mail]).