Prospet Development Manager

Lehighbar; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Lehighbar is seeking a Prospect Development Manager to advance a comprehensive program spanning prospect research, management, and portfolio strategy. You will drive identification, qualification, and movement of prospects through the donor lifecycle, partnering with frontline fundraisers and senior leadership to maintain pipeline integrity.

You will design SOPs, lead move management, and develop data dashboards to inform strategy and resource allocation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 3–5 years of progressive experience in prospect development, including prospect research and management.
• Experience managing fundraiser portfolios, move management systems, and donor pipelines.
• Strong CRM experience, Salesforce preferred.
• Proven ability to translate data and research into actionable fundraising strategy.
• Excellent written, analytical, and communication skills with experience preparing executive briefings.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• High level of discretion and commitment to confidentiality.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).

Responsibilities

• Lead a comprehensive prospect development program, integrating identification, research, and management.
• Define, implement, and refine a donor stage continuum with clear definitions, criteria, and benchmarks.
• Develop SOPs for prospect development functions, ensuring consistency and scalability.
• Serve as a strategic partner to leadership in advancing data-driven fundraising strategies.
• Oversee proactive and reactive prospect research to identify high-capacity prospects.
• Synthesize information into actionable intelligence for leadership and fundraisers.
• Produce high-quality executive briefings for leadership meetings and donor engagements.
• Continuously evaluate prospecting strategies to grow and diversify the donor pipeline.
• Lead strategic management of fundraiser portfolios, ensuring balance and optimization.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews to assess engagement strategies and pipeline health.
• Establish and monitor portfolio metrics including caseload, stage distribution, and activity levels.
• Design and implement a robust move management system tracking donor lifecycle engagement.
• Ensure all prospect activity and moves are documented in Salesforce.
• Monitor pipeline progression to address stagnation or gaps.
• Provide strategic guidance on next steps and solicitation readiness.
• Develop dashboards and reports on pipeline health, portfolio performance, and fundraising progress.
• Analyze trends to inform decisions and resource allocation.
• Ensure data integrity and governance within Salesforce for prospect records and moves.
• Collaborate with Development Operations, Donor Relations, and Events teams.
• Stay current on prospect development trends and tools.

Skills

Data-driven thinking

Analytical skills

Written & verbal communication

Project management

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Prospect Development Manager is an integral member within the Development team, responsible for advancing a comprehensive prospect development program that integrates prospect research, prospect management, and portfolio strategy. This role drives the identification, qualification, tracking, and movement of prospects through the donor lifecycle to support revenue growth and campaign success.

The Manager partners closely with frontline fundraisers and senior leadership to ensure disciplined portfolio management, move management, and donor pipeline integrity, while establishing and maintaining a clearly defined donor stage continuum. This role ensures that all prospect activity is data-informed, systematically documented, and aligned with organizational fundraising priorities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Prospect Development Strategy & Leadership

• Manage the execution of a comprehensive prospect development program, integrating prospect identification, research, and management.
• Establish, implement, and continuously refine a donor stage continuum (e.g., identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship) with clear definitions, criteria, and benchmarks.
• Develop and document standard operating procedures (SOPs) for prospect development functions, ensuring consistency, scalability, and alignment with best practices.
• Serve as a strategic partner to the AVP of Development Operations and Strategy in advancing data-driven fundraising strategies and campaign priorities.

Prospect Identification & Research

• Oversee proactive and reactive prospect research to identify high-capacity individuals, foundations, and corporate prospects aligned with WHHA priorities.
• Synthesize complex information (wealth indicators, philanthropic interests, affiliations) into actionable intelligence for leadership and fundraisers.
• Produce high-quality briefings for executive leadership, including the President’s Office, for meetings, events, and donor engagements.
• Continuously evaluate and refine prospecting strategies to grow and diversify the donor pipeline.

Portfolio & Prospect Management

• Lead the strategic management of fundraiser portfolios, ensuring appropriate prospect assignment, balance, and optimization for performance.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews with frontline fundraisers to assess engagement strategies, pipeline health, and progress toward goals.
• Establish and monitor portfolio metrics, including caseload size, stage distribution, activity levels, and movement toward solicitation.

Move Management & Pipeline Integrity

• Design and implement a robust move management system that tracks and drives prospect engagement across the donor lifecycle.
• Ensure all prospect activity, moves, and stage transitions are consistently and accurately documented in Salesforce.
• Monitor pipeline progression to ensure timely movement of prospects through stages, identifying and addressing stagnation or gaps.
• Provide strategic guidance to fundraisers on next steps, engagement strategies, and solicitation readiness.

Data, Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain dashboards and reports that provide visibility into pipeline health, portfolio performance, and fundraising progress.
• Analyze trends and data to inform decision-making, resource allocation, and strategy refinement.
• Ensure data integrity and governance within Salesforce related to prospect records, portfolios, and moves.

Collaboration & Support

• Partner with frontline fundraisers to support proposal development, donor strategy, and engagement planning.
• Collaborate with Development Operations, Donor Relations, and Events teams to align prospect strategies with broader engagement efforts.
• Stay current on industry trends and tools in prospect development, incorporating innovations where appropriate.

Other Duties

• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of the Development team and organizational priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of progressive experience in prospect development, including prospect research and prospect management.
• Demonstrated experience managing fundraiser portfolios, move management systems, and donor pipelines.
• Strong experience with CRM systems required (Salesforce preferred).
• Proven ability to translate data and research into actionable fundraising strategy.
• Excellent written, analytical, and communication skills, with experience preparing executive-level briefings.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• High level of discretion and commitment to confidentiality.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).