Senior Director of Prospect Development

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Oxford (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc. seeks a Senior Director to lead the Prospect Development team, shaping the vision for prospect research, management, and donor engagement across the enterprise.

You will set performance metrics, oversee budgets and tools, supervise donor portfolios, and partner with senior leaders to drive data-informed fundraising results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 7+ years in nonprofit fundraising focused on prospect management and research.
• Minimum of 5 years management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic direction for Prospect Development, setting guidance on proactive methodologies.
• Establish KPIs to measure output, quality, and fundraising impact.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, and team budget; manage vendor relationships.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

7+ years nonprofit fundraising focus on prospect management and research

5+ years management experience

Analytical capabilities with data mining

Excellent written and verbal communication

CRM proficiency (Slate, Salesforce, Blackbaud or similar)

Ability to interact with executive levels

Strategic planning and leadership

Portfolio management and lifecycle understanding

Tools

Slate

Salesforce

Blackbaud Advancement

Job description

Job Description Summary

The Senior Director serves as the team lead for the prospect development team and is responsible for the overall vision, strategic direction, and proactive management of all prospect research and prospect management activities. Core responsibilities include leading the development of new and enhanced policies, procedures, and protocols for prospect development functions, building a solutions-oriented team culture dedicated to continuous improvement, ensuring Prospect Development has the managerial support and resources required for all clients to have a consistent, high-value experience with prospect development, and providing strategic intelligence, analyses, and recommendations to support data-informed decision making across the enterprise.

Job Description

Strategy and Leadership

• Provide strategic direction and vision for the Prospect Development team, ensuring clear guidance on proactive methodologies and deliverables.
• Lead the continued development of a newly integrated and expanding team, establishing a best in class prospect management and research operation.
• Establish and refine performance metrics and KPIs to articulate the output, quality, and impact of prospect research and management activities on fundraising outcomes.
• Develop and implement comprehensive strategies, goals, and best practices that advance the effectiveness and impact of the prospect development function.
• Evaluate complex donor portfolio and research challenges, identify and propose appropriate solutions, and guide the development and execution of the team’s strategic plan.
• Communicate analytical insights and data driven conclusions with clarity to the AVP, leadership team, and the broader division.
• As the functional leader of the Prospect Development, oversee talent development, role clarity, performance expectations, and evolution of team capabilities.
• Governs team budget, leads annual evaluation of prospect development tools and subscriptions, and manages vendor relationships. Advocates to leadership for the team’s needs.

Prospect and Portfolio Management

• Oversee all aspects of the prospect management system. Develop and implement comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure quality and consistency across all activities related to prospect research and management.
• In coordination with the Director of Portfolio Management and Senior Development Leadership, assess and assign donors and prospects for more than 45 gift officers. Participates in, as needed, moves management meetings and quarterly portfolio reviews with relationship managers and supporting coordinators to monitor performance metrics and ensure actions, strategies, and revenue projections are accurately maintained in the database.
• In coordination with the Director of Prospect Management, manage the assignment (and reassignment, including prospect clearance) of prospects and partners in collaboration with Executive Directors to ensure that fundraising activity is coordinated, and prospects are moved successfully through the fundraising cycle.
• Establish prospect pipeline guidelines and workflows that ensures a steady flow of new prospects while holding portfolio managers accountable to moving all assignments through the donor cycle. Collaborate pipeline strategies for principal giving prospects to better identify and strategize next steps while working in close collaboration with the Director of Portfolio Management as well as Senior Leadership.

Prospect Identification and Research

• Implement a comprehensive program of quality prospect research (biographic, financial, and philanthropic) to support cultivation and solicitation activity by advancement staff, campus partners (such as Deans) and campaign volunteers as appropriate.
• Work with the Director of Prospect Identification to proactively manage alerts and other proactive research tools to keep fundraisers up to date on principal gifts prospects (changes to wealth, employment, philanthropy, and other news).
• Ensure that current research activities are aligned with organizational priorities and revenue goals. Assess current prospecting procedures and research queue and make recommendations to improve existing processes.
• Collaborate with our Director of Prospect Identification for database screening and analysis in close collaboration with the Information Technology and Business Intelligence departments. Incorporate new data into current research systems in an effort to uncover new donors and update information on current prospects.

Management and Budget

• Develop and mentor staff to design project and prospecting plans incorporating a clear vision, goals, strategies, and tactics. Institutionalize use of data to inform choices across strategy, execution, planning, resource allocation, and measurement of activity and performance.
• Oversee all hiring and onboarding for the team.
• Define long term vision for team structures and responsibilities that aligns with goals and priorities set by the senior leadership team. Ensure that the team’s structure is able to support the constituent management and research needs across all revenue generating teams.
• Monitor the budget for prospect development and make inform recommendations to ensure that the organization is positioned for fundraising success.
• Participate in professional development opportunities to remain current on prospect research methodologies, technology, and industry best practices.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• Minimum 7 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising with a specific focus on both prospect management and research for individuals, corporations and foundations.
• Minimum of 5 years of management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated mastery of all aspects of prospect research and relationship management for all levels of individuals, corporations, and foundations.
• Prior experience with transforming prospect research and management functions using advanced analytics and technology
• Experience evaluating complex issues, identifying appropriate solutions, and providing leadership in development and implementation of a strategic plan
• Experience creating and executing prospect identification plans that are aligned to fundraising priorities
• Experience adapting and customizing prospect strategy management, tracking, and reporting for different prospect segments
• Demonstrated success leading prospect and management teams in a fundraising division that secures major gifts as well as blended gifts with planned giving and/or complex assets components.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Analytical skills with proven ability to perform complex analyses using data mining techniques to identify philanthropic patterns and tendencies in the constituent database
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex financial disclosure documents for the purposes of wealth assessment.
• Ability to interact effectively with all levels of the organization, including executive level staff
• Commitment to adopting best practices and operational efficiency
• Expertise in prospect management, portfolio strategy, and lifecycle progression
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex information in a clear, succinct output
• CRM proficiency (Slate, Salesforce, Blackbaud Advancement or similar) and commitment to data quality and standards
• Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders with discretion and professionalism