Senior Director of Prospect Research & Donor Intelligence

CPY0001 Young Life Incorporated; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 98,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

Young Life Incorporated in Colorado Springs seeks a Strategic Leader to own the donor intelligence and prospect development strategy, aligning with global fundraising priorities. You will advise the executive team and fundraisers on major- and principal-gift strategies, build a robust business case for tools and staff, and oversee budget and vendor relationships.

You will lead research on capacity and giving history, own wealth screening, and translate data into CRM-informed plans.

Qualifications

• Minimum twelve (12) years of professional experience in advancement/development services or equivalent.
• Minimum five (5) years of managerial experience.
• Ownership-level experience in Prospect Research and Prospect Management.
• CRM strategy and leadership experience, ideally with Salesforce.
• Campaign experience on major fundraising initiatives of $50M+.

Responsibilities

• Set multi-year strategy for donor intelligence and prospect development; advise executives.
• Oversee wealth screening, vendor selection, and data validation against CRM.
• Lead portfolio construction, reviews, and governance for major gift pipelines.
• Develop predictive and descriptive models to guide prioritization and segmentation.
• Build and mentor a high-performing team; drive professional development.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Prospect research

Data science

Relationship management

CRM analytics

Team leadership

Budget management

Vendor management

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

Salesforce

Power BI

Snowflake

iWave

WealthEngine

Job description

Strategic Leadership & Donor Intelligence Strategy

Sets and owns the multi-year strategy for Young Life's donor intelligence and prospect development function, aligned to global fundraising and campaign priorities. Advises the executive leadership team and fundraisers on prospect strategy for major and principal-gift-level relationships Builds the business case for tools, data sources, and staffing investments (wealth screening vendors, CRM/analytics platforms) and manages the function's budget. Represents prospect development in campaign planning, board and Executive Campaign Committee prep, and organizational strategic planning.

Prospect Research & Identification

Oversees proactive identification of new major and principal gift prospects across Young Life's donor base, alumni/community network, and external wealth data. Directs in-depth research on capacity, philanthropic history, career background, and family/relationship connections for prospects at the solicitation stage. Owns the wealth screening program: vendor selection, screening cadence for large donor segments, and validation of external data against CRM records. Sets standards for research turnaround times and service levels by prospect tier (ex. light-touch at qualification, deep capacity analysis pre-ask). Oversees due diligence research for naming opportunities, high-risk gifts, or reputational concerns, escalating findings to leadership per a defined protocol.

Prospect Management & Portfolio Strategy

Owns the prospect pipeline/development-cycle model (e.g., Identify → Connect → Ask → Steward) and the CRM stage definitions that support it. Leads portfolio construction and regular portfolio reviews with fundraisers and leadership to right-size portfolios and prioritize prospects. Sets and enforces portfolio governance: assignment requests, prospect referrals, unassigned/deferred prospect limits, and the reassignment process when staff transition. Tracks major and principal gift solicitation activity (planned and pending asks) and closure rates to inform pipeline health reporting.

Data Science & Analytics

Builds predictive and descriptive models (propensity, capacity, likelihood-to-give) to prioritize prospects and segment the donor file at scale. Owns reporting and dashboards on pipeline health, portfolio penetration, research turnaround, and fundraising forecasting for leadership and the board. Translates CRM and external data into actionable segmentation for annual giving-to-major-gift pipeline development.

Team Leadership & Development

Hires, manages, and develops a team of prospect research and prospect management strategists; set individual and team goals tied to the function's strategy. Establishes workflows, request intake, and service standards for how gift officers and leadership engage the team. Builds a culture of professional growth, including engagement with APRA and AASP standards, training, and certification. Manages professional teams composed of individual contributors and/or supervisors. Participates in the interview and selection process, provides training and mentorship, offers career development guidance, and is engaged in performance management. Provides timely and constructive coaching and feedback; develops staff and provides challenging opportunities.

Cross-Functional Partnership

Partners with Operations, GMET, and Finance on data integrity, CRM configuration, and reporting infrastructure. Partners with fundraisers to translate research and portfolio analysis into actionable cultivation and solicitation strategy. Partners with Marcom, Community Network, The Table Planning Team, on list generation, segmentation, and donor journey data needs.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college, preferably in a job-related major field of study
• Minimum twelve (12) years of relevant professional experience, including leading and managing complex initiatives or programs with outcome-focused deliverables, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum five (5) years of managerial experience
• 10+ years in advancement/development services (fundraiser enablement), including experience leading, not just managing, a team.
• Direct experience managing both researchers and analysts as distinct disciplines under one function.
• Ownership-level experience in both Prospect Research and Prospect Management.
• Campaign experience on a comprehensive or capital campaign of $50M or more.
• CRM strategy and leadership experience, ideally with Salesforce Ownership of fundraising analytics, including predictive modeling and enterprise reporting (e.g., Power BI, Snowflake, or comparable platforms).
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent is experience; advanced degree a plus.
• Preferred Experience in a faith-based, parachurch, or youth-serving nonprofit environment.
• Familiarity with wealth screening and prospecting tools such as iWave, Lexis Nexis, DonorSearch, or WealthEngine, and openness to evaluating newer tools (e.g., DAFinitive, Windfall, Instrument) for DAF and private-wealth visibility.
• Familiarity with APRA's Body of Knowledge,APRA's Salary Survey benchmarks, or AASP best practices.
• CFRE or other relevant fundraising/analytics certification.

Core competencies

• Prospect Research: rigorous, ethical research judgment grounded in the Donor Bill of Rights; comfort with ambiguous or incomplete data; sound, range-based capacity-rating methodology (not point estimates).
• Data Science: statistical literacy, data visualization, and the judgment to know when a model is (and isn't) the right tool.
• Relationship Management: skilled at portfolio strategy, pipeline analysis, and leading cross-functional portfolio review sessions (e.g., Partner Engagement Teams).
• Leadership: self-aware, a clear communicator, comfortable managing change and scaling a small team, committed to ethical decision-making and staff development.

Job Specific Working Conditions

The anticipated salary rate for this position can range from $98,200.00 - $136,000.00 depending on relevant experience and education, working location, and scheduled weekly hours.

"We the members of the Young Life mission – trustees, staff, instructors at Young Life schools and volunteers – join together in our affirmation of the following articles and our central purpose of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and introducing adolescents everywhere to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith."