Data & Prospect Management Senior Specialist

Mitchell Hamline School of Law•St Paul, MN

About The Position

Mitchell Hamline School of Law is seeking to hire a Data and Prospect Management Senior Specialist. This position plays a critical role in driving the success of fundraising and alumni engagement strategies through strong data governance, strategic research, and robust reporting. This role serves as the Advancement team's expert in list creation, database hygiene, prospect research, moves management tracking, data analysis, and database optimization. Reporting to the Director of Advancement Operations, the Senior Specialist ensures that institutional fundraising decisions are informed by clean data, accurate profiles, and actionable insights. The role supports gift officers, senior leadership, and cross-departmental partners by maintaining a high-functioning CRM system, identifying and tracking high-potential prospects, and delivering timely analysis that supports all philanthropic priorities.

Requirements

Expertise in prospect research tools (iWave, WealthEngine, etc.) and CRMs (preferably Raiser's Edge/NXT).
Familiarity with nonprofit fundraising principles, donor segmentation, and pipeline strategy.
Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesize complex data into clear reports.
Meticulous attention to detail and commitment to data integrity and confidentiality.
Excellent written communication.
Ability to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines.
Collaborative, solution-oriented mindset and interest in improving systems.
Commitment to equity, inclusion, and respectful engagement with diverse stakeholders.
Bachelor's degree
2+ years experience in higher education, nonprofit fundraising or operations management, data and compliance management, or like position

Nice To Haves

4+ years of progressively responsible experience in higher education advancement or nonprofit fundraising.
Direct experience with advancement operations in a non-profit, academic, or professional school environment.

Responsibilities

Oversee data entry standards and ensure consistency across constituent records.
Perform regular audits to maintain data quality.
Collaborate with Finance and Advancement Operations to ensure accurate gift designation coding.
Coordinate with vendors and consultants to support integrations, screenings, or data migrations.
Maintain constituent coding and tagging systems to support segmentation and reporting.
Assist in onboarding and training team members on best practices in data entry, queries, and reporting.
Provide tailored reports/lists to internal and external departments, as requested and needed.
Design and maintain custom dashboards for campaign, major gifts, annual fund, and alumni engagement tracking.
Produce regular fundraising reports, prospect status updates, and gift officer activity reports.
Conduct data analysis to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities across donor pipelines and giving patterns.
Partner with leadership to support board reporting and campaign counsel with up-to-date fundraising metrics.
Conduct research to support gift cultivation, annual fund segmentation, and leadership briefings.
Create concise, well-documented prospect profiles, briefing memos, and event bios.
Prepare donor intelligence packets for meetings with the President, Dean, and Advancement leadership.
Conduct wealth screenings and qualify major gift prospects.
Monitor news, social media, and corporate filings to update donor records with employment, awards, and affiliations.
Support and refine the prospect pipeline process in partnership with gift officers and campaign leadership.
Maintain and optimize prospect research workflows and documentation.
Support Advancement events by preparing attendee briefings and donor summaries.
Collaborate with the Communications and Marketing teams to support accurate segmentation and email list building.
Provide data and analysis to inform direct mail strategy, digital campaigns, and stewardship mailings.
Serve as a thought partner in discussions around philanthropic goals and lead qualification.
Partner with Advancement leadership on special projects related to campaign planning, data strategy, and donor engagement.
Serve as a data subject matter expert on cross-departmental committees or initiatives (e.g., CRM enhancements, segmentation strategy, compliance).
Contribute to team meetings by sharing research trends, data insights, or updates on prospect management best practices.
Support fundraising and alumni engagement events by preparing lists, bios, and briefings, and assisting with post-event follow-up analysis.
Provide training and documentation on Raiser's Edge queries, reports, and data standards to Advancement colleagues as needed.
Assist with preparing Advancement-related materials for board meetings or external partners.
Perform periodic peer benchmarking research to inform prospecting or campaign strategy.
Support donor pipeline calibration during fiscal year planning and prospect review sessions.
Participate in database cleanup or audit initiatives, particularly around campaigns, events, or reporting deadlines.
Coordinate list preparation and segmentation support for email, direct mail, and annual giving campaigns.
Review and reconcile data in preparation for tax receipting and year-end acknowledgments.
Support external consultants or vendors with data requests during feasibility studies, campaign counsel, or CRM upgrades.