Senior Director of Prospect Research & Donor Intelligence

Young Life•Colorado Springs, CO

3d•$98,200 - $136,000

About The Position

The Senior Director of Prospect Research & Donor Intelligence leads Young Life’s donor intelligence and prospect development function, setting a multi-year strategy aligned with global fundraising and campaign priorities. The role advises executive leadership and fundraisers on major- and principal-gift prospect strategy; makes the case for investments in tools, data, and staffing; manages the function’s budget; and represents prospect development in campaign planning, board and Executive Campaign Committee preparation, and organizational planning. The position oversees prospect identification and research, wealth screening, prospect management, portfolio strategy, fundraising analytics, and reporting. It establishes research service standards and due diligence protocols, owns the prospect pipeline model and CRM stage definitions, and leads portfolio construction and reviews. It also builds predictive and descriptive models and delivers dashboards and analysis for leadership and the board. The Senior Director hires, manages, and develops prospect research and management staff, setting goals, workflows, and service standards while supporting professional growth and performance. The role partners with Operations, GMET, Finance, fundraisers, Marcom, Community Network, and The Table Planning Team on data integrity, CRM configuration, reporting, segmentation, list generation, and donor journeys. Young Life’s stated mission is to introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and help them grow in their faith. Its employment policy requires employees to profess belief in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, subscribe to required staff statements and policies including the Young Life Statement of Faith, and abide by Young Life policies and standards.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college, preferably in a job-related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 12 years of relevant professional experience, including leading and managing complex initiatives or programs with outcome-focused deliverables, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least five years of managerial experience.
At least 10 years in advancement/development services, including experience leading—not just managing—a team.
Direct experience managing researchers and analysts as distinct disciplines within one function.
Ownership-level experience in both Prospect Research and Prospect Management.
Campaign experience on a comprehensive or capital campaign of $50 million or more.
CRM strategy and leadership experience; Salesforce is preferred.
Ownership of fundraising analytics, including predictive modeling and enterprise reporting using Power BI, Snowflake, or comparable platforms.
Rigorous, ethical research judgment grounded in the Donor Bill of Rights; comfort with ambiguous or incomplete data; and sound, range-based capacity-rating methodology.
Statistical literacy, data visualization skills, and judgment about when modeling is or is not appropriate.
Skill in portfolio strategy, pipeline analysis, and leading cross-functional portfolio review sessions.
Self-awareness, clear communication, comfort managing change and scaling a small team, ethical decision-making, and commitment to staff development.
Young Life employment policy requires professing belief in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, subscribing to required staff statements and policies including the Young Life Statement of Faith, and abiding by Young Life policies and standards.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
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 tools such as DAFinitive, Windfall, and Instrument.
Familiarity with APRA’s Body of Knowledge, APRA’s Salary Survey benchmarks, or AASP best practices.
CFRE or another relevant fundraising or analytics certification.

Responsibilities

Set and own the multi-year strategy for donor intelligence and prospect development, aligned with global fundraising and campaign priorities.
Advise executive leadership and fundraisers on prospect strategy for major- and principal-gift relationships.
Develop business cases for tools, data sources, and staffing investments, and manage the function’s budget.
Represent prospect development in campaign planning, board and Executive Campaign Committee preparation, and organizational strategic planning.
Oversee identification of major- and principal-gift prospects and direct in-depth research into capacity, philanthropy, career background, and relationships.
Own the wealth-screening program, including vendor selection, screening cadence, and validation of external data against CRM records.
Set research turnaround times and service levels by prospect tier.
Oversee due diligence research for naming opportunities, high-risk gifts, and reputational concerns, escalating findings under a defined protocol.
Own the prospect pipeline and development-cycle model and the supporting CRM stage definitions.
Lead portfolio construction and regular portfolio reviews; establish and enforce portfolio governance, assignment, referral, deferral, and reassignment processes.
Track major- and principal-gift solicitation activity and closure rates to inform pipeline health reporting.
Build predictive and descriptive models to prioritize prospects and segment the donor file.
Own reporting and dashboards for pipeline health, portfolio penetration, research turnaround, and fundraising forecasts.
Translate CRM and external data into actionable segmentation for annual-giving-to-major-gift pipeline development.
Hire, manage, and develop prospect research and prospect management staff, setting individual and team goals.
Establish workflows, request intake, and service standards for engagement with gift officers and leadership.
Promote professional growth through APRA and AASP standards, training, and certification.
Manage professional teams of individual contributors and/or supervisors; participate in hiring, provide training and mentorship, support career development, and conduct performance management.
Provide timely, constructive coaching and feedback and create challenging development opportunities for staff.
Partner with Operations, GMET, and Finance on data integrity, CRM configuration, and reporting infrastructure.
Partner with fundraisers to turn research and portfolio analysis into cultivation and solicitation strategies.
Partner with Marcom, Community Network, and The Table Planning Team on list generation, segmentation, and donor-journey data needs.