Senior Director, Prospect Strategy and Research

University of North Texas System•Denton, TX

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director, Prospect Strategy and Research enhances, manages, and supports the Prospect Strategy and Research program. The role leads the team and develops a strategic plan while providing high-level research, pipeline analysis, strategy recommendations, prospect identification, and portfolio management to support discovery, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship and drive fundraising results. The position manages the prospect management system and team, advises Advancement leaders using research and data analysis, and develops policies, procedures, guidelines, and workflows for portfolio and prospect management. It oversees prospect identification and research, including keeping top-prospect information current, using alerts and external data sources, and identifying new markets. The role also develops and updates strategies for principal, major, planned, corporate, and foundation prospects and donors; monitors market conditions; and provides analyses of pipeline activity and donor journeys for strategic planning.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
Seven years of prospect development and research experience in a nonprofit or similar setting.
Experience managing teams, analyzing data, and translating information.
Commitment to ethical and professional conduct consistent with the CASE Statement of Ethics, the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Principles and Standards, the APRA Code of Ethics, and The Donor Bill of Rights; memberships are not required.
Strong work ethic and entrepreneurial mentality.
High integrity, focus, and commitment to achieving ambitious goals.
Familiarity with the moves management approach to major gift fundraising.
Flexible attitude and ability to modify and adapt as situations arise.
Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
Exceptional communication skills.
Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources.
Critical and strategic thinking, including the ability to take responsibility for specific goals within designated time frames.
Ability to coordinate multiple initiatives through to successful completion.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree.
Membership in APRA.

Responsibilities

Coach, mentor, and manage team members to support their success.
Oversee the prospect management system and the Prospect Strategy and Research program.
Advise Advancement leaders using prospect research, data analysis, and evidence-based insights to inform portfolio strategy, identify opportunities, prioritize next steps, and optimize portfolio management.
Develop, enhance, and implement policies and procedures for portfolio, prospect research, and prospect management activities in collaboration with colleagues.
Assess and assign donors and prospects to portfolio-holding team members.
Manage prospect assignments and reassignments, including prospect clearance, in consultation with Advancement leadership to coordinate fundraising activity and move prospects through the fundraising cycle.
Coordinate with the data team and external vendors on data and research needed for strategy development.
Establish prospect pipeline guidelines and workflows.
Implement a prospect research program supporting donor cultivation and solicitation and research and data for new market engagement.
Ensure research on the highest-level prospects is current, as determined by leadership.
Manage alerts and research tools for top donors and prospects, including changes in wealth, employment, philanthropy, and other relevant news.
Align research activity with organizational priorities and revenue goals; assess prospecting procedures and the research queue and recommend improvements.
Guide external database screening and analysis with internal Advancement and external teams, and incorporate new data into research systems to identify new donors and update prospect information.
Develop a plan using high-level research and data to identify key new markets for leadership involvement and philanthropic engagement.
Ensure strategies for institutional principal, major, planned, corporate, and foundation prospects and donors are established, managed, and updated.
Manage ongoing market analysis and review to monitor economic changes and identify new engagement leads.
Lead innovation in standards for key results, goals, and metrics based on expertise and industry best practices.
Provide quantitative and qualitative analysis of pipeline activity and movement to support strategic planning, including modeling, donor journey context, and analytics.