Senior Research Analyst, Development

World Wildlife Fund•Washington D.C., WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) seeks a Senior Research Analyst to lead strategic, proactive prospect development research that expands and strengthens WWF Development’s pipeline of principal, major, annual giving, planned giving, corporate, and foundation prospects. The role serves as a research partner and strategic advisor to frontline fundraisers, turning complex biographical, philanthropic, financial, and reputational information into accurate, actionable intelligence for donor strategy, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and risk-aware decisions. The analyst maintains current information on priority prospects and donors and helps strengthen Development Research standards, tools, training, and data quality. The position partners closely with principal, major gift, corporate, and foundation fundraisers and colleagues across Development, the Executive Office, Board and National Council Relations, Legal, and other teams. It also maintains productive relationships with research vendors, data providers, and peer organizations. The analyst may guide or coordinate work by temporary staff, interns, consultants, or junior research colleagues as needed. The position is eligible for a hybrid schedule of two days per week in WWF’s Washington, DC office or 100% remote. WWF employs remote workers in the United States except in Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada, and Oklahoma. Relocation is not provided. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.; employment visa sponsorship is not available. The application closing date is December 14.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
At least six years of relevant experience in prospect development, fundraising research, due diligence, intelligence, library/information science, development operations, or related research; alternatively, a master’s degree and five years of relevant experience.
Advanced knowledge of prospect research methods, including relationship mapping, peer screening, wealth and capacity analysis, philanthropic and affinity analysis, and in-depth news and legal review.
Experience using prospect development and research tools such as LexisNexis/Nexis Diligence, Relationship Science, Candid, iWave, Wealth-X/Altrata, SEC/EDGAR, IRS/Form 990 resources, court and public-record databases, business databases, news platforms, CRM systems, or comparable resources.
Knowledge of fundraising strategy, major and principal gifts, institutional giving, prospect management, moves management, portfolio development, and donor strategy development.
Ability to assess source quality, reconcile conflicting information, maintain clear documentation, and avoid unsupported conclusions when handling sensitive personal, financial, philanthropic, legal, or reputational information.
Strong written, verbal, analytical, organizational, and project-management skills, including the ability to manage priorities, meet deadlines, and adjust to changing needs.
Strong attention to detail and ability to produce accurate, complete, well-edited written materials for leadership, fundraisers, and other internal audiences.
Ability to teach and explain prospect research concepts, tools, protocols, and standards through presentations, documentation, mentoring, and informal coaching.
Ability to work collaboratively and confidentially with staff at multiple levels and across functions.
Commitment to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
Alignment with WWF’s core values: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration.
Legally authorized to work in the U.S.; this position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of conservation, environmental, climate, biodiversity, or related philanthropic issues.

Responsibilities

Conduct proactive research projects to identify, qualify, and prioritize new individual, corporate, and foundation fundraising prospects, including relationship mapping and special initiative research.
Collect, evaluate, analyze, organize, synthesize, and share information from public, subscription, internal, and vendor sources to support donor strategy development.
Connect information across individuals’ personal, family, corporate, foundation, donor-advised fund, board, and other institutional giving vehicles to inform prospect strategy, relationship mapping, and engagement opportunities.
Prepare donor and prospect profiles, executive briefings, event research, due diligence summaries, relationship maps, capacity and affinity assessments, and other research reports.
Ensure research materials are accurate, complete, source-grounded, well organized, and appropriate for leadership and fundraiser use.
Provide deep research support to principal, major gift, corporate, and foundation fundraisers for high-priority prospects, donor meetings, special fundraising initiatives, and leadership engagement.
Monitor news, market trends, philanthropic activity, business developments, nonprofit filings, legal and regulatory records, and other public information relevant to priority donors and prospects.
Maintain accurate prospect and donor information in WWF systems of record, including CRM and affiliated document storage platforms; record research notes, ratings, source documentation, relationship intelligence, and other information supporting portfolio strategy and prospect management.
Assist with training, mentoring, documentation, and quality control for research products, protocols, database use, due diligence standards, vendor resources, and research workflows.
Maintain internal relationships with Development, the Executive Office, Board and National Council Relations, Legal, and other colleagues to support accurate interpretation and use of research.
Maintain external relationships with vendors, data providers, and peer organizations to strengthen research resources, practices, and benchmarking.
Guide or coordinate project work by temporary staff, interns, consultants, or junior research colleagues as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.