Director of Prospect Management & Research

Overview

The Director of Prospect Management & Research actively supports RAND Development's fundraising efforts by partnering with Development Officers to track movement through the donor cycle, analyze key fundraising metrics, and develop tools that make data visible and actionable. This positionleadsthe implementation and maintenance of prospect management systems, overseesmovesmanagement and prospect strategy meetings, and ensures the accuracy and integrity of donor data. The Director conducts advanced research toidentifyand evaluate prospects, prepares detailed donor profiles and reports, and contributes to the development of long-term philanthropic relationships. This role also provides leadership in prospect management policies, staff training, and the adoption ofnew technologiesto enhance fundraising effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Lead theimplementation and maintenance of the prospect management system toidentify, evaluate, categorize, and report on the progress of major gift prospects.

• Lead moves management and prospect strategy meetings.

• Conduct regular meetings with fundraisersand staffto discuss prospects and the state of portfolios, review activity metrics, and ensure recording of donor cycle stage progression.

• Proactivelyidentifyprospectsand vet new donorsby reviewing donor gift reports and news alerts. Share relevant information with colleagues and update constituent records.

• Lead efforts to pipeline donors withadditionalcapacity (i.e., small gift,high-capacityreferrals, annual giving, etc.).

• Conduct market, prospect, and donor research focused on the acquisition of new donors.

• Prepare detailed reports on individuals/prospects; may recommend strategies to segment donors.

• Compose individualized research reports, briefs, and other documents (profiles, biographies, project summaries) when advanced research methods arerequired.

• Overseeand conductthe comprehensive vetting process for prospective board members, which includes drafting detailed candidate profiles, evaluating philanthropic history and prior board service, conducting conflict of interest assessments, vetting donors to ensure alignment with organizational values, verify financial capacity andcomply withdonor due diligence best practices.

• Support and lead efforts toidentifyand cultivate relationships with donors and stakeholders before and after development-focused events. Thisincludesdonor-hostedprogramming, salons, workshops, regional meetings,RANDresearcherand leadershipattended programmingand other engagement opportunities.

• Together with leadership and colleagues, develop and implement policies, procedures, processes, systems, and rating formulas relevant to prospect and developmentmanagement and research.

• Act as RAND Development's leadregardingprospect tracking and prospect management policies and documentation.

• Train and onboard RAND Development Officers onbest practices and systems.

• Train RAND Development Coordinators (and others as needed) to ensure that biographical (employment, address,email, and telephone updates) anddonorinformation isaccurateand recorded in the database ina timely, consistent, and reportable format.

• Manage a suite of prospect research tools and subscriptions; make recommendations whennew technologiesand toolsemergeandannually evaluate ROI in existing subscriptions.

• Will work other special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

• Proficiencyand sophistication with computers, technology devices, software, and applications at a level ofproficiencyand sophisticationappropriate fortheposition'sduties. Ability to learn and usenew technologies, software, and applications at a level of proficiencyappropriate fortheposition'sduties.

• Excellent project management skills.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a keen ability to draft donor profiles that reflect strategic insight and foster meaningful donor relationships.

• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills.

• Proven success in following through with and completing projects, including multiple projects being worked on at the same time.

• Strong orientationtowardtaking initiative and ownership of projects and assignments,and being proactive with projects, assignments, quality, professional development, and process improvements.

• Ability to prioritize, multitask, be flexible with changing circumstances, and meet deadlines.

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, andproblem-solvingskills.

• Excellent ability toroutinely and independently exercise sound judgmentin making decisions.

• Ability tomaintainand promote confidentiality of information and effectively handlehighly sensitiveand confidential information with sound judgment, tact, and discretion. Strong abilitytopracticea high levelof data privacy.

• Excellent customer service, interpersonal skills, and diplomatic abilty.

• Ability to work independently, to effectively receive supervisory input and directions, and to effectively work as part of and contribute to a team.

• Demonstrated experience inprospectresearchrequired.

• Proven ability to design and prepare professional research profiles, donor briefs, and analytical reports that inform fundraising strategy and donor engagement.

• Knowledge ofprospectresearch platforms and tools (e.g.,iWave,ResearchPoint,DonorSearch, Foundation Directory Online, etc.) and experience evaluatingnew technologiesfor effectiveness and ROI.

• Sophisticated operating knowledge of moves management systems and experience using a CRM or donor database (such as Salesforce, Raiser's Edge, or similar) preferred.

• Demonstrated success in leading prospect management systems and processes, including portfolio analysis, pipeline development, and moves management tracking.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills to communicate effectively with fundraisers, leadership, and cross-functional teams.

• Strong problem-solving skills, resourcefulness, intellectual curiosity, and flexibility, with a demonstrated ability to adapt to changing priorities and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Advancedproficiencyin Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and comfort working with data and reporting tools.

• Experience training and mentoring staff and collaborating across departments to ensure data accuracy and consistency.

• Must be able to pass a background check.

Experience

Minimum of 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in prospect management, development research, fundraising analytics, or a related field within a nonprofit, academic, or research organization.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degreerequired

Location

This position may be based at RAND's Santa Monica location and offers a flexible work arrangement, combining time in the office and remote work. While a hybrid schedule is preferred, we are open to considering a fully remote arrangement for exceptionally qualified candidates.

Salary Range: $75,700-$112,400

RAND considers a variety of factors when formulating an offer, including but not limited to, the specific role and associated responsibilities; a candidate's work experience, education/training, skills,expertise; and internal equity.The salary range includes base pay plus RAND'ssabbaticpay (which providesadditionalcompensation above base pay when vacation is taken). In addition, RAND provides strong benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, paid time-off andmore.