Advancement Research Manager

About the role

Feed the Children is seeking an Advancement Research Manager to join our Development team. This role plays a key role in advancing major and planned giving by integrating prospect intelligence, portfolio strategy, and high-touch donor stewardship.

Responsibilities

• Manage and lead prospect identification and qualification strategy for Advancement team
• Oversee portfolio analysis and pipeline management
• Lead staff for research consultants, or vendors, if applicable
• Identify, research, and qualify prospective major gift donors using internal and external data sources
• Produce concise, actionable prospect profiles, wealth assessments, and briefing materials
• Support portfolio development through prospect identification, segmentation, and prioritization
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date prospect records within the CRM
• Assign and remove qualified prospects to gift officers in the CRM
• Recommend assignments for Midlevel and Planned Giving teams
• Stewardship & Complex Gift Management
• Lead and coordinate stewardship activities for major donors, with a focus on high-capacity and complex gift donors
• Partner with vendors to track gifts made through donor-advised funds (DAFs), IRA qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), stock transfers, and other non-cash vehicles
• Ensure proper acknowledgment, documentation, and compliance for complex gifts in collaboration with finance and legal teams
• Serve as an internal resource on best practices for handling and stewarding complex gifts
• Major Gift & Frontline Fundraiser Support
• Prepare high-quality donor briefings, including giving history, affiliations, and strategic recommendations
• Support gift officers in moves management by tracking donor engagement and next steps
• Identify opportunities for donor upgrades, renewals, and re-engagement, especially among complex gift donors
• Aid in the preparation of proposals, impact reports, and customized stewardship materials
• Data Entry, Management & Reporting
• Track and report on complex gift activity (DAFs, IRAs, securities, etc.) and stewardship outcomes
• Support both Planned Giving and major giving data entry
• Maintain data integrity across CRM system, ensuring accurate coding and tracking of gift types
• Develop reports and dashboards to support decision-making and portfolio performance
• Analyze trends in giving vehicles and donor behavior to inform fundraising strategy
• Establish an environment of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning, a commitment to quality, welcomes and encourages collaboration, and fosters both intra and inter-departmental dialogue and respect

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
• Experience: Required - 3+ years in prospect research, development operations, or major gifts support
• Experience Handling or Supporting Complex Gifts: Required - Experience handling or supporting complex gifts (DAFs, IRAs/QCDs, securities, etc.)
• Strong Analytical and Research Skills: Preferred - Experience with wealth screening and prospect research tools (e.g., iWave, Kindsight, WealthEngine)
• Knowledge of IRS Guidelines: Preferred - Knowledge of IRS guidelines related to charitable giving vehicles
• Experience Collaborating with Finance, Legal, or Gift Processing Teams: Preferred
• Experience in Stewardship Strategy and Donor Experience Design: Preferred
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite: Required - Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint