Director, Research and Prospect Management

About the role

As the Director of Research and Prospect Management, you will be a strategic advisor to frontline fundraisers and Development leadership, delivering prospect intelligence, portfolio strategy, and relationship insights that drive successful donor cultivation and solicitation. Reporting to the Senior Director of Data Analytics and Operations, you will lead a team of researchers and collaborate closely to analyze research output alongside other data to inform strategy. You will manage a comprehensive donor/prospect research and pipeline management program and adopt innovative tools and techniques to grow all levels of the donor pyramid, including Annual Fund and Planned Giving. You will also serve as a subject matter expert on wealth analysis, AI-powered research tools, portfolio intelligence, and ethical data practice.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio Intelligence: Develop tailored, disciplined portfolio management and optimization strategies with Relationship Managers; continuously evaluate and improve strategies as donor circumstances evolve. Use portfolio analytics to flag stagnant prospects, surface hidden major gift potential, and recommend strategic adjustments.
• Prospect Identification & Research: Direct proactive and reactive identification of major, principal, institutional, and planned gift prospects through data mining, wealth screening, and creative research methodologies. Oversee production of high-quality donor profiles, capacity ratings, and briefings. Lead relationship mapping efforts and oversee development of invitation lists and bios for event attendees.
• Pipeline Management: Design and manage frameworks—including engagement scoring, affinity and propensity modeling, and moves management systems—that provide Relationship Managers real-time insight into donor readiness and likely gift range. Contribute to campaign planning, feasibility studies, and annual goal-setting for prospect identification and portfolio growth. Partner with Annual Fund and Planned Giving teams for audience modeling and analytics.
• Alignment of Research and Data Analytics: Analyze research output and other data to make recommendations for donor and prospect strategy. Interpret large datasets to recognize patterns and guide specific strategy or broader pipeline management.
• Executive & Board Portfolio Support: Recommend strategic prospects for Board or Executive involvement in partnership with frontline fundraisers; manage and track these portfolios with rigor. Help fundraisers identify Board connections to qualified prospects and facilitate introductions with strategic intent.
• Management: Lead, mentor, and manage the Research team (Senior Research Analyst and Research Analyst). Oversee workflow, monitor progress against goals, and coach staff for maximum performance and independence. Manage the research request queue and prioritization with Relationship Managers.
• Systems & Compliance: Evaluate research tools for transparency, algorithmic fairness, and vendor accountability. Lead responsible adoption of AI-powered research tools and continuously review practices. Use AI tools to diversify the prospect pipeline and surface high-net-worth prospects. Maintain accurate records in the CRM and uphold data integrity standards.
• Campaign Planning: Partner with the Principal Research Strategist and frontline fundraisers to support campaign efforts, including prospect identification and prioritization, capacity rating reviews, pipeline analysis, and preparation of prospect briefings and strategy memos aligned to campaign gift levels and timelines.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.
• 7–10 years of progressive prospect research or advancement services experience, including 3+ years in a leadership role at a nonprofit or higher education institution.
• Expertise in wealth analysis, capacity ratings, due diligence, and philanthropic trend analysis.
• Proficiency with research tools (iWave, DonorSearch, WealthEngine, LexisNexis, RelSci, Foundation Directory Online) and fundraising CRMs.
• Strong analytical, written, and interpersonal communication skills; ability to distill complex data into clear, strategic recommendations.
• Deep commitment to confidentiality, data privacy, and ethical research practice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing prospect research through a major capital campaign.
• Familiarity with AI-powered research platforms (DonorSearch Ai, EverTrue, Windfall, Dataro) and ability to critically evaluate outputs.
• Hands-on experience with relationship mapping tools (Prospect Visual, iWave, RelSci, Kindsight, Muckety, DonorAtlas) and translating network data into cultivation strategy.
• Experience with portfolio intelligence frameworks, engagement scoring, and propensity modeling.
• Proficiency in data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI) and advanced Excel.