Prospect Research Associate

Title:                                      Prospect Research Associate  

Department:                      Development 

Reports to:                          Prospect Research Manager                     

Matrix Management:    N/A      

Supervises:                        N/A

Location:                             Washington, DC

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Prospect Research Manager, the Prospect Research Associate will work as an integral member of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)’s Development team by collecting and analyzing information on current and prospective donors. The associate will help to compile, track and maintain information that will enable our regional Donor Engagement Officers to make informed and strategic decisions about the donors and prospects that provide AWF’s financial base. Specifically, the associate will identify and report on business and civic affiliations, wealth indicators, interests, foundation grant making, and philanthropic giving. The associate will be responsible for producing and updating both long and short prospect research profiles and maintain prospect information in Raisers Edge. This position equips AWF’s Development team with information they need to focus their efforts on upgrading donors and make the most of existing AWF relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• • Adhere to our donor profiling strategies, protocols for prospect identification, data analysis guidelines, and prospect rating system.
  • Create in-depth biographical and financial profiles on individuals, institutions, and corporations using a variety of prospect research resources for donor meetings, events and safaris.
  • Interpret, synthesize and translate complex financial, technical, and trade materials, including stock holding information, real estate files, court records, pension information, and IRS/SEC information into easily comprehensible terms while adhering to established standards of discretion and confidentiality.
  • Analyze the existing donor population (specifically those giving under $10K) to identify individuals with greater giving capacity and communicate that evidence to donor engagement officers.
  • Disseminate leads fed from donor surveys to the regional Donor Engagement Officers and Legacy team.
  • Assist with campaign pipeline development by assessing and updating capacity for major donors and prospects.
  • Actively participate in prospect strategy development in collaboration with fundraisers, including annual review of major donor prospects. 
  • Assist with in-office administrative tasks such as collecting mail, and sending out daily deposit as needed.
  • Vet lists from AWF safari partners for potential donor prospects and collaborate with fundraisers to ensure appropriate introductions and follow up.
  • Contribute to the Prospect Research News Digest by providing updates on findings, recent news stories, and other information related to major donors and prospects.

Requirements and Skills

• • Bachelor’s degree.
  • 1–2 years of experience in Prospect Research, including familiarity with targeted Google searches, LexisNexis, I-Wave, Foundation Directory Online, and other common sources required.
  • Demonstrated ability to synthesize large volumes of information, find the details relevant to fundraising, present findings and recommendations clearly, concisely and accurately.
  • Candidate must be a self-starter, detail oriented, well-organized, and able to plan and execute projects from conception to completion, possess initiative to constantly seek ways to improve fundraising results and have the ability to take on added responsibility as it is presented.
  • Experience with Blackbaud products including Raiser’s Edge and ResearchPoint desirable.
  • Inventive problem-solving skills.
  • Strong time management and multi-tasking skills are necessary to manage and prioritize multiple requests.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.