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Vassar College is deeply committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees by promoting an environment of transparency and respect for differences. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds who meet the qualifications of a posting. If you need to request an accommodation to fully participate in the search process, please contact [email protected].

Job Description

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30am-5pm (37.5 hours per week)

Position Summary

The Prospect Development and Research team within the Vassar College Office of Advancement provides key services that enable Vassar’s president, senior officers, and Advancement colleagues to initiate and build meaningful relationships with alums, parents, volunteers, and other supporters of the College. Reporting to the Director of Prospect Development and Research, the Prospect Development Analyst plays a crucial role in this process by providing value-added intelligence and recommendations regarding Vassar constituents’ wealth, history, and circumstances that would influence philanthropic capacity, and related strategies. All prospect development methods follow the professional standards outlined by the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (Apra).

Responsibilities:

• Support Advancement and Prospect Development and Research missions, values, and standards for professional conduct.

• Establish and complete projects designed to identify new prospects, re-evaluate known prospects, and build the pipeline of potential donors (e.g., wealth screenings).

• Conduct in-depth financial and biographical research on constituents by identifying and analyzing indicators such as real estate, equity holdings, compensation, family foundation assets, and philanthropic and political giving.

• Compose appropriate research materials highlighting key information about constituents for Vassar’s fundraising officers.

• Act as a strategic consultant and work collaboratively with gift officers and other staff to ensure the strategic use of research (e.g., suggest donors for specific funding opportunities, event invitations, or other cultivation opportunities).

• Respond to research requests and guide the work of fundraising officers by tailoring reports and answering specific questions about wealth, affinity to the college, and giving likelihood.

• Facilitate briefing materials for the president and other high-level staff for events, dinners, and interactions with important donors and prospects.

• Schedule regular meetings with fundraising partners to establish and adjust goals and strategies, review portfolios, and plan trips.

• Process visit reports, monitor solicitations, offer trip planning advice, and serve on working groups as required or available.

• Manage the quarterly preparation of trustee materials for the Nominations Committee of the Board of Trustees, coordinate production, and help ensure the integrity of trustee data updates in the database.

• Keep abreast of prospect development best practices and industry knowledge through listservs, relevant publications, and professional training.

• Upkeep the database by entering data, maintaining individual records, and helping to maintain data integrity.

• Provide database training for new and current Advancement employees, serving as lead trainer.

 Required knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Knowledge of fundraising principles and best practices.

• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills to build successful relationships across the department and effectively train staff.

• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately and with discretion.

• Ability to analyze and summarize extensive, diverse facts into useful information.

• Ability to efficiently organize and prioritize a wide range of assignments and projects with keen attention to detail, accountability, and follow-through.

• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse community.

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time. 

Preferred knowledge, skills, and abilities:  

• Knowledge of fundraising principles and best practices in a higher education or non-profit environment.

• Experience working with relational databases, especially in a fundraising context.

• Demonstrated research experience using both public and subscription-based tools and databases (including international resources).

• Experience conducting quantitative analysis to aid Vassar Advancement in its current and future efforts to apply behavioral analytics to fundraising strategy

Compensation

The compensation for this position is  $62,353.20 - $70,000 per year.

When extending an offer, Vassar College considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, budget, and other market and organizational considerations. The starting salary range represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate at the time of posting.

Special Instructions to Applicants: