CLASSIFICATION & REGULAR HOURS

Hours per Week: 35
Salary Grade: 13
Please note, this position is a 1-year temporary full-time contract opportunity with benefits.

ABOUT US

The University Advancement division plays a leading role in strengthening awareness of and support for the University’s mission and goals by leading alumni relations and fundraising efforts across campus and beyond. All departments within the Division build enduring alumni and public trust through understanding and support for Western University in a coordinated campus-wide effort that results in the engagement and funding needed to make an impact. There are 3 departments within the Division – Departments of Development, Alumni Relations and Advancement Operations.
The Advancement Operations department is a partner in the areas of constituent database and technology services, prospect management, research and pipeline, data analytics and storytelling, gift and pledge management, records and document management, and financial reconciliation and reporting. In addition, we provide support to the annual planning process as well as budget management, human resources and facilities support for University Advancement.
An integral part of Advancement Operations, the Prospect Management team, leads the identification and population of prospect pools for assignment at all giving levels, to support a strong pipeline in meeting fundraising goals. The team conducts regular analysis of prospect portfolios assigned to the development team and ensures business, system and reporting processes are in place to evaluate pipeline progress. The team provides background research on the University’s relationship with prospects and ensures biographical data is accurate, complete and consistent within prospect pools for greater impact. Through the work of the prospect pipeline team, all departments across University Advancement understand the shared responsibility of the prospect management system and effectively use the system to monitor and evaluate program strategy.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• University Degree required
• University degree in Library Science, Information Management, Economics or Business preferred

Experience:

• 1 year of experience in a research development or fundraising environment required
• Experience as a prospect researcher in either an academic or healthcare setting preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Working knowledge of privacy legislation and ethics statements by appropriate professional bodies
• Proven awareness of confidentiality issues and acceptable methods of information collection and retention
• Proficiency in using commercial information systems such as Factiva, Lexis Nexis to uncover information on prospects
• Knowledge of secondary research techniques to discover and verify information obtained through primary resources
• Working knowledge of prospect-research tools such as Foundation Search or Prospect Research Online
• Proficiency at understanding wealth indicators, with an ability to understand and communicate financial information clearly as it relates to capacity to give
• Familiarity with complex relational advancement databases (Blackbaud CRM preferred)
• Attention to detail with data management skills and an ability to extract and manage volumes of data and organize it into meaningful reports
• Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office
• Proven ability to multi-task and prioritize with an eye to consistently producing high-quality work and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Superior verbal communication skills and confidence interacting with internal and external stakeholders at all levels of an organization
• Excellent written communication skills with an ability to summarize information, complete detailed analytics and reports
• Ability to conduct in-depth research, to analyze and synthesize the information, and prepare concise, accurate, and clearly written briefings

The Prospect Research Officer is an essential member of Prospect Management and Data Analytics team. The role provides strategic information and informed assessments to prioritize and focus the efforts of Development staff on a discrete pool of individual, corporations and foundation prospects. By augmenting knowledge of existing and potential future donors, using an increasingly diverse body of resources, the Prospect Research Officer enhances and enables efficiency in fundraising units at Western.