Research Analyst, Prospect Management & Research

Loyola University Chicago is a prominent Jesuit institution known for its commitment to academic excellence and community engagement. The Research Analyst in Prospect Management & Research will be responsible for performing extensive research to identify potential philanthropic donors and support fundraising initiatives for the university.

Responsibilities

• Analyzes and documents complex information to assess financial capacity, philanthropic tendencies, giving propensity, and linkages to campus
• Extracts and records key information that informs cultivation and solicitation strategies
• Produces timely in-depth research, profiles, etc. on individuals, corporations, and foundations using a wide variety of biographical, organizational, and financial sources, including online database services, internet websites, library and government sources, and other external repositories
• Proactively and independently identifies sources of leadership annual and major gift support, both from within the existing CRM and using research techniques and electronic searching methodologies, combined with external sources, to develop a sufficient pool of potential prospects for campus-wide fundraising initiatives
• Provides support for evaluative research activities related to the successful implementation, use, and deployment of data resulting from wealth screenings
• Work as part of a team to ensure impactful use by frontline team of wealth screening results and other related research information
• Collaborates with supervisor on matters related to pool and pipeline prioritization and management
• Ensures that prospect knowledge, including external ratings, interests, and linkages acquired through research, is preserved and maintained in a complex database system that is accessible to campus-wide fundraising staff to develop future cultivation strategies
• Proactively tracks and disseminates donor and prospect-related information
• Monitor news and publicly available financial information on prospects from SEC filings, press releases, and major newspapers
• Maintains strong knowledge of Loyola University Chicago’s programs, projects, personnel, and initiatives
• Works with members of the Advancement team to enhance the University’s efforts to build enduring relationships with constituents that result in constituents’ philanthropic support of Loyola
• Develops and maintains ongoing, collaborative relationships with Advancement staff, particularly by serving as a subject matter expert with prospect research, wealth event and trends, industry trends, etc
• Trains users on donor-related data, processes, and protocols
• Provides periodic refresher trainings to existing staff members
• Performs timely and accurate entry of key prospect information (e.g., news articles about alumni, obituaries) into the Kindsight ascend database, communicating this information to key stakeholders as necessary
• Maintains well-organized, accurate, and complete internal databases for use by all Advancement staff and assists with usage as needed
• Assists the Director of Prospect Management & Research and development staff with various data tasks, including (but not limited to) prospect coding, tracking, status monitoring, reporting, and the review of other dynamic information such as contact reports, strategy notes, etc
• Maintains proficiency with standard prospect research resources (electronic, print, and other) and stays abreast of new resources and technologies
• Stays current on research trends, as well as data management trends, as they relate to prospect research, through conferences and other professional development opportunities
• Safeguards the confidentiality of constituent information at all times by adhering to ethical and confidentiality guidelines of the Foundation, University, and the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement ( APRA )
• Performs additional duties and assists with special projects as assigned by supervisor

Skills

• Bachelor's Degree
• Proficiency in synthesizing material from multiple sources and presenting in a clear, logical, and coherent manner
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate, present information, and respond to questions from internal and external stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to review and audit database entries to ensure accuracy, as well as detailed data processing
• Ability and willingness to learn new software programs and web-based applications with minimal guidance
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects effectively and to communicate results in a timely and accurate manner
• Must be able to work under the pressure of time and frequent requests from multiple sources
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel and Word
• Adept user of the internet, email, and other office automation systems
• Familiarity with prospect research resources, including business and philanthropic publications and automated databases
• Preferred one to three years of experience in a development setting at a non-profit, library research setting, or information-related field
• Advanced proficiency with Excel preferred

Company Overview