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IFAW · 5 days ago

Director, Prospect Development

Yarmouth, Town of, Massachusetts, United States

Full-time

Hybrid

Lead/Staff, Director/Executive

$80K/yr - $98K/yr

3+ years exp

IFAW is a global organization focused on animal welfare, and they are seeking a Director of Prospect Development to lead their fundraising efforts. The role involves driving prospect intelligence and research strategy to build a robust pipeline of high-net-worth donors and overseeing a team to optimize donor engagement and fundraising performance.

Non ProfitWildlife Conservation

Responsibilities

Architects and directs a high-performing global prospect research function for IFAW, setting vision and standards for excellence. Champions collaboration with Major Gifts and Planned Giving teams while strategically advising Institutional Giving and Mid-Level teams as needed. Consults across legacy, mid-level, and digital teams to optimize donor assignments and enhance lifetime value

Designs and drives prospect strategies to achieve ambitious revenue and budget goals; partners with the DVP to optimize gift officer territories and prioritize high-value prospects for maximum fundraising impact

Leads oversight of prospect/donor research, pipeline development, and portfolio management for major and planned gift officers; implements continuous portfolio optimization strategies

Ensures seamless lifecycle management of prospects from identification and qualification through cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship

Evaluates, selects, and governs research tools, subscriptions, and systems to maintain GDPR compliance and deliver best-in-class prospect management globally

Facilitates strategic prospect review sessions to co-create solicitation plans for priority donors and drives accountability for achieving ask and close targets

Serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership and gift officers, aligning donor strategies with institutional priorities, accelerating pipeline growth, and enabling data-driven decision-making across all phases of donor engagement

Builds and monitors a robust prospect pipeline, recommends upgrades and referrals, and proactively sources new high-potential prospects to sustain long-term fundraising success

Develops and maintains the donor pyramid to ensure sufficient prospect depth for meeting organizational revenue goals

Partners with events teams to identify new leads, define guest list criteria, and ensure strategic post-event follow-up

Analyzes and refines trend and performance reports; oversees the design of dashboards to track research activities, workflows, and outcomes

Manages vendor and consultant relationships, ensuring delivery of high-quality custom research and reports aligned with organizational standards

Directs end-to-end wealth screening processes, including criteria development, CRM integration, and dissemination of actionable insights to stakeholders

Champions innovation in prospect research by staying ahead of industry best practices; conducts annual audits of tools and subscriptions, recommends enhancements, and streamlines systems for global efficiency

Mentors and develops two direct reports through tailored growth plans to strengthen in-house expertise and amplify research impact on fundraising

Conducts comprehensive research using public records, databases, media, and proprietary resources to uncover actionable intelligence on donors and prospects

Develops a broad awareness of IFAW’s programs to support the identification of individuals and institutions whose philanthropic interests align with our work

Produces strategic mapping tools (heat maps, territory maps) to inform gift officer deployment and future planning

Generates targeted prospect lists for donor visits and events to maximize engagement opportunities

Designs and delivers training programs to embed new processes and elevate prospect research capabilities across the organization

Partners with the Gift Processor to assess incoming contributions, applying rigorous evaluation standards and escalating any gifts requiring review under the Gift Acceptance Policy

Provides executive-level research support as needed, including capacity and affinity analyses, filling MGO requests, and completing leadership briefings

Qualification

Prospect research managementFundraising database managementData mining methodologyBlackbaud BBCRMWealth screening toolsTeamwork ethicJudgmentDiscretionMicrosoft OfficeInterpersonal skills

Required

Minimum 3-5 years of professional experience is required, preferably in a hospital, university, or international charity

Experience in prospect research and management experience in development required

Knowledge of fundraising database management is required

Knowledge and understanding of fundraising prospect management principles and methods is required

Awareness of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and international prospect research norms

Knowledge of data mining methodology and predictive modeling is required

Strong interpersonal skills, team work ethic, ability to handle confidential information, excellent judgment, diplomacy, and discretion

Advanced experience with Microsoft office

Preferred

Bachelor's degree preferred

Training through Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) seminars and workshops and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for prospect research and management is preferred

Experience with Blackbaud BBCRM is preferred

Experience using iWave, WealthX, Windfall, or other wealth screening tools