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About The Position
The Prospect Manager is a vital member of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Development team, focusing on executing and enhancing the moves management program and optimizing the work of the Prospect Researcher. The person in this position will work closely with principal- and major-gift team members to improve fundraising outcomes and enhance prospect management processes, pipelines, and portfolios. The Manager will be responsible for ensuring moves management policies, definitions, workflows, practices and data-integrity standards are developed, enhanced, deployed and trusted as the basis for data-informed decision-making.
The ideal candidate for this position will have experience executing moves management processes in a campaign setting, be an effective communicator with colleagues of all levels of the organization, and have demonstrated effective strategic partnership outcomes. Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Giving and Engagement, the Manager will be an integral part of supporting the Garden’s investment in principal- and major-gift fundraising during a significant comprehensive campaign. Remote work is available for two days of the regular work week for this position, after onboarding and training of up to 90 days.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Four years of nonprofit experience and two years in in prospect management or related field and performance using relational-databases and analytical tools
- Excellent interpersonal skills including demonstrated comfort working with staff at all levels of the organization
- Advance proficiency with APRA skills sets with particular strength in moves management, pipeline management, portfolio optimization, and data analytics
- Experience supervising or leading the work of others
- Strong project-management skills with a proven ability to design, document, and implement efficient processes and systems
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize work, and manage competing priorities with diplomacy and attention to people and deadlines
- Demonstrated experience conceptualizing and identifying information or process gaps and creatively resolving them
- Demonstrated ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive information and material in a discretionary manner
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, donor databases (Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred), and virtual meeting technology
- Must have a valid driver’s license
Nice To Haves
- Ability to work outdoor events in a variety of weather conditions, including some evening and weekend hours
Responsibilities
- Manage the pipeline of donors and prospects, including designing and leading efficient systems for the principal and major gifts programs.
- Develop, enhance, and manage the processes, policies, and practices of the prospect management policy manual, including training end users on best practices and unified experiences.
- Identify principal- and major-level donor prospects for qualification, assign to gift officer portfolios, and train staff on the qualification process.
- Support portfolio optimization practices such as guiding, constructing, and reviewing portfolios with gift officers for maximum fundraising effectiveness.
- Support pipeline and portfolio data integrity for reporting and analytics through coding in the database, reports, prompts/reminders, and updates.
- Design practices that empower gift officers to manage gift-lifecycle and pipeline integrity.
- Design dashboards, metrics, and reporting that foster performance accountability and provide performance insights.
- Track moves management and qualification/discovery pool outcomes.
- Lead regular and recurring prospect management and portfolio optimization consultations with gift officers to guide strategy, prioritize prospects, and foster long-term portfolio health.
- Supervise and lead the work of the Prospect Researcher, identifying, prioritizing, and bringing forward researched prospects to be added to gift officer portfolios.
- Partner with Development Operations team; Director, Strategic Giving; and Coordinator, Principal Gifts to ensure integration of principal and major gifts work, as well as for optimal system design, analytics, and data integrity.
- Demonstrate enthusiasm for and commitment to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s mission and programs.
Benefits
- Compensation philosophy rooted in core values: Growth, Understanding, Resilience, and Trust through Transparency
- Competitive, internally equitable, and transparent compensation and growth opportunities
- Defined pay ranges for all positions
- Referral bonuses
- Shift differentials
- Thank You Pay
- Promotions
- Periodic pay increases based on Garden’s overall performance and financial budgets
- Total compensation and benefits package is people centric
- Prioritize employee wellness across three pillars: physical, mental, and financial
- Innovative total rewards that support continuous professional growth, personal development, and provide the flexibility needed to balance personal and professional commitments
