Manager of Prospect Research and Engagement

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

At the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, we are building a stronger, more connected Jewish future. This future is powered by philanthropy and built on a solid foundation of engaging programming supported locally across Atlanta and in Israel. A thriving and connected 21st Century Jewish Atlanta ensures that every Jew and their loved ones can access a warm and caring Jewish community, timeless Jewish wisdom, global Jewish peoplehood, and Jewish ways to do good in the world. This vision depends on a strategic and accessible philanthropic landscape that empowers every individual to give in a way that is meaningful to them.

Reporting to the Director of Business Development, the Manager of Prospect Research and Engagement will be responsible for identifying and qualifying mid-level and major gift prospects, building and maintaining portfolio and pipeline reporting, tracking progress against short-term and long-term fundraising targets, and delivering the forecasting and performance analysis that shape fundraising strategy. The role sits inside Advancement and reports to the Director of Business Development because its output is strategic fundraising decision support and new prospect qualification.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Prospect Research & Identification

Identify, research, and qualify major gift, corporate sponsorship, and legacy giving prospects using wealth screening, philanthropic history, and relationship mapping
Prepare donor and prospect profiles and briefings for gift officers, VP of Philanthropy, Chief Advancement Officer, and the CEO ahead of solicitation and cultivation meetings
Assist Advancement team in identifying potential corporate prospects and coordinate sponsorship solicitations across Advancement
Conduct research into major donors to identify potential new prospects that have a demonstrated alignment to Jewish philanthropy
Develop a priority list of current donors and high net-worth prospects that are targets for upgraded or new significant gifts

Prospect Management and Qualification

Analyze DRM portfolio composition by capacity, stage, and engagement to inform assignment and rebalancing decisions
Maintain moves management reporting that shows stage progression, stalled relationships, and portfolio gaps by gift officer
Recommend portfolio adjustments as the donor base grows toward the 6,700-donor target
Conduct outreach via email and phone to high net worth prospects on a weekly basis
Schedule meetings for Advancement staff with prospective donors monthly
Partner with volunteer "Connectors” on reaching out to and scheduling qualification meetings with prospective donors, coordinating with the advancement team as needed

Campaign & Performance Reporting

Deliver recurring pipeline, retention, and campaign performance reports to the VP of Philanthropy and Advancement leadership
Track and report progress against fundraising plan strategic levers and flag variances early enough to act on them
Maintain an accurate list of corporate sponsorship prospects and assist advancement team in making coordinated asks

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with technology team members on data quality, Salesforce field standards, and reporting infrastructure needed to support Advancement analytics, without taking on system administration or platform ownership
Partner with Marketing on donor-facing campaigns, sharing pipeline and portfolio context to inform (but not own) audience segmentation
Collaborate with marketing on developing sponsorship collateral for advancement events
Coordinate with the Impact team to regularly receive stories and data that can be used for donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship

Principal Gift Donor Engagement Planning and Implementation

Create and manage prospect parlor meetings in collaboration with current donors, lay leaders, gift officers and members of the impact team that focus on key impact priorities
Develop curated small group opportunities designed to secure significant upgrades from currently existing donors or bring in new major gifts to the annual campaign
Build an easily replicated process for parlor meetings that allow lay volunteers to host events on a regular basis
Oversee micro-follow-ups after Impact programs and parlor meetings
Assist Advancement team in coordinating follow-up within 24-48 hours post prospecting events, helping determine assignments, strategy, and track progress
Develop potential strategies for step-up gifts for Women’s Philanthropy, Young Leadership Division, and Premier supporting the advancement leads

QUALIFICATIONS & KEY COMPETENCIES:

Required:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; 5+ years in prospect research, development analytics, business intelligence, sales operations or a related business development operations role
Demonstrated experience with wealth screening tools, prospect research methodology, and moves management frameworks
Advanced proficiency with Salesforce (or comparable CRM) as an end user, including report and dashboard building
Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including comfort building forecasting models in Excel or equivalent tools
Ability to translate data into a clear narrative for non-technical fundraising and lay leadership audiences

Preferred:

Experience in a nonprofit, higher education, or healthcare advancement environment with campaign-based fundraising or experience working as a business development representative or in sales operations in the corporate sector
Experience supporting a fundraising campaign through a period of significant donor base growth