Sr. Director, Prospect Development and Information Systems

Position Title :

Senior Director, Prospect Development and Information Systems

Department : PBS Foundation

PBS Foundation

Corporate Area : PBS Foundation

PBS Foundation

Status :

Regular, Full time Exempt

Manager Title :

VP, Individual Giving

Position Overview :

The PBS Foundation (PBSF) provides philanthropic support on behalf of the entire Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) system.

In supporting PBS, the PBS Foundation seeks private funds from individuals, foundations, corporations, as well as certain government agencies for priority initiatives and carries out such activities as front-line fundraising and management of the prospect and donor population;

researching prospects; writing proposals; convening board meetings; hosting events; and managing and stewarding donor gifts and funder grants.

PBSF, in close collaboration with PBS, is in the Quiet Phase of its first-ever major fundraising campaign.

The Senior Director of Prospect Development and Information Systems (Senior Director) leads the prospect research and relationship management efforts that support regional fundraisers, senior leadership, and campaign volunteers.

The Senior Director ensures the Foundation has a thriving prospect pipeline and data systems. The Senior Director serves as a thought partner on campaign strategies, guides the program towards best-in-class services, and proactively identifies creative solutions to complex challenges, particularly through the lenses of campaign readiness and effective CRM utilization.

Key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to :

Campaign Leadership

• Serves as a thought partner to senior leadership in developing strategies to support the achievement of campaign goals.
• Develops and oversees campaign policies, processes and workflows for prospect research, portfolio management, information systems and records administration.
• Serves as a resource for a diverse group of fundraising partners.

Prospect Development and Prospect Management

• Optimizes the use of data and analytics to oversee efforts to identify and qualify a robust pool of prospects for ultimate assignment to fundraiser portfolios.
• Develops and manages a systematic prospect management process to track and evaluate progress of prospects moving through the qualification, cultivation and solicitation stages of the relationship cycle.
• Oversees all screening, modeling, analytics, and rating efforts, including electronic and peer screenings.
• Ensures all frontline fundraisers have sufficient size portfolios with the capacity to achieve fundraising goals.
• Meets regularly with fundraisers, both individually and with senior leadership, to monitor, review, prioritize, and collaborate on portfolio composition and engagement strategies.
• Works with frontline fundraisers to establish performance metrics and annual fundraising goals.
• Oversees research requests for briefings with senior leadership, board members and other volunteers.
• Supports and collaborates on strategy around significant campaign solicitations.
• Collaborates with senior leadership and fundraisers to prioritize top tier solicitations.
• Participates and oversees research on potential candidates for the PBSF Board and campaign committees.
• Demonstrates fluency in national and regional philanthropic landscapes and trends.
• Evaluates and seeks resources to improve tools and reports for measuring progress towards campaign goals, objectives and strategies.
• Stays abreast of changes in the evolving media landscape. Specifically, identifies and communicates trends in philanthropic giving to journalism and public media.

Technology, Reporting and Information

• Partners with Technology and Operations (T&O) to ensure that the fundraising database facilitates a strategic, integrated program for prospect identification, research, donor management and events management.
• Collaborates with T&O to design and deliver a suite of campaign performance reports (ad hoc, standard, personalized and analytics).
• Ensures that information discovered through research and meetings is properly maintained and documented in the database.
• Creates standard templates for executive briefings, fundraising proposals, event profiles and board member recruitment.
• Develops policies and procedures for maintaining biographical and gift documents.

Training

Facilitates training for fundraisers and other relationship builders to ensure knowledge of internal processes and systems, industry standards, best practices and current philanthropic trends.

Team Management and Leadership

• Leads, mentors, and develops a staff of prospect development professionals.
• Fosters a collaborative and enthusiastic team culture that encourages innovation and professional growth.
• Provides regular feedback and conducts annual performance reviews.
• Makes hiring decisions and determines future staffing needs.
• Develops and manages the annual budget for the unit.
• Manages relationships with external vendors for research and prospect development.

Performs other duties and / or projects as assigned.

Requirements for success :

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Master's degree preferred.
• Ten (10) or more years of development research and relationship management experience with at least seven years in a management role.
• Experience as a senior level contributor during the planning and execution phases of major campaigns.
• Demonstrated understanding of campaign fundraising, and data analytics concepts.
• Outstanding organizational and analytical skills, ability to organize and prioritize workload to complete assignments when faced with multiple deadlines and competing requirements.
• Ability to measure goals and objectives and to develop and implement strategies to achieve them.
• Ability to apply good judgment, discretion, and a commitment to professional ethics and data security when dealing with highly confidential donors and prospective donors.
• Expertise with database systems and data visualization software (Power BI, Tableau, etc.).
• Excellent oral presentation skills, writing and editing. Ability to work effectively and communicate diplomatically with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• An enthusiasm for building a culture of philanthropy at PBS and incorporating fundraising best practices at PBS and the PBS Foundation.
• Familiarity with and adherence to APRA's Principles of Ethics and Compliance and AASP Best Practices.

PBS is an Equal Opportunity Employer in accordance with the EEOC and the Commonwealth of Virginia.