Assistant Director of Prospect Research and Development (81077)

The Assistant Director for Prospect Research & Development is a key member of the Iona University Advancement team responsible for identifying, researching, qualifying, and developing Iona’s next generation of major and principal gift prospects.

Supporting a team of approximately five frontline gift officers and an Advancement operation serving more than 50,000 alumni, the Assistant Director will build systematic and data-informed approaches to discover prospective donors, assess their capacity and affinity, and move them through the prospect pipeline from initial identification to qualification and assignment to a fundraising portfolio.

The successful candidate will be a curious researcher, analytical thinker, and collaborative partner who can turn disparate information into actionable fundraising intelligence.

Responsibilities

Prospect Identification & Research

• Proactively identify new and emerging major and principal gift prospects among the University's alumni, parents, friends, corporations, foundations, and other constituents.

• Conduct comprehensive prospect research utilizing wealth screening, philanthropic, professional, biographical, engagement, and publicly available information.

• Develop concise, actionable prospect profiles and wealth assessments for frontline fundraisers and Advancement leadership.

• Analyze alumni career progression, business ownership, board service, philanthropic activity, and other indicators to identify the University's next generation of major donors.

• Monitor relevant news, business activity, philanthropic activity, and other developments involving high-priority prospects.

• Respond to research requests from frontline fundraisers while maintaining a proactive focus on broader prospect discovery.

• Develop and refine research methodologies that improve the University's ability to identify prospects at scale.

Data Analytics, Intelligence & Systems

• Analyze advancement and constituent data to identify trends, relationships, and opportunities that can inform fundraising strategy.

• Integrate information from Raiser’s Edge, wealth-screening platforms, engagement records, external databases, and other sources to develop actionable prospect intelligence.

• Create and maintain dashboards, reports, and other tools that communicate prospect and pipeline activity to Advancement leadership and frontline fundraisers.

• Establish recurring prospect-screening and identification processes that allow the University to systematically evaluate its constituent population for emerging major-gift potential.

• Identify opportunities to improve prospect research workflows through technology, automation, artificial intelligence, and other emerging tools.

Database & Data Integrity

• Maintain accurate and complete prospect information in Raiser’s Edge.

• Partner with Iona’s Information Technology department on upcoming data migration initiatives.

• Ensure that prospect research, wealth information, relationships, qualification activity, and portfolio assignments are appropriately documented.

• Assist with wealth-screening updates, data enrichment, imports, exports, deduplication, and other data-quality initiatives.

• Establish and maintain standards and procedures that support reliable prospect management and reporting.

• Collaborate with Advancement Services to ensure that research and prospect-management information is captured consistently and effectively.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required.

• 3–5 years of experience in prospect research, fundraising analytics, advancement services, business intelligence, or a related field.

• Demonstrated ability to conduct sophisticated prospect research and wealth analysis.

• Experience working with an advancement CRM such as Raiser's Edge NXT, Salesforce, or a comparable system.

• Strong analytical skills and advanced proficiency in Excel or comparable data-analysis tools.

• Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and translate research into clear, actionable recommendations.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.

• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with frontline fundraisers and Advancement leadership.

• Strong organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education advancement or a complex nonprofit fundraising environment.

• Experience with iWave, LexisNexis, ResearchPoint, LinkedIn, Foundation Directory, or similar research platforms.

• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or other data visualization tools.

• Experience integrating data from multiple systems or databases.

Familiarity with AI tools and emerging technologies for research, data analysis, and workflow automation.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

About Iona/EEO Statement:

Founded in 1940, Iona University is a private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona is a growing, highly accredited institution located just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan, with campuses in New Rochelle, Bronxville, and a new location in County Mayo, Ireland. With over 4,000 students, Iona offers small classes, engaged faculty, and a wide range of programs across the School of Arts & Science, the LaPenta School of Business (AACSB accredited), the NewYork Presbyterian Iona School of Nursing & Health Sciences, and the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

Recognized by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and U.S. News & World Report, Iona is nationally ranked for academic quality, social mobility, and long term return on investment. The University’s continued growth and rising reputation reflect its commitment to academic excellence, innovation, service, and opportunity.

Iona University values and celebrates diversity and is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees and applicants for employment. Iona is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered free from discrimination based on any legally protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Iona University encourages applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds.