"Advancement and Prospect Development Specialist"

Job Details

Buena Vista University is seeking candidates for the role of Advancement and Prospect Development Specialist to join our University Advancement team. This position plays a vital role in strengthening fundraising, alumni engagement, stewardship, and institutional advancement efforts by ensuring high-quality data, insightful prospect research, and effective use of our Advancement CRM. The Advancement and Prospect Development Specialist serves as a subject matter expert in Advancement data systems, reporting, and prospect research, while functioning as an assistant database administrator. This role supports strategic initiatives by maintaining data integrity, producing meaningful research, and providing reliable reporting and list management for multi-channel communications. If you enjoy transforming data into actionable insights, thrive in a collaborative environment, and want to support a mission-focused institution, we invite you to apply.

Primary Responsibilities

Prospect Research & Analysis

• Lead prospect research and prepare donor/prospect profiles and update profiles as needed.
• Create event bios and support major gifts research needs.
• Oversee student workers assisting with research tasks.
• Conduct proactive research to identify new prospects.
• Audit fundraiser call reports for accuracy.

Advancement Data Systems & Operations

• Serve as assistant administrator for Advancement CRM.
• Manage constituent engagement data and oversee data imports.
• Coordinate student data entry from multiple sources.
• Maintain documentation for Advancement Operations.
• Cross-train to support other Operations functions.
• Maintain and update constituent record, including event and engagement activity records.
• Perform routine data audits and process mass updates.
• Track biographical, employment, volunteer, and education data.

List Management & Reporting

• Create lists and queries for communications and fundraising.
• Provide data and reports to campus partners.
• Coordinate data with external vendors and maintain request calendars.
• Track and document list usage.
• Review Advancement communications for accuracy and consistency.
• Oversee digitization of records and manage file purging.

Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data integrity.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy.
• High level of professionalism, ethics, and confidentiality.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with staff, students, volunteers, and campus partners.
• Multicultural competence and ability to work with diverse populations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Relevant professional experience may substitute for a degree
• Experience with CRM databases, data management, reporting, and prospect research preferred.

A background check will be conducted on the final candidate. Buena Vista University is an EOE/ADA/Smoke-Free Employer.