Associate Director, Prospect Research
Job Description
Harvard Medical School (HMS) seeks an Associate Director of Prospect Research to play a key role in advancing our fundraising strategy through high-quality pipeline development, prospect research, due diligence, and data driven insights. Reporting to the Director of Development/Prospect Research, the Associate Director helps to develop proactive prospecting and pipeline development strategies utilizing data mining, predictive modeling, relationship mapping, and assists the team in effectively utilizing data and modern tools—including AI enabled solutions—to work more efficiently and effectively.
The ideal candidate is an experienced research professional who is comfortable working with large datasets; has strong analytical and writing skills; exercises excellent judgment around reputational risk; and is curious about how emerging technologies can responsibly support research and decision making.
Key Responsibilities:
Prospect Management and Pipeline Development
- Partner with the Director of Research to strengthen and expand the prospect pipeline through the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of high-potential donor prospects using evolving research tools, screening resources, and data analytics.
- Develop and implement proactive prospecting and pipeline development strategies utilizing data mining, predictive modeling, relationship mapping, and wealth and affinity analysis to identify new major and principal gift prospects and support data-driven portfolio growth and fundraising strategy.
- Collaborate closely with principal and major gift officers to identify, qualify, and strategically advance prospects through the fundraising pipeline in alignment with institutional priorities and fundraising goals.
- Partner with and participate in prospect strategy discussions with frontline fundraising teams to support portfolio development and prospect strategy by providing actionable research, analysis, and recommendations on donor capacity, inclination, interests, and engagement.
Prospect Research and Strategic Insight
- Conduct in depth research on current and potential donors, including biographical, business, philanthropic, and financial information.
- Prepare clear, concise, and well-organized research products (profiles, briefings, memos, landscape scans) for senior leadership and frontline fundraisers.
- Analyze wealth indicators and philanthropic behavior to estimate giving capacity and identify strategic opportunities for principal and major gift cultivation.
- Monitor news, public filings, and other sources to keep stakeholders informed of developments affecting key prospects and donors.
Due Diligence and Reputational Risk
- Lead or oversee due diligence reviews on high-priority prospects and institutional partners, with attention to litigation, regulatory actions, sanctions and watchlists, corruption and fraud, and other activities that may conflict with HMS’s mission and values.
- Summarize findings in balanced, evidence-based assessments that clearly distinguish fact from allegation, convey levels of risk, and outline any ambiguities or limitations.
- Collaborate with Development leadership and other campus partners on the integration of due diligence into gift acceptance and prospect strategy decisions.
Data, Analytics, and Use of AI Tools
- Work with Development Technology colleagues to extract, clean, and interpret data from the fundraising database and related systems to support prospecting, portfolio analysis, and campaign planning.
- Use Excel and other tools (e.g., SQL, R, Python, or similar) to analyze large datasets, identify trends, and develop reports that inform prospect identification and portfolio management.
- Thoughtfully incorporate AI tools (for example, large language models, GPTs/Gens, and other generative AI applications) to assist with tasks such as summarizing long documents, scanning open-source media, organizing notes, and drafting initial language.
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