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CU System Administration .
Position Summary:
The Director of Prospect Intelligence is a centralized University
of Colorado System Advancement position embedded within CU Boulder
Advancement and provides strategic leadership for CU Boulder
Advancement's prospect intelligence and research, portfolio
strategy, and fundraiser enablement functions. This new position
reports to the Sr Director of Portfolio Intelligence, Research,
& Data Management within CU System Advancement and has a dotted
line relationship with Executive Director of Development Operations
within CU Boulder Advancement. This position serves as a vital
bridge between enterprise advancement intelligence efforts and
campus fundraising operations.
The Director will build the first embedded prospect development
function at Boulder, leading efforts to accelerate campaign
readiness, strengthen pipeline health, and deliver strategic
intelligence to fundraising leadership. This position champions a
proactive, solutions-oriented approach that advances the
organization from a transactional research model toward a strategic
intelligence function focused on fundraising outcomes, operational
excellence, and long-term growth. The role requires a builder who
can move quickly, establish new processes, and drive measurable
results in support of a large comprehensive campaign.
This Director will play a critical role in helping CU Boulder
Advancement modernize its prospect development and portfolio
strategy functions through the thoughtful application of emerging
technologies, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and
innovative fundraising practices. The CU Boulder Advancement Data
Insights Team primarily supports this role and team with analytics,
reporting, and visualization needs. The Director will challenge
traditional prospect development approaches, identify new
opportunities to increase fundraiser effectiveness, and help
position Advancement to meet the evolving expectations of donors
and fundraisers in a rapidly changing philanthropic
landscape.
The Director leads a team of seven analysts responsible for
prospect identification, research, portfolio optimization, pipeline
development, and strategic fundraising support. Through the
delivery of actionable prospect intelligence and portfolio
solutions, the Director helps advancement leaders and fundraisers
identify, prioritize, and engage the institution's most promising
philanthropic opportunities. The program supports approximately
60-70 major gift, principal gift, and Donor Experience Officer
portfolios.
Working closely with CU Boulder Advancement leadership, fundraising
unit leadership, Data Insights, and CU System Advancement prospect
development leadership and partners, the Director develops
strategies and solutions that strengthen donor pipelines, improve
portfolio health, enhance fundraiser effectiveness, and support
campaign success.
This position reports to the Sr Director of Portfolio Intelligence,
Research, & Data Management, and is exempt from the State of
Colorado Classified Staff system.
Where You Will Work:
Applicants must be Colorado residents or able to relocate to
Colorado within a month of starting employment with University of
Colorado System Administration.
This role is a hybrid role and aligns with CU Boulder Advancement
guidelines for a certain number of days in the office.
Please note, leadership may adjust in-office work requirements
with a minimum of three months' notice before any change can be
implemented.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws governing
nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a
workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and
dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to
apply, including protected veterans and individuals with
disabilities.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not
limited to:
Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Solutions
- Design and lead an integrated Prospect Development operating
model that connects prospect intelligence, research, portfolio
management, qualification, analytics, and fundraiser enablement to
provide a proactive, scalable, and consistent service to
fundraisers and advancement leaders.
Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for prospect
intelligence, portfolio management, and fundraiser enablement
aligned with institutional fundraising priorities.
Champion innovation across prospect development, portfolio
strategy, and fundraiser enablement by evaluating and supporting
the implementation of emerging technologies, AI-powered solutions,
predictive analytics, and scalable approaches that enhance
fundraising outcomes.
Lead efforts to reimagine prospect development practices for
the future, balancing proven methodologies with new technologies
and data-driven strategies that increase organizational agility and
effectiveness.
Serve as a strategic advisor to advancement leadership
regarding portfolio composition, prospect prioritization, pipeline
development, and fundraising opportunity assessment.
Partner with development leaders to strengthen fundraising
capacity through effective portfolio management and prospect
strategy.
Represent CU Boulder Advancement on systemwide prospect
intelligence, portfolio strategy, and fundraising effectiveness
initiatives.
Partner with peer multi-campus director on systemwide
initiatives and ensure strong communication and resource sharing;
collaborate to resolve prospect assignment disputes and
university-wide top prospect strategies.
Develop policies, standards, and best practices that support
consistent portfolio management and prospect strategy across the
division and in alignment with university-wide policies.
Identify opportunities to improve organizational effectiveness
through scalable solutions, process improvement, and strategic
resource allocation.
Prospect Intelligence & Research
- Oversee a comprehensive prospect intelligence program that
supports annual, major, principal, and planned giving efforts,
inclusive of affinity-based programs, such as parent giving and
athletic programs.
- Shift prospect development from a predominantly request-driven
model toward a proactive intelligence model that continuously
identifies, prioritizes, and surfaces emerging opportunities for
fundraisers and institutional priorities.
- Explore and work alongside CU Advancement's data and technical
governance group to implement and lead effective change management
for new intelligence methodologies, data sources, predictive
modeling techniques, and AI-enabled research tools to enhance
prospect identification and philanthropic opportunity
assessment.
- Lead proactive prospect identification efforts to uncover
emerging philanthropic opportunities aligned with institutional
priorities.
- Direct the preparation of prospect profiles, executive
briefings, relationship maps, prospect assessments, and strategic
intelligence reports.
- Ensure the delivery of accurate, timely, and actionable
prospect intelligence that supports cultivation, solicitation, and
stewardship strategies.
- Establish and maintain research standards, methodologies, and
quality control practices.
- Monitor emerging trends and best practices in prospect
research, wealth assessment, and philanthropic intelligence.
Prospect Qualification & Referral Strategy
- Develop and oversee a division-wide prospect qualification
framework that establishes consistent criteria, workflows,
ownership, and decision points for evaluating and advancing
prospective donors.
Portfolio Strategy & Pipeline Development
- Lead portfolio optimization efforts that align prospect
opportunity with fundraiser capacity and institutional
priorities.
- Leverage advanced analytics, predictive insights, and emerging
technologies to identify patterns, optimize portfolio performance,
and uncover new pathways for donor engagement and
qualification.
- Understand available CRM data and rules, data mart, reports,
and related definitions/policies in order to troubleshoot and
provide ad hoc data around performance metrics and the proposal
pipeline.
- Develop and oversee processes for prospect assignment,
qualification, reassignment, and disqualification.
- Partner with development leadership to assess portfolio health
and identify opportunities to improve prospect movement and
fundraising performance.
- Monitor donor pipeline strength and recommend strategies to
strengthen future fundraising capacity.
- Support campaign planning efforts by identifying prospect
opportunities, assessing pipeline readiness, and evaluating
portfolio coverage across campaign priorities.
- Provide recommendations that help fundraisers focus their
efforts on the highest-potential opportunities.
- Lead the development and evolution of prospect referral
processes that enable fundraisers and campus partners to
efficiently surface, assess, qualify, assign, and advance new
opportunities.
Fundraiser Enablement & Strategic Support
- Utilize and collaborate with Data Insights to develop
innovative tools, dashboards, AI-enabled resources, and
decision-support solutions that help fundraisers prioritize
activity, personalize engagement, and maximize portfolio
performance.
- Partner with Data Insights, Technology, and fundraising leaders
to pilot and scale new approaches that improve donor
identification, qualification, cultivation, and stewardship.
- Provide consultation and strategic guidance regarding donor
strategy, prospect prioritization, and portfolio management
practices.
- Promote adoption of portfolio management standards and best
practices across the division.
- Lead the development of trainings and best practice
documentation, internally and for customer use.
- Establish metrics and reporting to evaluate the effectiveness
and impact of prospect development, including portfolio health,
qualification and referral outcomes, prospect movement, service
levels, adoption, and contribution to fundraising performance.
Leadership, Supervision & Team Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of analysts, currently three
portfolio intelligence analysts and four research analysts
- Build and develop a cross-functional team of Prospect
Development liaisons with expertise in both prospect intelligence
and portfolio strategy, enabling them to serve as trusted strategic
partners to fundraisers and translate intelligence into actionable
prospect and portfolio recommendations.
- Create annual and strategic operating plans; implement plans
and evaluate and report on progress
- Supervise the Analysts' workloads through queue management and
Agile practices; ensure working standards to Service Level
Agreements and Standard Operating Procedures. Establish team goals,
priorities, performance expectations, and professional development
plans.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability,
and customer service.
- Build strong partnerships across Advancement, campus
stakeholders, and CU System Advancement colleagues.
- Ensure compliance with ethical standards, data privacy
requirements, and industry best practices.
- Serve as a thought leader in system wide Prospect Development,
contributing to the design of shared standards, methodologies,
technology capabilities, and practices while advocating for
Boulder's fundraising needs and priorities.
What We Offer:
Salary: The anticipated hiring range has been established at
$137,000- $150,000 .
Benefits:
For more information on benefits programs, please review our
Comprehensive Benefits
Guide .
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications:
Please include all relevant experience in your resume to be
accurately assessed against these qualifications. You must meet all
minimum requirements at the time of application to be considered
for this role.
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher
education, or equivalent professional experience (professional
experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a
year-for-year basis)
- Six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in
prospect research, prospect development, portfolio management,
advancement services, fundraising strategy, or a related
field.
- Two (2) years' experience in a managerial or supervisory role,
which includes managing personnel, developing/mentoring direct
reports, and completing performance reviews to ensure continuous
improvement, high performance, and employee retention
- Demonstrated experience managing complex projects.
- Experience in higher education advancement or a complex
nonprofit fundraising environment.
- Experience partnering with fundraising leaders to support donor
strategy, portfolio management, and pipeline
development.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Eight (8) years' professional experience, as indicated
above
- Three (3) years' experience in a managerial or supervisory
role, as indicated above
- Significant experience supporting a large comprehensive
campaign (preferably $1B+)
- Demonstrated experience leveraging technology, analytics,
artificial intelligence, or automation to improve fundraising,
prospect development, or business processes.
- Demonstrated experience challenging traditional approaches
through experimentation, innovation, and continuous
improvement.
- Experience translating emerging technologies and data insights
into practical business applications.
- Experience leading and transforming prospect research,
portfolio management, or fundraising intelligence
functions.
How to Apply:
For full consideration, please attach the following as separate
documents to your application:
- A cover letter identifying the job specific minimum
qualifications you possess and interest in the position.
- A resume including all relevant experience to be accurately
assessed against the qualifications listed in the posting.
Please ensure you check the “Job Specific Attachments” box next to
each document on the “Required Documents” page of the application
for the appropriate documents to be attached.
When to Apply:
For full consideration completed applications must be submitted by
Friday, September 25th . Reference checking is a standard
step in our hiring process. You may be asked to provide contact
information, including email addresses and phone numbers, for up to
five references as part of the search process for this
position.
*Please note: All application materials must be submitted through
CU Careers; emailed materials will not be considered. *
Sponsorship Statement:
We are unable to sponsor applicants for work visas for this
position.
Background Check Statement:
The University of Colorado is committed to providing a safe and
productive learning and living community. To achieve that goal, we
conduct background investigations for all final applicants being
considered for employment. Background investigations include a
criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial
and/or motor vehicle history. The Immigration Reform and Control
Act requires that a verification of employment eligibility be
documented for all new employees by the end of the third day of
work. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and
equality in education and employment.
ADA Statement:
We are committed to an inclusive and barrier-free search process.
We provide accommodations for applicants requesting accommodation
through the search process such as alternative formats of this
posting. Individuals with disabilities in need of accommodations
throughout the search process should contact the ADA Coordinator
at:
systemhr@cu.edu .
Qualifications :
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
To be successful in this position, employees will need to know the
following:
- Advanced knowledge of prospect development, prospect research,
portfolio management, and fundraising pipeline strategy.
- Knowledge of advancement operations, fundraising practices, and
donor engagement strategies.
- Ability to analyze complex data and translate insights into
actionable fundraising strategies and recommendations.
- Ability to leverage technology, analytics, and emerging tools
to improve prospect intelligence and portfolio effectiveness.
- Strong strategic planning, problem-solving, and process
improvement skills.
- Ability to develop and implement policies, standards,
processes, and best practices.
- Strong consultation and relationship-management skills with the
ability to advise senior leaders and fundraising
professionals.
- Strong leadership and people-management skills, including the
ability to coach, develop, and set priorities for professional
staff.
- Ability to lead complex projects and organizational change
across multiple stakeholders.
- Ability to build collaborative partnerships and influence
stakeholders across organizational boundaries.
- Ability to establish performance measures, assess outcomes, and
use results to inform strategic and operational decisions.
- Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication
skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver accurate,
timely results in a fast-paced environment.
- Knowledge of ethical standards, data privacy, and responsible
use of prospect and donor information.
Per the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, you are not required
to provide your date of birth, dates of school attendance, or dates
of graduation on your resume or cover letter. If an application
requires additional materials, such as a transcript or
certification, you may redact identifying information relating to
your date or birth, dates of school attendance, or dates of
graduation.
