Prospect Research Coordinator, Foundation Relations

Position Title & Department:

Prospect Research Coordinator, Foundation Relations; University Advancement

Posting # 5557

Department Description:

The Foundation Relations department serves as the university's central clearing house for all foundation interaction, including site visits, proposal tracking, foundation research, approach clearance and coordination.

University Description:

The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity's urgent challenges.

Detailed Description:

The prospect research coordinator is responsible for conducting sophisticated data analysis, prospect identification, in-depth research, and tracking on external foundation, corporate, and government funders to expand revenue generating opportunities for the university. Through careful investigation and proper vetting of potential and current funders, this position offers strategic guidance for successful fundraising approaches. On behalf of the Office of Foundation Relations this position coordinates logistics for site visits and assists with approach clearance for and coordination of foundation interactions. This position ensures all grant opportunities, donor records, and stewardship data are accurately maintained in the CRM system. The prospect research coordinator updates and maintains the department's website and serves as the primary receptionist for the suite, creating and maintaining a professional and welcoming environment. This position will also support donor engagement, stewardship, and recognition events as well as other divisional events including but not limited to Ole Weekend, Homecoming and Family Weekend, and Commencement, as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Foundation Research and Analysis

• Perform in-depth research on potential funding for university programs and priorities by charitable foundations, corporations, and government agencies using research tools including but not limited to Candid, GrantForward, Grants.gov, and Grants Intelligence Service.
• Prepare analyses of funding potential using financial data, assets, previous giving, and other criteria.
• Develop strategic approaches to funding opportunities and eliminate prospects with unmet restrictions or insufficient capacity.
• Provide detailed research reports to development officers, requesting faculty, the Offices of the President and Vice President for University Advancement, and other university leadership.
• Adhere to ethical and confidentiality guidelines of both the university and the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA).
• Continually improve research skills through an awareness of changes in resources and technologies.

Data and Workflow Management

• Manage and adjust office workflow in an environment with continually shifting priorities for maximum efficiency; ensure deadlines are met on a daily basis.
• Coordinate grant research, deadlines, application submissions, payments, and reports in Affinaquest (a Salesforce-based CRM) and/or other data management and workflow software.
• Track and manage requests for research, dissemination of results, and next steps to take on grant application opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with foundation guidelines and terms of grant agreements.
• Coordinate application and reporting processes with USD's Office of Sponsored Programs to ensure that tasks associated with government grants and foundation gifts are accurately tracked by Advancement Services.
• Gather and maintain up-to-date institutional information, statistics, documents, certificates, and forms needed for grant applications and reports.
• Compile information for stewardship reports for foundation funders and foundation donor spotlights and create unique content for internal and external communications.

Administrative and Event/Project Support

• Provide reception duties for the suite; maintain professional physical appearance of work space, reception area, and storage areas; inventory and purchase office supplies and stewardship gifts.
• Support donor engagement, stewardship, and recognition events as well as other divisional events included but not limited to Ole Weekend, Homecoming and Family Weekend, and Commencement, as needed.
• Accurately process gifts received in accordance with Advancement Services and Accounting procedures.
• Coordinate incoming and outgoing correspondence with foundations and donors; respond to general office correspondence including emails to foundationrelations@sandiego.edu; sort and deliver mail.
• Maintain and update content, interactive links, and files on the websites for Foundation Giving/Foundation Relations, thereby keeping content current and accurate; recommend new pages for the Giving section to reflect the dynamic nature of the division's mission, resources, policies, messaging, and stewardship.
• Responsible for organization and maintenance of both electronic and paper files.
• Train and orient Federal Work Study (FWS) students assigned to the department.

Job Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of two years' experience in development, grant writing, prospect research, or related field.
• Must possess an understanding of standard office procedures and best practices, equipment, and business/professional ethics.
• Exceptional writing and oral communication skills required, with emphasis on qualitative information analysis and streamlined presentation.
• Demonstrated ability to conceptualize and develop proactive prospecting methodologies to support organizational goals, including data mining, sophisticated constituent database queries, etc.
• Advanced computer knowledge of Windows and network-based environments, exceptional skills and experience using the MS Office suite of applications (especially Word and Excel); demonstrated ability to use online and database resources creatively and effectively.
• Highly proficient with new technology and CRM platforms.
• Requires a well-developed sense of curiosity, ingenuity, and perseverance; situational awareness and critical thinking a must.
• Strong listening skills with the ability to extract, analyze, interpret, produce, and disseminate clear and concise reports.
• Detail oriented with a high degree of accuracy.
• Ability to problem solve and anticipate the needs of the department; be responsive and flexible in order to contribute to evolving work situations.
• Must be friendly and personable; mature with a positive attitude.

Performance Expectations - Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Commitment to working as a member of a team and collaborating with colleagues.
• Strong sense of integrity and ethical conduct.
• Cultural competency and sensitivity are a must; ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints, demonstrate respect for others, adapt to different cultural settings; and accept cultural differences.
• Excellent command of the English language including grammar, spelling, punctuation, formats, proofreading, and syntax; accurate typing and proofreading skills.
• Exercise independent initiative in researching, investigating, and analyzing potential and current corporate and foundation funders.
• Must exercise sound judgment on a wide range of assignments and special projects.
• Communicate with clarity, and maintain an attitude that conveys respect, cooperation, honesty, and resourcefulness.
• Must have the ability to act with tact and diplomacy and handle confidential information with discretion.
• Must be able to work under the pressure of time and frequent requests from multiple sources each having their own timelines and constraints and with all levels of administrative staff.
• Knowledge of USD's policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of ethics statements by APRA, Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and other related professional associations.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends, as needed.