University Background

Founded in 1959, California Lutheran University is home to more than 3,059 undergraduate and 1,324 graduate students who come from more than 49 countries and represent a wide variety of faiths. Our dedicated, accomplished faculty works with small classes of students who are open-minded—about ideas, about people, and about faith—and are seeking to grow as individuals. Both in the classroom and outside of it, everyone at Cal Lutheran is committed to helping each student pursue their passions to discover their purpose, and follow that purpose to transform their community—and the world.

Cal Lutheran is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) that administers an array of Title III, Title V, and TRIOprograms including the McNair Scholars Program. We are looking for candidates with a demonstrated commitment to and success working in diverse, multicultural and multi-racial communities. Cal Lutheran encourages applicants from all faiths, and advocates for justice and fairness for all people.

Basic Function

The Director of Prospect Development reports to the Executive Director of Advancement Services and supports the overall fundraising goals and priorities of the University. The Director of Prospect Development collaborates with development officers and advancement leaders to ensure fundraising efforts are focused on working with the right donors for the right gifts at the right time.

Representative Duties

• Prospect identification and research: discovering and evaluating prospective donors, and their interests, relationships, inclination to give and philanthropic capacity to inform and support CLU’s fundraising strategies and outreach efforts.
• Relationship management: managing, tracking, and reporting on the University’s activity with its constituent and prospect pools, and making recommendations to positively influence fundraiser and campaign activity.
• Data analytics: supporting an information-driven decision culture by deriving conclusions and identifying trends through the statistical analysis of internal and external data.
• Identify, analyze, and evaluate information from a variety of sources (electronic and print) to determine a prospect’s financial capacity, philanthropic interests, and relationship to the university.
• Work directly with front-line fundraising staff to provide consistent guidance in respect to prospect portfolio balance and other prospect development topics.
• Create focused, intuitive, and effective dashboards and reports to: help University Advancement define and measure priorities; set goals and expectations for fundraisers; encourage specific actions in a timely manner; communicate progress and success; provide a common interface for interacting with and analyzing important data.
• Provide analysis and strategic assessment of prospect and donor trends related to the prospect fundraising cycle.
• Apply statistical findings to data resources in order to identify trends, relationships, and CLU affinity.
• Validate and rank prospects for colleges and programs.
• Prioritize prospects based on their propensity to give to the University. Utilize various research and analytical tools, as well as previous experience with donor giving trends.
• Verify fundraisers’ solicitation strategies derived from annual operating plans.
• Review internal performance management reports, and identify areas of fundraiser performance that are working well, as well as areas that need improvement.
• Deliver current news alerts and an industry expertise to support the fundraising needs and priorities of the unit fundraisers. Verify giving capacity of the overall prospect pool for a fundraiser and for a unit.
• Identify donor engagement opportunities.
• Set a solicitation amount for a gift based on defining a prospect’s capacity, program and/or University affinity, and inclination to give.
• Proactively request analytics model for units to further enhance giving opportunities.
• Analyze and organize information to identify philanthropic patterns, tendencies, and relationships among individuals, corporations, and foundations.
• Work with fundraising staff in reviewing performance management reports
• Provide strategic thinking.
• Assess service levels and specific research products in order to recommend and implement improvements.
• Promote prospect strategy sessions among fundraisers. Generate fundraising staff collaboration, including meeting with staff to discuss roles of collaboration within relationship management.
• Deal with confidential matters with tact and sensitivity.
• Stay abreast of trends in prospect research, online searching, analytics, and participate in professional development opportunities.
• Identify and independently solve problems.
• Work cooperatively and independently, set priorities and manage work flow to fulfill objectives and meet goals according to deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.

Knowledge Of

• University fund-raising goals and objectives
• University Strategic Plan
• Research methodology and ethical standards
• Donor cultivation process
• Predictive modeling results and research findings for discussions with front-line fundraising staff
• Principles of predictive modeling and population segmentation as applicable to the fundraising field for discussions with front-line fundraisers
• Prospect fundraising cycle
• Relational databases
• Fundraising terminology and resources
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills
• Best practices of the field as well as California Lutheran University policy and procedures
• Interpret financial reports and data accurately
• Make clear and effective presentations to large groups

Ability To

• Support and advance a Culture of Philanthropy
• Match opportunities for beneficial prospect involvement.
• Understand and manage the dynamic communications between fundraisers’ requests and development coordinators’ services
• Present new analytics, research and/or relationship management reports and functionalities in a comprehensive, valuable manner
• Assess practices and procedures, anticipate problems, formulate logical conclusions, develop alternative solutions, make recommendations and implement changes.
• Interact with customers in a friendly, professional manner and respond quickly and appropriately to customer requests.
• Understanding of financial activity and events and the ability to analyze their relevance to solicitation strategies and timing
• Use reference to gather needed information to complete projects.
• Embrace change
• Follow through with commitment in a timely manner; finish assigned tasks
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for preparation of detailed analytical reports and briefings to University Advancement and campus leadership, including the President.
• Interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written, to work effectively with staff.
• Clearly and succinctly communicate a wide variety of information to diverse audiences
• Self-motivation and discipline to regularly set and achieve work goals
• Model the highest professional ethical behavior standards under all circumstances
• Be cognizant, appreciative of, and sensitive to other cultures
• Contribute to a positive team environment with little to no supervision
• Available for evening and weekend work commitments as needed

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination equivalent to: A Bachelor’s degree and three years of progressive experience in research and analytics in higher education or complex non-profit environment. Demonstrated expertise in research industry/sector performance indicators and experience with SEC information, such as the IPO filing process, information on executive compensation, and understanding corporate financial reports, audit report, and annual reports

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s Degree or Advanced Degree