Lafayette College is a highly selective liberal arts and engineering institution with an endowment in the top 2% of independent colleges nationally. We challenge our students to move beyond the familiar—to take intellectual risks, engage deeply, and develop into thoughtful leaders. Our beautiful campus overlooks the historic Delaware River, and our students, faculty, and staff take pride in the vibrant, inclusive community that defines Lafayette.
The Assistant Director of Prospect/Advancement Research serves as a strategic intelligence partner to the College’s broader fundraising team, identifying and evaluating major gift prospects and future institutional leaders. This role optimizes gift potential, enhances fundraising efficiency, and informs advancement strategy. The position offers excellent development opportunities with direct mentorship and training in sophisticated advancement research techniques.
Reporting to the Senior Executive Director of Advancement Research and Special Projects, the Assistant Director collaborates closely with colleagues across Advancement to strengthen a data-informed culture and enhance fundraising effectiveness.
Primary Responsibilities
• Strategic Research & Assessment: Conduct wealth and philanthropic evaluations with guidance, developing toward independent sophisticated assessments over time.
• Prospect Identification: Collaborate on data mining and vendor screenings to identify new major donor prospects, leading initiatives as skills develop.
• Investigative Research: Utilize diverse tools (public records, subscription databases, proprietary platforms) to assess philanthropic capacity, giving history, inclination, and leadership potential.
• Profile Development: Prepare detailed, actionable research profiles and briefing materials that support donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, identifying alumni with leadership potential.
• Tailored Research Support: Provide appropriately scoped research, including capacity assessments, relationship mapping, and leader identification for board cultivation.
• Innovation: Develop innovative research methods, leveraging generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) to enhance efficiency.
• CRM Management: Maintain accurate and up-to-date constituent records in the College’s CRM (Ellucian CRM Advance).
• Ethical Standards: Uphold ethical research standards, ensuring confidentiality and data integrity.
Required Qualifications/Skills
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent experience (2-4 years) in prospect research, fundraising, library science, or a related field.
• Demonstrated investigative skills with curiosity, resourcefulness, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to translate research into actionable insights that increase philanthropic resources.
• Proficiency in using prospect research platforms (e.g., DonorSearch, Windfall) and Microsoft Excel, with a strong ability to analyze, synthesize, and organize information from diverse, often fragmented sources.
• Excellent writing and communication skills to synthesize complex information into clear, concise reports and profiles.
• Strong workflow management, prioritizing multiple projects in a deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and work independently; demonstrated sound judgment in assessing and interpreting information.
• Unwavering commitment to discretion, confidentiality, and ethical research practices.
Preferred Qualifications/Skills
• Experience in a higher education or nonprofit fundraising environment.
• Understanding of major gift fundraising principles and donor engagement strategies.
• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Ellucian CRM Advance, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce).
• Knowledge of APRA standards for advancement research and donor privacy.
Please provide cover letter, resume and contact information for three references. https://apply.interfolio.com/177371
Lafayette is deeply committed to creating a diverse community, one that is responsive inclusive and is supportive of each and all of its faculty, students, and staff. All members of the College community share in the responsibility for creating, maintaining, and developing a learning environment in which difference is valued, equity is sought, and inclusiveness is practiced. All Lafayette operations reflect the College’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) initiatives, and Lafayette welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds.