Prospect Research & Data Specialist

Position Summary

WINS is seeking a Senior Prospect Research Analyst to lead prospect research and steward the fundraising data practices, processes, and reporting frameworks that support a strong and effective philanthropy program.

Over the next three years, WINS will embark on a comprehensive fundraising campaign to better support women and their families in Calgary. This role will be critical to the success of that campaign by leading prospect identification and donor intelligence work, strengthening portfolio and pipeline practices, and ensuring fundraising data and processes are structured to support informed decision-making, effective relationship management, and campaign success.

This position is responsible for managing the prospect research function and providing leadership in the stewardship of fundraising data and related business processes. The successful candidate will bring strategic direction to prospecting, portfolio intelligence, reporting, and data standards, while working collaboratively with fundraising colleagues and technical partners to identify and support CRM improvements. This role is not expected to serve as a technical system administrator, but will act as a key advisor on how fundraising data, workflows, and reporting should be structured to best support the team.

Key Responsibilities

Prospect Research and Portfolio Intelligence

• Lead the prospect research function for WINS, establishing priorities, standards, and workflows that support fundraising and campaign goals.
• Design and drive proactive prospect identification strategies for individual, corporate, and foundation donors with capacity and alignment to support WINS.
• Oversee the development of prospect profiles, briefing materials, and donor intelligence summaries that support cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and executive engagement.
• Provide strategic insight and recommendations to fundraising leadership on prospect prioritization, campaign readiness, donor segmentation, and relationship mapping.
• Lead portfolio intelligence practices by monitoring prospect movement, portfolio composition, and pipeline health, and identifying risks, gaps, and opportunities.
• Facilitate prospect management and portfolio review processes, including recommendations related to prospect assignment, reassignment, and rebalancing.
• Analyze donor and constituent information to identify emerging opportunities, lapsed donor re-engagement strategies, and trends that can strengthen fundraising performance.
• Develop and refine research request processes, templates, and service standards to ensure timely, consistent, and high-value support to the fundraising team.

Fundraising Data, Process Stewardship, and Reporting

• Steward the quality, consistency, and strategic use of fundraising data across the philanthropy team.
• Establish and maintain standards for prospect tracking, opportunity management, portfolio coding, reporting definitions, and data entry practices.
• Lead the review and improvement of fundraising business processes to ensure data collection, storage, and reporting practices support fundraising effectiveness and campaign execution.
• Advise on CRM-related structural and workflow improvements needed to better support donor management, portfolio visibility, forecasting, and reporting.
• Translate fundraising needs into clear business requirements and partner with internal or external technical resources to support implementation.
• Oversee the development and ongoing refinement of dashboards, reports, and analysis that support frontline fundraisers, leadership, and campaign planning.
• Interpret fundraising data and trends for leadership and provide recommendations to improve portfolio health, prospect flow, and fundraising performance.
• Develop and document procedures, definitions, and process guidelines to strengthen consistency, accountability, and sustainability across the team.
• Provide guidance and training to philanthropy staff on fundraising data practices, prospect management processes, and effective use of reporting tools.
• Promote ethical, confidential, and appropriate use of donor and prospect information.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–7 years of progressive experience in prospect research, prospect management, development services, fundraising operations, database management, or a related function.
• Experience working with Salesforce or another fundraising CRM in support of donor management, reporting, and fundraising operations.
• Strong understanding of major gifts fundraising, campaign fundraising, portfolio management, and prospect development practices.
• Demonstrated ability to gather, analyze, synthesize, and present information in a way that supports strategic decision-making.
• Experience improving fundraising data quality, reporting practices, and business processes.
• Ability to identify CRM and workflow improvements and translate fundraising needs into practical business requirements.
• Experience partnering effectively with technical administrators, consultants, or systems support resources.
• Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, and professionalism in handling confidential and sensitive donor information.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor information for different audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work collaboratively across teams.

Preferred Assets

• Experience in a nonprofit, charitable, or philanthropic environment.
• Experience supporting major gifts fundraising, campaign fundraising, or pipeline management, with a strong understanding of fundraising best practices.
• Familiarity with prospect research tools and resources such as iWave, CharityCAN, Grant Connect, or similar platforms.
• Experience building or maintaining fundraising dashboards and reports.
• Salesforce administration experience or technical CRM configuration experience would be considered an asset, but is not required.
• Background in research-heavy, analytical, or information-based fields such as fundraising, journalism, library sciences, history, data analysis, or related disciplines.

Who You Are

You are curious, analytical, and highly organized. You know how to turn information into insight, bring structure to complex processes, and help others make better decisions through strong research, clear reporting, and reliable data.

You are comfortable acting as an internal advisor and functional lead, setting standards, guiding practice, and helping colleagues use information and systems more effectively. You understand that successful fundraising depends not only on relationships, but also on the intelligence, data discipline, and business processes that support them.

Why This Role Matters

This is a key role in helping WINS build the fundraising strength needed to support women and their families in Calgary.

As WINS embarks on a comprehensive campaign over the next three years, this position will help lay the foundation for success by strengthening the donor insight, systems, and processes that enable philanthropy to grow and deepen impact.