Openings >> Director, Strategy and Research
Director, Strategy and Research
Summary
Title:Director, Strategy and Research
ID:1190
Organization:AIP
Job Type:Exempt (salaried)
Posting Date:07/12/2022
Location:College Park, MD
Description
*The American Institute of Physics (AIP) requires COVID-19 vaccination for all positions effective January 3, 2022. Individuals with a disability or a religious reason preventing them from taking the vaccine may request an accommodation.


Summary:
The Director of Strategy and Research will play a major role in enhancing the research capability of AIP Foundation (AIPF), strategizing about prospects, managing portfolios for fundraisers, and partnering with the AIPF Trustees and AIPF staff to increase overall giving.  
 
Reporting to the Executive Director of AIPF, the Director of Strategy and Research will independently and proactively identify, research, and analyze prospects for major gift cultivation and solicitation, with secondary goals to complete additional research for the annual giving and stewardship teams.  

The Director of Strategy and Research will prioritize and track key prospects for face-to-face visits, prepare briefings for leadership on those prospects, and manage the timeline and activity of development benchmarks for AIP Foundation. 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

  • Develop fundraising strategies for TEAM UP Together campaign, including individuals, foundations, and corporations.  
  • Generate AIPF and TEAM UP Together cultivation and solicitation strategies with JG&A, campaign consultants. 
  • Partner with leadership to develop effective strategies that maximize revenue to AIPF, including leading prospect identification and advising on cultivation and solicitation strategies. 
  • Enhance/build the overall prospect research capabilities of AIPF and utilize quantitative criteria, including income, assets, liabilities, and giving patterns to evaluate each identified prospect’s potential and propensity to give. 
  • Uses specialized electronic resources to gather and analyze information and works with confidential as well as publicly accessible information, with a view to assessing donor interest and viability. 
  • Create and manage the portfolios of major gift prospects for the Executive Director, CEO, and Director of Development. 
  • Collaborate with the Executive Director in identifying new prospects for Trustees of the AIP Foundation.  
  • Records knowledge gleaned through research such as ratings, interests, linkages, and relationships in NXT, which is accessible to fundraising staff and used to develop future cultivation strategies. 
  • Works with Database Manager on an annual strategy to interpret Target Analytics objective wealth ratings. Generate strategies to ensure that newly identified prospects are presented and assigned to solicitors in a timely and competent manner. 
  • Develops focused research profiles, prospect lists, identifies networks and delivers analysis of philanthropic interests for fundraising staff. Records the results of meetings in NXT for the major gifts meetings and manages the portfolio development and planning for the fundraising team. 
  • Manages the prospect pipeline, including strategizing best approach and best match among the staff, volunteer leadership, and assignment of prospects to fundraisers.   
  • Presents research findings with clear, succinctly written documents that are suitable to be shared with leadership and trustees.  
  • Curates the library of prospect profiles so that profiles are easily accessed and so that duplicate profiles are not created. 
  • Regularly manages proactive research projects such as developing a potential prospect pool for an AIP Initiative. Partners closely with fundraisers to develop full understanding of the Initiatives and to define a suitable approach to the prospecting work.   
     

Additional Responsibilities: 

  • Create and manage the portfolios of major gift prospects for the Executive Director, CEO, Director of Development and others as appropriate. 
  • As the volume of identified prospects grows, the Director of Strategy and Research will eventually supervise a Major Gift Officer and manage his/her portfolio. 
  • Uses analytics to support maintenance of robust portfolios for leadership and staff that reflect AIPF’s prospect management guidelines.   
  • Creates processes and mechanisms to optimize portfolio management. 
  • In advance of prospect/donor visits, convene with Executive Director and or CEO to strategize approach to donor with research-based insights. 
  • Identify opportunities for more effective and efficient alternatives to fundraiser requests when appropriate. 

Education: 

  • Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university. 
  •  Master’s Degree Preferred 

Experience:  

  • 8+ years of prior experience writing, editing, and formatting logical, detailed, and analytical reports that support planning and decision making. 
  • Prior experience initiating and performing complex analyses of financial disclosures, technical and trade documents, including tax records, annual reports, SEC filings, and real estate valuations. 
  • Prior experience managing a prospect pipeline, including strategizing best approach and best match among the staff, volunteer leadership, and assignment of prospects to fundraisers.   
  • Prior experience documenting sourcing of findings in written profiles. 
  • Demonstrated experience supporting and participating in prospect management. 
  • Routinely applies experience and extensive knowledge of resources to know when reasonable efforts have been exhausted in researching a prospect.   

Qualifications: 

  • Excellent writing and organizational and computer skills are required. 
  • Knowledge of current trends, patterns, and relationships in philanthropy in peer organizations is required. 
  • General fundraising skills, preferably including the ability to support and participate in prospect management is required. 
  • Ability to apply experience and extensive knowledge of resources to know when reasonable efforts have been exhausted in researching a prospect is required. 
  • Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge/NXT is preferred. 
  • Ability to prioritize and analyze confidential information with discretion is required.  
  • Strong attention to accuracy and detail is required.  
  • Ability to multi-task on different projects and initiatives is required. 
  • Knowledge of database systems and the types of data necessary to support constituent relations is required. 
 

What is AIP?

We are the American Institute of Physics. Our mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity. We promote the physical sciences through effective communication, education, and policy initiatives.

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a 501(c)(3) membership corporation of scientific societies. AIP pursues its mission—to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity—with a unifying voice of strength from diversity. In its role as a federation, AIP advances the success of its Member Societies by providing the means to pool, coordinate, and leverage their diverse expertise and contributions in pursuit of a shared goal of advancing the physical sciences in the research enterprise, in the economy, in education, and in society. In its role as an institute, AIP operates as a center of excellence using policy analysis, social science, and historical research to promote future progress in the physical sciences.

Why Work for AIP?

AIP wants you to be safe!

During the COVID-19 pandemic AIP took appropriate steps to ensure the safety of all AIP staff by providing a flexible approach to remote work that ensured a safe and productive workforce could continue to pursue our mission and provide continued value to our stakeholders. The safety, health, and wellbeing of our staff are of the utmost importance to our Institute.

In addition to your safety, AIP wants you to love working at the Institute, and we have a workplace culture that supports that goal. With our commitment to community service, institute-wide social opportunities, and ongoing Learning and Development, we work hard to make sure AIP is a rewarding place to work. Did we mention that you will work with amazingly talented colleagues in a variety of departments? The American Institute of Physics offers excellent benefits including medical, dental, vision, retirement, tuition assistance, on-site fitness center, and metro access.  Learn more at www.aip.org 

Diversity Welcome!

We encourage and invite people from diverse backgrounds to apply and join our team. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, creed, marital status, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, personal appearance, national origin, ancestry, protected veteran status, physical or mental disability


AIP is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer  
EOE, including disability/Vets


*Interested candidates should include a resume, a cover letter, and a completed application 

 
This opening is closed and is no longer accepting applications
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