Analyst, Prospect Development

Description

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION

has an immediate opening for an Analyst, Prospect Development

The University of Illinois Foundation is the official fundraising and private gift-receiving organization of the University of Illinois. It works closely with alumni and friends, faculty and staff, corporations and foundations, as well as campus development professionals to create fundraising programs and opportunities that benefit the University.

This role provides support to advancement clients by identifying prospects with the capacity and propensity to make major gifts; referring prospects to advancement units based on affiliations and interests; and providing research support and enhancement of prospect management data.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Perform proactive and reactive research for contact information, employment and community involvement, wealth and giving capacity, philanthropic interests, education history, board service, and professional memberships.
• Identify and refer prospects to advancement units for qualification of major giving potential. Use research resources and perform analysis to determine which prospects should be referred, and to which units. Deliver targeted prospecting lists on request by curating collections of the best referrals identified for a specific objective.
• Build strong relationships with advancement clients by scheduling portfolio review sessions, attending team meetings, and providing prompt, thorough, and accurate service through the completion of research requests. Partner with advancement units to review and optimize portfolios by following guidelines to onboard, engage, and sunset prospects.
• Maintain the accuracy and completeness of advancement data by auditing, updating, and cleaning prospect management data. Review contact reports entered by advancement staff and port data to structured fields.
• Serve as matter experts for prospect management data and practices. Educate fundraising staff as appropriate and make them aware of available internal trainings or other resources. Adhere to standards for University of Illinois Foundation advancement work as detailed in policies, processes, and procedures manuals.
• Use data retrieval tools for prospect identification and analysis, including specialized dashboards, CRM query tools, and SQL.
• Finish tasks on time and meet standards for accuracy and completeness. Successfully manage and appropriately prioritize requests from partners across the advancement enterprise using judgment of time required, effort, and business impact. Balance a healthy curiosity against efficiency and time management.
• Support strategic initiatives within UIF Research & Portfolio Management or representing UIF Research & Portfolio Management in cross-functional team projects across the UI Advancement enterprise.
• Generate reports of a unit's prospect pool or special fundraising initiative with summary statistics and breakdowns by rating, geography, giving history, and other facets.
• Load plan data in bulk to create or update sets of plans with similar objectives.
• Lead training sessions and refresher courses in areas of expertise for team members. Assist with the creation of training materials and onboarding programs for new staff members.

Required Qualifications

• A Baccalaureate degree.
• 3+ years of experience performing both prospect research and unit liaison/relationship-management duties.
• Familiarity with general online research techniques, methodology and resources.
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, and to formulate productive partnerships with individuals and groups at all levels of University staff.
• Ability to quickly comprehend, explain, and operationalize complex data sets and analyses, to appropriately manage and communicate sensitive information, and to foster a collaborative work environment.
• Experience with database maintenance and retrieval; experience with or a capacity to become fluent in SQL, Blackbaud CRM and other analytical tools.
• Competency in using Microsoft Office products; Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Non-profit Management, Information Science, Business, Analytics, or related areas

Application Deadline:

April 1st, 2026

The starting salary range for this position is projected to be $56,000 - $63,000 per year. While our job postings include salary ranges, your compensation will be based on your specific experience and qualifications—we're not limited by these posted ranges.

Your comprehensive benefits package includes medical, vision, and dental coverage, company paid life insurance, generous vacation time including 24 days annually, and more. Generous pension benefits are also included. We invest in your present and future wellbeing, providing the support you need to succeed.

Application Process: For full consideration for the role, all candidates must complete an online application and include a cover letter and resume. Candidates may create a profile through For further information regarding application procedures, contact Foundation Human Resources at [email protected].

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER