Prospect Research Officer, Planned Giving & Midlevel

About MSF-USA | Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian organization providing medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from health care in over 70 countries. We were formed in France in 1971 as an association by a group of doctors and journalists to go to emergency situations and to treat patients with dignity while bearing witness independently of geopolitical boundaries. MSF is now a global movement of more than 25 MSF organizations, working in over 70 countries. We cooperate as an international, independent, medical humanitarian association that offers medical assistance to populations in distress, victims of natural or manmade disasters, and civilian victims of armed conflict, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, age, gender/sex, national or ethnic origin, color, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or political affiliation and provides assistance to the population in distress and intervenes worldwide. MSF staff also “bear witness” by speaking out about our work and what is experienced on the ground, not only to draw the world’s attention to crises, but to stand in solidarity with our patients and colleagues who are experiencing these emergencies firsthand.

We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.

About the Development Department

The Prospect Research Unit seeks to bring about transformative change by building partnerships to deliver income, increase influence and impact, and raise the profile of MSF-USA. The department works across trusts and foundations, major donors, corporate donors, and some institutions, and has seen remarkable growth in recent years.

About the Project

This critical role is responsible for helping to drive quality leads, improve the impact of fundraising and engagement and look for new, integrated ways to build and better engage our Planned Giving and Mid-Level audiences. 

The Prospect Research Officer will have strong qualitative and quantitative skills and an innovative and enthusiastic approach to help expand our Planned Giving and Mid-Level donors.

The role will work collaboratively with audience managers and gift officers in the identification of individual donors to evaluate potential for philanthropic partnership and affinity toward MSF-USA.

Key Relationships

• Senior Manager of Prospect Research (line manager)
• Director, Planned Giving
• Associate Director, Mid-Level
• Direct support for two (2) donor facing Mid-Level staff and two (2) donor facing Planned Giving staff
• Consulting with industry leading relationship management firms

ROLES SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES 

Daily Activities & Responsibilities 

Prospect Research and Development (70%)

• Research and identify leads for individual donors, in collaboration with the Mid-Level team and Planned Giving team
• Deliver thought leadership and strategic recommendations that supports the strategic and tactical planning of the Mid-Level and Planned Giving teams, consulting with audience leads regarding fundraising strategies, key challenges, and decision-making to inform research and insights work. 
• Develop in-depth research profiles and briefings for high value prospects and donors.
• Evaluate, acquire, and integrate new datasets to support prospecting and file analysis.
• Conduct periodic screenings of donors giving at lower levels to feed the donor pipeline.
• Rate donors and prospects in terms of capacity and inclination to give, and develop strategic recommendations (e.g., timing and type of donor ask; donor interest areas) in consultation with fundraising colleagues.
• Manage multiple research tasks and specific deadlines via Salesforce (NPSP).

Due Diligence (15%)

• In addition to prospect research, carry out due diligence as needed during specific emergencies or other instances as necessary (specific campaigns, for example).
• Share due diligence findings with fundraisers and/or senior colleagues for consideration on how to proceed with a gift/relationship, providing further context if required.
• Develop best practices and build tools designed to measure and evaluate risk to MSF’s reputation.
• Remain abreast of any amendments to our current Gift Acceptance Policy.

Sector knowledge and best practice (15%)

• Ensure that MSF USA is at the forefront of current trends and best practice in prospect development, research, and qualitative information management.
• Monitor the latest developments in qualitative and quantitative information resources for fundraising, including the identification and selection of information sources and information service providers.
• Maintain the professional and ethical standards set forth for the field by the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA). 

• Always safeguard the confidentiality of donor information by adhering to ethical and confidentiality guidelines.  
• Remain competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses when availableEvaluate, acquire, and integrate new datasets to support prospecting and file analysis.
• Establish and maintain a working library of research resources for the benefit of the role and the MSF USA team.
• Monitor external environments including direct/indirect competition. 

Who You Are

• Commitment to the work of MSF-USA and Our Social Mission
• Interest in Fundraising and Non-Profits
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office is required
• Must be pro-active, self-directed, detail-oriented and organized, as well as work independently in a virtual setting. Curious and creative approach to problem solving.
• Ability to interact professionally with multiple and diverse cross- departmental stakeholders

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE 

Background Required

• Minimum 3-5 -year experience in prospect research in a nonprofit organization making actionable recommendations to frontline fundraisers
• Strong track-record of developing proactive prospecting methodologies that support organizational goals including data mining, sophisticated constituent database queries, etc.
• Understanding of current trends in nonprofit fundraising and prospect management
• Proven aptitude for analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing data
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills and comfort working in a high-energy, fast-paced, and collaborative environment
• Sharing relevant information in a clear, timely and concise manner
• Ability to work independently; move projects from conceptual stages to launch; and handle multiple and often competing deadlines
• Ability to deal calmly with pressure and deadlines and to communicate with diplomacy
• Deep, demonstrated commitment to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Background Preferred

• Experience working with high volume/large donor file
• Experience working with or supporting a planned giving program
• Knowledge of and interest in emerging concepts and practices in the fields of strategic philanthropy
• Understanding of current trends in marketing, market research, identity building, and communication strategies
• Familiar with industry guidelines and standards from the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (Apra), prospect research toolkits and best practices, and ethics around prospect research
• Experience overseeing multiple vendor relationships, with the ability to lead meetings and monitor output/impact of vendors and consultants

• Experience leveraging data warehousing, business intelligence, ETL, and analytics tools

• Familiarity with Salesforce platform

Expected to work in a hybrid  work environment with the ability to come into either the NYC office or regional hub (Washington, DC or Bay Area, California) a minimum of 2 times a week.

We offer a generous comprehensive benefits package inclusive of Wellness initiatives to support a healthy work life balance

We do not accept phone calls or emails during the recruitment process.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted 

Our staff works a hybrid schedule of two days a week in the office, three days remote. The required in-office days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from January to June and September to December. 

In office work attendance during July and August is optional. 

Application Deadline:  Open Until Filled

Your Safety Matters: Vaccination and booster against COVID-19 is a requirement at MSF - USA. 

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination

MSF-USA is committed to building a diverse, unbiased, and inclusive workforce. MSF- USA is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities, or religious beliefs and practices. Members of communities historically underrepresented in the Humanitarian Aid sector are encouraged to apply. 

If you have a disability of some kind and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources by emailing us: employment.msfusa@newyork.msf.org.

Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

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Type

HQ  

Pay Class & Contract Type

Regular FT Salaried Exempt 

Compensation

Starting salary $87,400.04 to $93,520.18 (commensurate with experience)

Working Time (Hours Per Week)

35