Executive Brief

Director, Prospect Development
John Muir Health Foundation

June 2022

Director, Prospect Development

Profile Summary

The Director of Prospect Development is a new role that will launch and manage a team responsible for prospect identification and research, as well as prospect and portfolio management. Reporting to the Executive Director, Development Services, the Director will lead the development of a comprehensive prospect development strategy to include outcomes, identified users and appropriate tools and policies. The goal of the Prospect Development program is to identify the best major and principal gift donors and prospects for John Muir Health, and to ensure that they are assigned to, and there is follow-up by, the fundraising staff.

John Muir Health Foundation is seeking an entrepreneurial professional with prospect management and prospect research experience. The Director will play a critical role in the Foundation’s growth strategy by providing an innovative and strategic vision for the process of identifying, researching, and managing the health system’s most promising prospects. This position provides the opportunity to strategically develop, design, and implement ideas and programs that will make an immediate as well as long-term impact in the Foundation’s fundraising program.

Responsibilities also include management of an operating budget.

Essential Job Functions

Prospect Development

In collaboration with the Executive Director, Development Services, oversee and provide guidance on the major gift prospect pipeline and develop an annual operating plan with clearly articulated priorities to ensure timely and accurate information and management of data related to all donors and prospects.
Utilizing industry best practices and benchmarking, identify the tools necessary to maintain an informative prospect development strategy.
Lead a Prospect Development team capable of providing exemplary research partnerships across all entities in the Foundation.
Create policies and guidelines for the team that foster efficiency, expedience, high quality and excellent partnership services as key markers for success.
Lead and participate in collaboration partnership with Information Technology/Database team.
Manage the prospect assignment process and collaborate with the appropriate managers to facilitate assigning of seemingly viable prospective donors in the appropriate portfolios.
Act as a proactive strategic partner for frontline fund raisers by delivering information about new and known donors to educate on potential prospect engagement and giving strategies.
Ensure protocols are in place that adhere to all legal privacy requirements and ethical standards upheld by regulatory bodies and professional organizations. Act as an advisor to meet schedules and resolve technical and procedural/policy issues.

Budget

Prudently manage the prospect development budget

Minimum Qualifications

The ideal Director will have:

Education

Bachelor's Degree Required

Experience

4-6 years of recent experience in Prospect Development with a proven record of achievement and success.
Experience with a fundraising CRM system; Raiser’s Edge preferred

Skills

Demonstrated understanding of prospect research and prospect management processes and methodologies in a fundraising environment.
Demonstrated experience in overseeing and maintaining the integrity of prospect-specific data and database enhancement as it is related to organizational priorities.
Strong management experience along with the ability to lead and mentor professionals in the department and across the organization. Integrity, creativity, energy, and independence: a collegial understanding leadership style that values and fosters professional growth across the team.
Demonstrated analytical, project design/management and creative problem-solving skills required. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities and meet challenging and changing deadlines.
Strong background utilizing a variety of data sources and research tools that help assess wealth.
Excellent communication skills, including both written and oral are required. The Director must have a sincere desire to partner with internal colleagues, spending significant time with his/her/they team and with other teams across the Foundation.
The ability to quickly gain substantive knowledge and comprehension of an ever-evolving multi-faceted hospital system, and the interest in understanding those qualities to identify the philanthropic aspirations of new and existing donors.

John Muir Health’s core values of excellence, caring, compassion, and continuous improvement reflect in the work their employees do every day. They believe that diversity is a strength, one that encourages learning from others, dignity, and mutual respect. The health system and JMHF foster an environment where employees can be passionate about the work they do.