Prospect Manager

Chicago Botanic Garden

Prospect Manager at Chicago Botanic Garden optimizing moves management processes and enhancing fundraising outcomes. Collaborating with gift officers and leading the Prospect Researcher team.

Posted 5/15/2026full-timeGlencoe • Illinois • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $60,000 - $79,500 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Manage the pipeline of donors and prospects, including designing and leading efficient systems for the principal and major gifts programs.
Develop, enhance, and manage the processes, policies, and practices of the prospect management policy manual, including training end users on best practices and unified experiences.
Identify principal- and major-level donor prospects for qualification, assign to gift officer portfolios, and train staff on the qualification process.
Support portfolio optimization practices such as guiding, constructing, and reviewing portfolios with gift officers for maximum fundraising effectiveness.
Support pipeline and portfolio data integrity for reporting and analytics through coding in the database, reports, prompts/reminders, and updates.
Design practices that empower gift officers to manage gift-lifecycle and pipeline integrity.
Design dashboards, metrics, and reporting that foster performance accountability and provide performance insights.
Track moves management and qualification/discovery pool outcomes.
Lead regular and recurring prospect management and portfolio optimization consultations with gift officers to guide strategy, prioritize prospects, and foster long-term portfolio health.
Supervise and lead the work of the Prospect Researcher, identifying, prioritizing, and bringing forward researched prospects to be added to gift officer portfolios.
Partner with Development Operations team; Director, Strategic Giving; and Coordinator, Principal Gifts to ensure integration of principal and major gifts work, as well as for optimal system design, analytics, and data integrity.
Demonstrate enthusiasm for and commitment to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s mission and programs.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree required
Four years of nonprofit experience and two years in in prospect management or related field
Excellent interpersonal skills including demonstrated comfort working with staff at all levels of the organization
Advance proficiency with APRA skills sets with particular strength in moves management, pipeline management, portfolio optimization, and data analytics
Experience supervising or leading the work of others
Strong project-management skills with a proven ability to design, document, and implement efficient processes and systems
Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize work, and manage competing priorities with diplomacy and attention to people and deadlines
Demonstrated experience conceptualizing and identifying information or process gaps and creatively resolving them
Demonstrated ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive information and material in a discretionary manner
Proficient in Microsoft Office, donor databases (Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred), and virtual meeting technology
Must have a valid driver’s license
Ability to work outdoor events in a variety of weather conditions, including some evening and weekend hours.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Year-Round Full-time employees of the Chicago Botanic Garden are eligible for the following Benefits: 2026 A Guide to Your Benefits JP.pdf
Compensation Philosophy: At the Chicago Botanic Garden, our compensation philosophy is rooted in our core values: Growth, Understanding, Resilience, and Trust through Transparency.
Employee wellness across three pillars: physical, mental, and financial.
Opportunities for increased compensation are provided through referral bonuses, shift differentials, Thank You Pay, promotions, and periodic pay increases based on the Garden's overall performance and financial budgets.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

prospect managementmoves managementpipeline managementportfolio optimizationdata analyticsproject managementprocess designsystem implementationdata integrityreporting

Soft Skills

interpersonal skillsleadershipindependent workprioritizationdiplomacyattention to detailconfidentialityproblem-solvingcommunicationtraining

Certifications

Bachelor's degreevalid driver's license