Researcher

Overview

Black Fox is seeking part-time, remote Research Consultants to work closely with our nonprofit clients in identifying deeply-aligned potential funders. Serving as an extension of our client’s teams, Researchers will be responsible for understanding the client’s mission, programming, funding needs and objectives; distilling this information into a clear framework from which to launch the work, and conducting the research to identify deeply aligned prospects. Researchers will analyze funder opportunities and set forth a clear rationale and path forward for their relationship with the client.

Our clients have powerful missions and visions, and tremendous capacity to have profound impact. Their time is best invested in face-to-face meetings. The objective of the Research Consultants is to present clients with a carefully and creatively researched portfolio of deeply aligned prospects backed with a clear rationale and next steps.

DELIVERABLES

• Lead / participate in Zoom calls with the client to define the scope of the engagement and present findings.
  Collaborate with research team to determine the engagement objectives and prospect criteria.
• Develop research pipelines for individual clients through sophisticated database queries, internet research, and other strategies.
• Prepare profiles on institutional prospects, including background and financial research, and make strategic recommendations backed by past grants and other relevant information.
• Maintain all prospect research in Trello and ensure that it is accessible, and easily understood by the client.
• Demonstrate sector expertise by staying on top of news, philanthropic publications and alerts to identify new prospects, the latest trends in prospect research, and new tools and resources.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

We want you to apply if…

• You have a passion for helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems as a valued contributor.
• You drive for results, and delight in exceeding expectations.
• You enjoy an outcome-oriented culture that values flexibility and accountability.
• Personable and professional with clients, strong verbal skills.
• Ability to quickly absorb new information about a client and identify key questions to better understand the client’s work and clarify their vision of engagement scope.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct comprehensive research and produce concise profiles.
• Knowledge of research databases and project management tools, particularly Trello.
• Strong aptitude for understanding and distilling complex financial data (990 reports etc.)
• Ability to exercise good judgment in balancing deadlines and prioritizing multiple projects.
• You exhibit high levels of organization and attention to detail.
• Strong project management skills, self-motivated and ability to self-manage, with strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Three or more years of work experience focused upon fundraising and funder prospect research. Experience working directly within nonprofits/foundations a plus.
• Essential Attributes: High energy, positive, “can-do” attitude, flexibility, teamwork, attention to detail, high degree of initiative, and demonstrate an overall drive to build lasting fundraising success for the client organizations.
• Bachelor’s degree required; exceptions will be made for the right candidate. Masters Degree a plus.

STRUCTURE

This is a remote contract role. The time commitment is estimated at 15 – 25 hours per project, and projects typically last approximately 5 weeks. Compensation is $20 – $40 per hour, or the project-based equivalent.

TO APPLY

Please complete the Fitzii assessment when prompted to do so, and submit a cover letter and resume.