Prospect Research and Development Specialist

Prospect Research and Development Specialist

Job no: 559813
Work type: Staff
Location: Humboldt
Categories: Unit 9 - CSUEU - Technical Support Services, Probationary, Full Time, On-site (work in-person at business location)

Development

Job # 559813

Close Date:
October 6, 2026

At Cal Poly Humboldt, bold hearts and open minds shape the future.

Founded in 1913, Cal Poly Humboldt began as a small college for teachers. Today Humboldt has grown into a comprehensive university with rigorous science and liberal arts programs. Designated a polytechnic in 2022, Cal Poly Humboldt provides hands‑on, impactful educational opportunities that lead to meaningful, measurable outcomes for the individual, for the state, and the world.

Cal Poly Humboldt is proud to have more than 6,000 students of all backgrounds spread across 61 majors, 13 graduate programs, and 4 credential programs — all of whom contribute passion and creativity within their fields and set the stage for a future grounded in equity and sustainability. Hands‑on learning, inspired teaching, ground‑breaking research, and thought‑provoking creative activity happen daily at Humboldt.

Finding a better future is a task for the bold and open, the down‑to‑earth and visionary. Cal Poly Humboldt strives to cultivate these qualities in leaders, innovators, and scholars in every field. As part of the California State University (CSU) system, Cal Poly Humboldt is part of one of the nation’s largest and most impactful public university systems, where education, innovation, and service create meaningful change for California and beyond.

See what it’s like to work at the CSU—watch our video and imagine your future at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Under the general supervision of the Associate Vice President of Development, the Prospect Research and Development Specialist identifies new prospects and provides research to support Directors of Development to make informed decisions to engage, cultivate, and solicit gifts from prospects and existing donors.

The Prospect Research and Development Specialist is also responsible for administrative and communication duties within Development and the greater Advancement Team, including being a part of the division’s Administrative Team.

• Researching wealth capacity and inclination to give to the University for identified donors and prospective donors using publicly available information.
• Using the database to craft and maintain a prospective pool of likely individual donors for major gifts, annual gifts, and planned gifts.
• Conducting foundation and corporate prospect research to identify, evaluate, and qualify potential funding partners, analyzing philanthropic priorities, giving capacity, grant histories, and alignment with institutional fundraising priorities.
• Creating research briefings for fundraisers and campus leadership when they meet with donors and donor prospects.
• Guiding Directors of Development through tracking activities to progress donors through the “giving pipeline.”
• Generating philanthropy reports from the CRM database.

• Preparing and composing correspondence, reviewing and proofing various Word documents, Power Points, Adobe documents, and other materials as needed for fundraising proposals and documentation.
• Generally assisting with overall day‑to‑day department coordination in a team environment.

• Working knowledge and understanding of advancement principles and current best practices.
• Demonstrates competence in independently applying judgment to resolve non‑standard problems and issues. Includes…