Associate Director, Principal Gifts Research

I. Job Overview

The George Washington University Division of University Advancement is seeking an Associate Director, Principal Gifts Research as part of the Research and Relationship Management team (RRM). University Advancement is responsible for leading the university's alumni and fundraising efforts and seeks to promote a culture of philanthropy throughout the university community, including alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, corporations and foundations, patients and friends.

Our goal is to advance GW's mission of excellence in education, research, scholarship, and patient care.

Within the umbrella of campaign readiness and as a member of the Leadership Research team, the Associate Director, Principal Gifts Research serves as a subject matter expert in principal gift ($1M+/$5M+) research, proactively asking creative questions and seeking creative solutions. This position requires an individual with exemplary research, project management, and strategy building skills; a deep understanding of donor motivations at the highest capacity levels;

and a demeanor that thrives in fast‑paced, highly flexible, and highly visible work environments.

The Associate Director produces and ensures the highest quality prospect intelligence for university partners; connecting through lines, including between constituent interests and university priorities, and recommending cultivation/solicitation strategies, including for top university volunteer leadership groups; identifying and negotiating priorities; and anticipating client needs. In partnership with the Associate Vice President, Principal Gifts and other RRM team members, incumbent plays a key role in ensuring an adequate $1M+/$5M+ prospect and lead pool.

While this position focuses on $1M+/$5M+ constituents, incumbent is an active leader with the RRM team, which includes contributions to the creation or streamlining of office procedures, providing input on CRM conversion topics, vendor identification and assessment, etc. The Associate Director fosters enthusiasm among the RRM team and clients as well as advocates for RRM.

Performs other related duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, have you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualified candidates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization plus 2 years of relevant professional experience, or a Master’s degree or higher in a relevant area of study. Degree must be conferred by the start date of the position. Degree requirements may be substituted with an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Mastery of prospect research and prospect identification techniques, tools, and data analysis. Expert familiarity with affluence markers such as securities, real estate, private company valuation, venture capital and investment income as well as understanding wealth across professions, families, and hidden assets. Deep understanding of top donor motivations and how to recommend different approaches based on motivations preferred.

• Robust project management, problem‑solving and critical‑thinking skills; demonstrated ability to work in a demanding, dynamic environment. Skill in developing plans with clear vision, goals, strategies, and tactics. Proficiency in prioritizing work, including negotiating, and managing multiple, diverse, competing priorities while meeting deadlines. Demonstrates accountability for outcomes. Due to the nature of the work, willingness to respond to last‑minute requests in stride is important and is desired.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including diplomacy required to function effectively among senior leadership, gift officers, and others to bring projects, requests, and recommendations to a conclusion.…