Research Analyst, WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, MA

Posted February 18, 2020

WGBH enriches people’s lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.

 

Department Overview 

The WGBH Educational Foundation is a vibrant public media powerhouse that enriches people’s lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain – fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives. The Development Division is responsible for raising funds from individuals and institutions and includes five areas of focus, including: Major Gifts, Annual Giving, Gift Planning & Endowment, Foundation Development, and Board Relations.  It plays a vital role in helping to finance broadcast, video, digital, and audio programs, including some of the most celebrated dramas, investigative journalism, documentaries and podcasts, and other local and national programming in the public media system.

 

Job Overview 

Based in the Foundation Development team and reporting to the Senior Director of Institutional Giving, the Research Analyst is responsible for managing all research on foundation donors and prospects for WGBH programs and projects. As a strong writer, critical thinker, and synthesizer of information, the Research Analyst works to identify new sources of funding for WGBH; responds to requests for prospect research and identification; prepares development colleagues and senior leadership for foundation meetings and visits; stays current with foundation trends, emerging interests and opportunities, disseminating that information to the team and others across the institution, as appropriate; and works collaboratively with Major Gifts research colleagues to maximize resources and provide comprehensive donor research for the Development division. The Research Analyst also contributes to departmental needs, including writing, stewardship, and information-tracking.

 

This is a demanding, key position in a highly productive, fast-paced environment. WGBH seeks a highly skilled, detail-oriented individual who is able to:

• produce high quality written work under tight deadlines;

• grasp new subject matter quickly and assess alignment of WGBH project and program needs and funders’ goals and interests;

• read and synthesize information and exercise judgement regarding its relevance for research profiles, briefings, reports, and other written products;

• juggle multiple projects, switching gears as needed to address new priorities and needs.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the success of WGBH’s fundraising efforts and ultimately support WGBH’s mission while working in a positive, creative, professional, and collegial environment.

 

Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough, thoughtful research to identify private and corporate foundation prospects whose interests and capacity align with WGBH programs and activities, using online services, research directories, print publications, and other resources, tools, and techniques.

• Develop prospect lists for production unit staff and department colleagues, offering guidance on where alignment of interests is strongest and suggesting strategies for approach.

• With fundraising colleagues and unit staff, facilitate and track the vetting of all funders to ensure acceptability.

• Prepare foundation profiles and briefings for department colleagues and senior leadership.

• Conduct a daily news scan of the foundation landscape and disseminate timely articles and press releases that are relevant to WGBH to appropriate internal groups.

• Stay abreast of trends and news about philanthropy and prepare occasional reports, as needed, on topics such as emerging interests and foundation support for, e.g. media, journalism, education.

• Work in collaboration with department colleagues to maintain database, ensuring information on prospects and funders and research findings are up to date and accurate.

• Provide writing support to stewardship team, as needed, assuming responsibility for a small stewardship portfolio and/or responding to ad hoc requests for report writing support during high-volume periods.

• Provide support, as needed, for events, meetings, and visits organized by Foundation Development.

• Continually seek opportunities and evolve to incorporate best practices in development research.

• Proactively contribute to the well-being and smooth operations of the Foundation Development department.

 

Skills & Experience

Candidate should:

• Have 2-3 years of experience in a professional setting, preferably in foundation and corporate development or another comparable field;

• Have excellent research, writing, organizational, time-management and interpersonal skills;

• Be highly computer literate and have knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and working in relational databases. Experience with Salesforce a plus;

• Be able to think critically and resolve issues independently;

• Be thorough, detail-oriented, and have strong analytical skills;

• Be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and work in a dynamic, complex, and fast-paced environment;

• Have an excellent work ethic.

• Be willing to learn and have an interest in developing new skills.

 

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent work experience.

 

To view the full position and apply, please visit the following link. 

 

WGBH is an equal opportunity employer. The community and audience we serve is diverse, and we wish to foster that diversity in our workplace. Toward that end, WGBH does not discriminate against individuals in hiring, employment or promotion on the basis of race, religion, color, sex/gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, handicap or disability, veteran or military status, political belief, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.