Prospect Manager

Title: Prospect Manager

Exemption Status: Exempt

Department: Development

Reports to: Associate Vice President, Giving & Engagement 

Year-Round Full-time 

Supervises: Prospect Researcher

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. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and appreciated.

Our objective is to create compensation and growth opportunities for our employees that are highly competitive, internally equitable and transparent. The foundation of our efforts is a straightforward approach that can be easily communicated by managers with defined pay ranges for all positions. When posting job openings, we share the minimum salary up to the budgeted amount.

The starting salary for new staff members is determined by considering the salary range assigned to the position and by reviewing the candidate’s qualifications for the job as compared with job responsibilities. Prior work experience should be considered in determining the salary offer, provided that it is relevant to the job. Additional factors such as secondary language proficiency or advanced degrees that enhance performance may also be considered. A candidate’s salary may exceed the minimum amount based on factors such as experience, additional skills (e.g., secondary language proficiency), or pertinent degrees that enhance the individual’s contribution to the role but are not required. 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.

Our total compensation and benefits package is people centric. We prioritize employee wellness across three pillars: physical, mental, and financial. Our goal is to offer innovative total rewards that support continuous professional growth, personal development, and provide the flexibility needed to balance personal and professional commitments.

Position Overview:

The Prospect Manager is a vital member of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Development team, focusing on executing and enhancing the moves management program and optimizing the work of the Prospect Researcher. The person in this position will work closely with principal- and major-gift team members to improve fundraising outcomes and enhance prospect management processes, pipelines, and portfolios. The Manager will be responsible for ensuring moves management policies, definitions, workflows, practices and data-integrity standards are developed, enhanced, deployed and trusted as the basis for data-informed decision-making.

The ideal candidate for this position will have experience executing moves management processes in a campaign setting, be an effective communicator with colleagues of all levels of the organization, and have demonstrated effective strategic partnership outcomes. Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Giving and Engagement, the Manager will be an integral part of supporting the Garden’s investment in principal- and major-gift fundraising during a significant comprehensive campaign. Remote work is available for two days of the regular work week for this position, after onboarding and training of up to 90 days.

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following: 

• 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.

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Bachelor's degree required 
• Four years of nonprofit experience and two years in in prospect management or related field and performance using relational-databases and analytical tools
• 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

Physical Demands:

Office setting. Frequent sitting, standing, walking, bending, listening, speaking, and keyboarding. Use of office equipment including computers, telephones, copiers, scanners. Some requirements for lifting, pushing, or pulling items less than 30 pounds. Ability to staff outdoor events in a variety of weather conditions.

To Apply:

Cover letter required in addition to the application and resume. 

Why Apply?
Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Chicago Botanic Garden does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs or activities, including in employment or admissions. Please call (847) 835-8264 to contact our Title IX Coordinator should you have questions or concerns. Please do not call this number to inquire about job postings or the status of your application, or with solicitations from companies or third-party recruiters.