Senior Institutional Advancement Reporting + Research Analyst

Job Summary

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)’s Institutional Advancement department seeks a Senior Reporting Analyst to design, implement, and maintain reporting functions for the College. Institutional Advancement (IA) is responsible for engaging RISD’s alumni, parents, students and donors in meaningful ways, cultivating and stewarding relationships to raise funds. Additional sources — individuals, foundations and corporations — are also utilized to financially support both active and projected priorities determined by the President, Provost and deans. These priorities correspond to RISD’s strategic initiatives and institutional needs, and the demand for accurate data to achieve such goals is imperative.

The successful Senior Reporting Analyst will report directly to the Executive Director of Advancement Services and be responsible for developing strategic methods that will lead the institution to holistic, prudent, and consistent improvement in a multitude of channels, such as identifying data-driven fundraising opportunities, forecasting donor and volunteer engagement, implementing systems reporting to better understand and predict prospect development, and collaborating with IA senior leadership to provide a comprehensive view of donor analytics. Along with the Executive Director, the incumbent will work closely with other members of the Advancement Services team to continuously improve data structures, strategies, and analysis procedures.

We seek a culturally competent candidate who will thrive in a campus environment that is committed to advancing the principles of social equity and inclusion, environmental and climate justice, and equal access to resources and opportunities.

Essential Functions

• Develop longitudinal reporting systems around key programmatic and fundraising activities to measure RISD’s current achievement and aspirant goals against established historical performance
  
  
• Develop a library of essential management and program analysis reports including, but not limited to, the following categories: Trustee and Museum Board of Governors fundraising performance, Campaign Progress, YoY Fundraising Achievement, Cash Projections, Portfolio Activity, RISD Fund (annual giving), New Donor and Retention, and a variety of other operational reports. Develop campaign and annual fundraising models when appropriate
  
  
• Create a best practice reporting framework that clearly shares report definitions in a consistently formatted nature, regularly distributing such reports to the appropriate audiences (VPIA as well as any other RISD internal or external customers) to support strategic and tactical decision-making
  
  
• Develop effective communication and publication strategies to optimize marketing efforts with RISD alumni, families, and friends; serve as an IA point of contact for outside marketing firms and vendor analytical teams to analyze data from external sources and to provide databases
  
  
• Complete an analysis of giving, engagement, and alumni survey data and compile market research data to inform decision making among the IA department
  
  
• Coordinate research efforts from various departments within IA to best understand prospect and donor trends, providing consistent and accurate information to VPIA and internal stakeholders
  
  
• Actively engage with the offices of the Vice President, Campaign Planning and Strategy, RISD Fund, Alumni + Family Relations. Collaborate with such departments to understand informational needs and deliver timely reports focused on strategic outcomes, lending expertise and advice as needed
  
  
• Prepare institutional survey responses and reports for the US News and World Report, Chronicle of Philanthropy, IRS-990 and others alongside RISD’s Institutional Research office. Complete the Council for Aid to Education’s VSE and AEM Surveys
  
  
• Provide forecasting and statistical analysis to a wide range of data sets to enable the College to better understand constituent date and improve donor and alumni outreach
  
  
• Leverage existing systems and processes to maximize data mining and analysis to allow for proactive strategic planning
  
  
• Use BBNC and Google Analytics among other data analysis tools to enhance RISD’s understanding of behavioral data online, associated with giving, event registrations, and volunteerism
  
  

Knowledge/Skills/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, or computer science is required, or another Bachelor’s degree plus advanced coursework in data analysis
  
  
• Minimum five (5) years of relevant reporting management experience preferably in a higher education or complex non-profit setting
  
  
• Expertise using fundraising metrics for projections, leveraging, modeling, and other analyses
  
  
• Extensive research background including database design, manipulation, and statistical analysis
  
  
• Broad knowledge of fundraising and alumni engagement strategies and predictive modeling methods
  
  
• Dynamic understanding of computerized data management programs and their relation to fundraising initiatives and constituent engagement goals
  
  
• Experience with SQL and visualization/analysis software, preferably Tableau, as well as Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite; familiarity with content management systems, email applications, enterprise systems such as Raiser’s Edge, and other such computer applications for data analysis as it pertains to higher education
  
  
• Ability to integrate multiple systems, data sets, query databases and perform statistical analysis and predictive modeling; linking large, distinctive data sets to discover new insights within Raiser’s Edge (currently estimated at 200,000+ records)
  
  
• Ability to stay abreast of trends, new systems, tools, and features, constantly evaluating these for potential use in RISD’s IA division
  
  
• Demonstrated ability and desire to work effectively with ethnically and culturally diverse communities
  
  
• Outstanding organizational and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to prioritize, manage multiple demands, work independently and under pressure, meet deadlines with accuracy and speed, while working and communicating effectively with a broad spectrum of divisional and institutional colleagues
  
  
• Excellent reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, writing, research and analytical skills
  
  

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to apply analytical and mathematical skills
  
  
• Must maintain confidentiality and be able to work with sensitive data
  
  
• Working hours are not confined to weekdays but may also include evenings and weekends
  
  

Salary Grade Structure

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please upload all required documents.

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

RISD recognizes diversity and inclusivity as fundamental to its learning community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.

For internal use only - Job Family:

Development - Operations