Database & Prospect Research Coordinator - The Detroit Historical Society (11/7/25)

Posted on 10/21/25 

Job Title: Database & Prospect Research Coordinator, Full-time

Department: Development

Reports to: Director of Development

Hourly Wage: $21.98-$27.47 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience

History saved and preserved is the foundation for strong, vibrant communities and future generations. The Detroit Historical Society’s mission is to tell Detroit’s stories and why they matter. Founded in 1921, the Society has been bringing together diverse voices and communities around the stories of the region to find their place in the present and inspire the future for over 100 years. Located in Detroit’s cultural district, the Society administers and develops exhibitions and programming for the Detroit Historical Museum, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle, and our Collection Resource Center at Historic Ft Wayne. The team cares for over 250,000 artifacts in its collection and relies on a staff of over 60 individuals to help to continue to bring Detroit’s vibrant stories to life.

Position Description

The Detroit Historical Society is seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Database & Prospect Research Coordinator to support the Development Department. This position maintains, manages, and optimizes the Society’s donor, member, and constituent data within Blackbaud Altru, ensuring data integrity, accurate gift and membership processing, timely acknowledgments, useful reporting, and excellent internal customer support.

In addition to managing data and systems, the coordinator will conduct prospect research and support the Society’s development strategy through data-informed insights into donor behavior, capacity, and engagement. This individual will collaborate closely with development, finance, marketing, and other teams to ensure the database and research functions together drive fundraising, stewardship, and membership goals.

Major Responsibilities

Below are the core responsibilities; the candidate will be expected both to execute and to suggest improvements over time.

Data Management & Integrity

• Maintain and update constituent, donor, and member records in Altru, including entering new records, updating biographical/demographic data, merging duplicate records, and flagging errors.
• Perform regular audits of data for completeness, consistency, and accuracy; identify and correct inconsistencies.
• Cleanse and enrich data (contact information, giving history, membership status, preferences).
• Maintain data entry and maintenance best practices and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency across users.
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure accurate integration between Altru and related systems (email marketing, visitor services, online giving, etc.).

Gift & Membership Processing

• Process and record all contributions, pledges, membership gifts, and payments (online, in-person, etc.), ensuring proper classification and coding of gifts.
• Generate and coordinate donor and membership acknowledgments, receipts, and renewal notices in a timely manner.
• Track renewals, lapsing members, recurring gifts, matching gifts, tribute gifts, and other special circumstances.
• Collaborate with Finance for reconciliation of gifts, pledges, and membership income.
• Maintain accurate documentation of gifts, memberships, and donor communication for audit and reporting purposes.

Reporting, Queries, & Analytics

• Build and maintain regular (daily/weekly/monthly) and ad hoc reports and queries from Altru for the development, membership, finance, and marketing teams.
• Generate mailing/extraction lists for appeals, stewardship, events, and renewals.
• Track key performance indicators (donor retention, acquisition, average gift, membership growth, campaign performance, etc.).
• Support the development of dashboards and reports to inform fundraising and membership strategies.

Prospect Research

• Conduct research on individual, corporate, and foundation prospects using online databases, public records, and other research tools.
• Develop donor profiles and capacity ratings to support major gifts, annual fund, and planned giving initiatives.
• Identify new prospects and analyze donor pipelines to support cultivation and solicitation strategies.
• Maintain prospect management and tracking systems within Altru, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information on donor stages and staff assignments.
• Work with development staff to prioritize and track major donor portfolios.

User Support & Training

• Serve as the internal resource and subject matter expert for Altru across departments.
• Help train new users, troubleshoot issues, and maintain user access and security.
• Liaise with Blackbaud/Altru support as needed to resolve system issues or implement new features.
• Ensure that data-driven needs across departments (events, marketing, visitor services) are supported.

Process Improvement

• Review and refine workflows related to data entry, gift processing, membership renewals, and acknowledgments.
• Document and maintain up-to-date SOPs and policies.
• Stay current on CRM and fundraising technology best practices, including updates to Altru and Blackbaud tools.
• Recommend and implement system or process enhancements to improve efficiency and data quality.

Special Projects & Support

• Support philanthropic and membership-related special projects, events, and campaigns (mail appeals, donor recognition, stewardship events, etc.).
• Assist with donor segmentation, targeted communications, and campaign analysis.
• Collaborate with marketing and membership teams to align outreach and stewardship strategies.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the development and membership teams.

Qualifications Required

• Proficiency with Blackbaud Altru (or equivalent nonprofit CRM), including data entry, reporting, queries, and user support.
• At least 3-5 years of experience in nonprofit database, donor, or membership management.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and reconciliation.
• Analytical skills with the ability to identify trends and generate useful insights.
• Organizational and time-management skills; ability to handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate across departments.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office tools, and general office software.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a cultural institution, museum, or historical society.
• Experience with membership and stewardship programs.
• Experience generating donor prospect lists, segmentation, and appeals.
• Familiarity with gift reconciliation and working with Finance/Accounting.
• Experience with prospect research tools (e.g., WealthEngine, DonorSearch) or the ability to learn them.
• Experience with report/dashboard tools or data visualization platforms.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

Compensation & Benefits

• DHS offers a comprehensive benefit plan that includes employer-paid short and long-term disability coverages; and medical, dental and other benefits coverages with employee premium sharing.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) policy of 20 days per fiscal year, plus one (1) paid personal floating day.
• Annual salary range for this position depends on qualifications and experience.
• Paid holidays.
• Paid Parental Leave - After 12 months of qualifying service in coordination with FMLA.

Candidates must have reliable transportation, possess a valid driver’s license and be willing to undergo a criminal background check and provide references (as needed/requested). Please note the hourly range prior to sending a résumé and cover letter to the Human Resources Department at humanresource@detroithistorical.org. No phone calls, please.

EEO Statement

Detroit Historical Society is committed to the principles of equal employment. We respect diversity and accordingly are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions and lactation), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation , marital status, military service and veteran status, disability, genetic information, height, weight, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws and ordinances. The Organization is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, and other compensation, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.