Prospect Researcher

Glyndebourne is one of the world’s leading opera companies. We produce opera of the very highest quality in a state-of-the-art opera house situated within a landscape of outstanding natural beauty.

We are going through a period of exciting change and growth, welcoming a new generation of opera-goers and taking our artistic ambitions to new heights.

In 2024, our 90th year, we welcomed close to 100,000 people to our acclaimed summer Festival; more than in any year since 2007. A further 30,000 will attend our Autumn season, whose principles are to platform emerging talent and to provide audiences an accessible route into opera. Our year-round Learning and Engagement programme focuses on two priorities: national talent development and local engagement with children and young people. Committed to artistic excellence, audience development, and accessibility, Glyndebourne continues to expand the reach and appreciation of opera for all.

The Festival has remained  financially independent since its inception and is a registered charity that relies on box office income, memberships, and donations to fund its operations. 

This new position offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced and ambitious Prospect Researcher to join our small but dynamic development team, which includes major giving, trusts and foundations, prospect research, individual giving, events, and legacies. We are working towards our Centenary in 2034 and are looking for an innovative and driven prospect researcher to support our efforts to elevate the organisation to new heights and meet ambitious fundraising goals.

We are fortunate to have a diverse and dedicated base of donors, along with a wealth of untapped prospects within and beyond our membership database.

As Prospect Researcher, you will play a key role in the Development Department, working closely with the Head of Development to design and implement a comprehensive, high-quality prospect research and pipeline management program, utilising the Tessitura Database. This includes identifying potential donors through a combination of knowledge of philanthropists, external research tools, and the in-house database.

Aligned with sector best practices, the role is responsible for creating, executing, and overseeing strategies to identify, assess, and track prospects and donors with the capacity to make significant gifts to Glyndebourne. The Prospect Researcher will also ensure compliance with Glyndebourne’s Donation Acceptance Policy and manage the commissioning of due diligence in line with organisational guidelines.

Additionally, you will collaborate with the team to develop and implement plans that directly support Glyndebourne’s strategic objectives and both current and future fundraising initiatives.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Development Team to create, implement, and manage a clear prospect strategy that aligns with and supports Glyndebourne’s fundraising goals, driving income growth.
• Take a proactive approach in identifying potential donors and new leads through strategic prospect research, ensuring compliance with the ethical standards set by the Fundraising Regulator.
• Identify current donors with the potential for increased support, devising the most effective strategies for engaging them.
• Develop a pipeline of international prospects and leads, as well as UK-based international diasporas, to expand Glyndebourne’s donor base.
• Produce insightful and detailed reports on potential donors, new leads, and existing supporters, evaluating their capacity, propensity to give, philanthropic interests, biographical details, and networks.
• Write high-quality, tailored briefings for fundraisers and the leadership team to aid in donor engagement and cultivation.
• Implement systems for regular media monitoring and horizon-scanning across sector forums and online resources, uncovering new giving opportunities and gathering insights on best practices in prospect research and pipeline management.
• Support the development of invitation lists for donor and prospect engagement events throughout the year.
• Conduct prompt qualification of new donors to Glyndebourne, ensuring timely and accurate assessments.
• Enable fundraising activity through the timely provision of strategically relevant research, primarily from individual donors and charitable trusts. Research will include proactive prospecting, donor profiles, network research, competitor analysis, and responding to specific requests.
• Monitor and report on the outcomes and effectiveness of prospect research activities.
• Leverage a deep understanding of Glyndebourne’s fundraising priorities and broader philanthropic trends to identify and qualify potential donors (both new and existing) and assist in curating tailored cultivation and solicitation plans.
• Ensure that prospect and donor records are kept up to date and assist in preparing comprehensive briefing notes for prospect and donor meetings, as well as events.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in researching individuals, interpreting publicly available information, and translating findings into concise, user-friendly briefing documents.
• Advanced expertise in researching Ultra High Net Worth (U/HNW) individuals and understanding their networks.
• Proficient in using relational databases (e.g. Tessitura, Raiser’s Edge, or other similar software) for data input, storage, and analysis.
• Proven track record of developing plans with clear goals, objectives, and financial parameters.
• Ability to consistently meet deadlines while maintaining high-quality work.
• Exceptional attention to detail.

• Familiarity with Tessitura.
• Experience in prospect research and pipeline management within a fundraising team at an arts organisation.
• Experience working with senior teams and mapping donor networks.
• Proven experience in prospect research and pipeline management within organisations targeting six and seven-figure donations.
• Experience in conducting due diligence on potential donors.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to meticulously manage and prioritise a diverse workload, particularly under pressure.

Hours of Work

The working hours for this position are flexible. Ideally between 28-35 per week worked over 4-5 days but we would be open to discussing alternative hours.

Salary and Benefits

We can offer a salary of c.£40,000 per annum pro rata. Salaries are reviewed annually on 1st January.

We offer 6.6 weeks holiday per year including public holidays.

We can offer a beautiful working environment, and the chance to see world-class opera.  For those without their own transport we have a free minibus service to and from Lewes railway station.

We also offer :

• Free Pilates and Zumba classes, once a week
• Corporate Gym memberships
• An onsite Physiotherapist
• Cost-price electric car charging
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Subsidised dining at our onsite restaurants
• Free tea and coffee
• Discount at the Glyndebourne shop
• Free on-site parking
• Free minibus service to and from Lewes train station and Glyndebourne
• Discount at various highstreet retailers through the Glyndebourne benefits hub

How to Apply

Glyndebourne is an Equal Opportunities Employer and a Registered Charity. We promote equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace and actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply for vacancies, including ethnically diverse and disabled candidates, who are currently under-represented in our workforce.

To help us monitor the effectiveness of our commitment to diversity and inclusion and our supporting policies and procedures, we ask all job applicants to complete our anonymized and confidential Equal Opportunities monitoring form .

Please then apply by e-mail, sending your CV and covering letter to recruitment@glyndebourne.com Please note, candidates must be able to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 30 March 2025

As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for our vacancies. If relevant to you, please inform us of this in your covering letter. If you have any questions in relation to this please contact a member of the HR team at recruitment@glyndebourne.com. 

 Glyndebourne commits to protecting your privacy. We will only use information about you in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legislation and regulations. Please see more information in our Company Privacy Notice on our website.