You are viewing a preview of this job. Log in or register to view more details about this job.

Research Associate

Research Associate



The Burd Group seeks a part-time research associate for a short-term assignment (approximately 4 months) to assist in conducting an internet search and review of the best and most promising practices utilized today by grantmakers in effective philanthropic approaches to giving. The primary focus will be on types of funding and how money is used in various forms to support nonprofit missions. The result of this work will be a set of proven principles and guidelines for state-wide grantmakers and nonprofits that will influence future philanthropy practices. In addition, the associate will contribute to a workshop presentation to be presented to two conferences in December summarizing the data collected.


The research, national in scope, will focus on identifying who in the grantmaking sector (independent, corporate, community, government, family) has developed and put into practice principles that build effective nonprofits. The focus areas are full cost funding, capacity-building grants, and subsidy, core support, growth capital, evaluation, overhead expense, aggregated funding, trust-based philanthropy, etc.
The research associate will review the literature and relevant social media platforms to gain insight into current best practices and identify and interview leading practitioners and thought leaders who have developed new approaches to grantmaking that have shown promise. In addition, the researcher will identify nonprofits or groups of nonprofits that have worked successfully with grantmakers. These may emanate from associations or loose configurations of sector-specific grantmaker-led cohorts. Finally, the researcher must identify trends and distill a variety of data into findings that show progressive practices among grantmakers that have led to positive outcomes for nonprofits. These outcomes will form the basis for developing new or enhanced grantmaking principles and guidelines illustrated through case studies and articles.
Internet Research Experience: The researcher will have extensive experience and capabilities conducting internet research and literature reviews. Some knowledge of philanthropy practices, nonprofit finance, or experience working in a nonprofit or foundation is helpful to understanding the context of the work. The associate will need to quickly assess and differentiate relevant information from various data and look for common themes and proven practices.
Data Collection: The researcher will be highly organized and develop a user-friendly database with sources, citations, and links that can be shared with members of an advisory team of nonprofit and grantmaking professionals.
Writing and Communication skills: The associate will have excellent writing skills, data collection skills, and good communication skills. This person should feel confident speaking to professionals in grantmaking who will be interviewed during the engagement. The individual should feel comfortable presenting on screen and have knowledge and expertise with Zoom.
Location: This is a virtual assignment, but the individual must be available during eastern or central time hours.