Careers at American Ancestors

American Ancestors is a national center for family history, heritage & culture based on Newbury Street in  Boston and one of the world’s top destinations for family history research, according to USA Today. It is the global brand of New England Historic Genealogical Society, America’s oldest and largest genealogical society, founded in 1845. American Ancestors serves more than 500,000 members and subscribers and millions of online users engaged in family history nationally and around the world through its website AmericanAncestors.org with more than ten billion names in its databases.

With spaces and resources dedicated to advancing family history, including the Brim-DeForest Library, the Family Heritage Experience, the R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, the Brue Family Learning Center, the 10 Million Names Project, and the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, we also maintain a publishing division that produces original genealogical research, scholarship, and educational materials. We strive to connect with our members and the public in meaningful ways, serving as respected expert genealogists and historians who care deeply about helping people. 

Position Summary

The Prospect Research and Portfolio Advisor plays a central role in driving strategic fundraising by identifying, evaluating, and tracking high-potential donors. This role combines traditional prospect research with cutting-edge data analytics and artificial intelligence to provide the development team with actionable insights.

Under the direction of the Director of Advancement, this role is responsible for managing donor pipeline development, optimizing major and leadership gift portfolios, and maximizing the effectiveness of fundraising strategies using advanced tools such as predictive donor research platforms that aggregate donor behavior, wealth indicators, and philanthropic trends.

Job Duties

Prospect Research (40%)

• Conduct in-depth research using DonorSearch and other tools to build comprehensive donor profiles, including giving history, biographical data, affiliations, business interests, and philanthropic priorities.
• Prepare prospect summaries for gift officers and leadership ahead of donor meetings and events.
• Electronic screening: periodically have the names of new members, donors, event participants and other contacts screened through
• DonorSearch and record resulting information into constituent records on Tessitura. Analyze these discovery prospects, identify leadership, and major gift prospects, and recommend assignments to portfolios.
• Maintain up-to-date constituent records in the Tessitura, posting new intelligence and wealth indicators surfaced via AI and manual research.
• Strategize and support the moves management process and systems to ensure that donors receive timely touchpoints.
• Provide gift officers with opportunities of cultivation and stewardship touch points within each portfolio.
• Conduct research on corporations and foundations. Utilize relationship mapping tools to find key relationships between board and council members and institutions.

New Prospect Research Tools (30%)

• Leverage AI-based donor research platforms to identify high-potential individual, corporate, and foundation prospects based on predictive modeling, wealth indicators, behavioral patterns, and philanthropic likelihood scores.
• Utilize outputs to generate real-time donor insights, segment audiences for targeted cultivation, and prioritize outreach strategies.
• Collaborate with development leadership for gift officer pipelines and major gift planning.
• Continuously evaluate the performance and effectiveness of research tools; test new features, recommend upgrades, and help assess ROI for prospecting systems.
• Serve as the internal expert on donor research platforms, providing training to staff and recommending strategies for broader use.

Portfolio Strategy & Pipeline Management (20%)

• Work closely with major gifts and planned giving staff to assign and balance portfolios based on capacity ratings, engagement scores, and stage of cultivation.
• Lead quarterly portfolio review meetings to assess donor progression, identify bottlenecks, and recommend strategies for stewardship or re-engagement.
• Produce portfolio dashboards, reports, and analytics to support decision-making, and frontline performance tracking.

Advancement Operations (10%)

• Serve as back-up to the Advancement Coordinator in the processing of gifts, pledges, and the generating of receipts and acknowledgments when the coordinator is unavailable and/or when the volume of incoming mail requires such assistance.
• Partner with colleagues in IT and digital engagement to ensure integration between AI systems, CRM, and communications tools.
• Assist with quarterly events and Annual Report as needed.
• Provide additional assistance to members of the Advancement Team as requested.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 3+ years prospect research, portfolio management, and data analysis experience in Advancement or a related field.
• Critical thinking skills related to evaluating prospect capacity and connection and to improving internal processes with a high level of efficiency and meticulousness.
• Proficiency with a broad range of research techniques, including asset evaluation and confirmation, assigning capacity ratings, and the use of other appropriate sources and methods.
• Proven ability to analyze and synthesize high volumes of information, using data in a strategic way.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously, while providing accurate, high-quality information under tight target dates.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with colleagues. Ability to build strong collaborative relationships across the Advancement office.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a complex organization.
• Experience with Tessitura CRM and DonorSearch screening tool or other sophisticated CRM database.

How To Apply:

Please send resume and a compelling cover letter, to Michelle Major, Director of Human Resources michelle.major@americanancestors.org

No phone calls please.

Salary Range:

$60,000 - $65,000
 

The Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (JHC) at American Ancestors, a research and educational center located in Boston, Mass., whose archival collections specialize in the Jewish history of New England, is seeking candidates for a Historian in Residence position in the 2025-2026 year.

This part-time position (15 to 20 hours a week) is an exciting opportunity for a post-doc, adjunct faculty member, public historian, or teacher. The Historian in Residence works in collaboration with JHC staff to create content, programs, and resources for a range of audiences and settings. Mining the JHC’s archival collections, which specialize in the history of Jewish individuals, families, institutions, businesses, and communities in New England, the Historian in Residence will highlight and contextualize this history, while also developing articles and public talks about related topics in American Jewish history; developing research and resource guides for the JHC website; and helping connect the JHC to, and build use of its resources among, the scholarly/research community.

Responsibilities  

• The Historian in Residence’s responsibilities include research, writing, and presentations using the JHC’s collections and other repositories. The historian will:  
• Write two articles for publication in  American Ancestors magazine and contribute occasional blog posts to the JHC and American Ancestors websites.
• Develop online and/or in-person presentations for the public.
• Work with archives staff to create online resource guides for JHC collections.
• Provide consultation to JHC staff about American Jewish history as/when needed.
• Conduct and recommend outreach to communities of scholars and researchers.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will:

• Have at minimum a Master’s degree in history, American Jewish history, or a related field.  Knowledge of Boston and/or New England Jewish history a plus.
• Demonstrate superb writing, research, and presentation skills.  
• Have experience in public history setting(s) and/or in interpreting and presenting historical content for a wide variety of audiences.
• Be able to work both independently and collaboratively with the JHC team. 

Terms and Stipend

Reporting to the JHC Programming and Outreach Manager, this part-time, grant-funded position begins on or after September 1, 2025, and ends June 30, 2026, with the possibility of extending the funding for a second year. While the exact schedule is flexible and shall be mutually agreed-upon, the preferred arrangement entails a regular schedule of 17.5 to 21 hours a week. The Historian should be based in the Greater Boston area and is asked to spend at least one day (7 hours) each week working onsite. The annual stipend for the position is $30,000, paid over ten months. The Historian in Residence and the JHC may have the option to renew the position beyond the 2025-2026 year.

To Apply

Candidates should submit a cover letter expressing why the position interests them and what they might be interested in exploring while at the JHC; a resume and/or CV; and two references to:

Rachel King, Executive Director 
Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at American Ancestors 
97 Newbury Street 
Boston, MA 02116 
rachel.king@jewishheritagecenter.org

To learn more about the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, visit JewishHeritageCenter.org.

The Historian in Residence position is funded by Richard Schilder and the Schilder Family, in honor of Justin L. Wyner.

American Ancestors seeks a full-time Researcher. Under the direction of the Director of Research & Library Services, a Researcher will conduct genealogical and historical research, in written and verbal form. This exciting opportunity is available as a full time, non-exempt, hourly position located at our beautiful headquarters on Newbury Street in Boston and is Tuesday-Saturday. 

Some of the outstanding benefits for the full-time position include medical, dental, vision, AFLAC, life insurance, generous paid time off, paid holidays, Employee Assistance Program, tuition reimbursement, FSA, 403(b) retirement plan, and so much more!!

Responsibilities of the Researcher Position:

• Provide accurate genealogical and historical research, using knowledge of genealogical skills, techniques, and sources.
• Efficiently conduct research in an allotted hourly time frame
• Assist with in-person reference desk visitation at our Library in Boston. This position is Tuesday-Saturday and must be able to work on-site in Boston at least one day per week.
• Contribute to American Ancestors’ publications including American Ancestors magazine and our online blog, Vita Brevis.
• Attend virtual and in-person genealogical conferences (as needed)

Education level for the position:

• Bachelor’s degree in a history related field

Qualifications:

• Genealogical Training
• 3-4 years of genealogical or historical research experience
• Ability to analyze documents and compile detailed narrative research reports.
• Writing skills
• Computer skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft and Adobe
• Customer services experience
• Knowledge of the American Ancestors’ collection

How To Apply:

Please send resume, a genealogical sample (REQUIRED), and a compelling cover letter to Michelle Major, Director of Human Resources, Michelle.major@americanancestors.org

No phone calls please.