Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Nonprofit Research Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Nonprofit Research Coordinator is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing research and evaluation projects that support program improvement, fundraising/grant efforts, and public reporting. This role bridges qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to generate actionable insights for program staff, leadership, funders, and community partners. The ideal candidate is experienced in survey and interview design, data collection and cleaning, statistical and descriptive analysis, and translating findings into compelling reports, dashboards, and grant narratives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Program Coordinator or Program Assistant with evaluation responsibilities
Research Assistant or Data Analyst (entry-level) in a mission-driven organization
Graduate fellow or AmeriCorps member with monitoring & evaluation exposure

Advancement To:

Senior Research Coordinator / Evaluation Manager
Program Evaluation Director / Research Director
Grants & Impact Manager or Director of Evidence & Learning

Lateral Moves:

Development/Grant Writer (with strong research-to-funding translation skills)
Data Analyst for Programs or Impact Analyst
Community Engagement Manager with research focus

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the design, administration, and continuous improvement of mixed-methods research and program evaluation plans that align with organizational strategic goals, funder requirements, and community priorities.
Develop logic models, theories of change, evaluation questions, performance indicators, and data collection protocols to measure program outputs, outcomes, and long-term impact.
Plan, implement, and manage quantitative data collection activities (surveys, pre/post tests, program monitoring databases), ensuring high response rates, data quality, and reliable tracking over time.
Design and manage qualitative research activities including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, case studies, and participatory research methods; synthesize themes and extract participant-centered insights.
Create survey instruments, interview guides, consent materials, and IRB-ready documentation where required; pilot instruments and iterate based on feedback and psychometric testing.
Clean, validate, and document datasets; build consistent data dictionaries, metadata records, and reproducible data-cleaning scripts to ensure transparency and usability.
Conduct statistical analysis (descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, trend analysis, basic inferential tests) to evaluate program performance and inform decision making.
Produce timely, evidence-based reports, policy briefs, and impact summaries tailored for funders, board members, program teams, and community stakeholders.
Translate complex data and evaluation findings into clear narratives, visualizations, slide decks, and infographics to support internal learning, external communications, and fundraising efforts.
Support grant development by providing evidence summaries, outcome measures, baseline metrics, and evaluation sections for proposals and progress reports.
Maintain and update program monitoring systems (e.g., Salesforce, Airtable, REDCap, ODK) and dashboards to track KPIs and operational metrics in near–real time.
Train program staff, volunteers, and partners on data collection protocols, intake forms, confidentiality procedures, and best practices for accurate record-keeping.
Coordinate data-sharing agreements, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and confidentiality protocols with external research partners, schools, clinics, and community organizations.
Oversee data security and privacy compliance, ensuring adherence to FERPA, HIPAA (if applicable), and organizational policies on personally identifiable information (PII).
Manage timelines, deliverables, and budgets for research contracts, vendors, consultants, and evaluation subcontractors.
Facilitate stakeholder meetings, feedback sessions, and dissemination events to present findings, gather input, and build buy-in for program changes and continuous improvement.
Conduct literature scans, environmental scans, and secondary data analyses to contextualize findings and inform program design and strategy.
Support performance measurement system design, including defining target-setting approaches, baseline establishment, and regular monitoring cycles.
Identify data quality issues, propose corrective actions, and implement process changes to improve accuracy and timeliness of reporting.
Act as the primary point of contact between program teams and external evaluators, coordinating site visits, data transfer, and knowledge exchange.
Maintain organized documentation and version control for research instruments, raw data, cleaned datasets, and final deliverables for auditability and reproducibility.
Use evidence to recommend programmatic changes, pilot new interventions, and identify cost-effectiveness or scalability opportunities.
Support internal learning agendas by designing learning questions, prioritizing evaluations, and overseeing small pilots or rapid-cycle evaluations.
Monitor and report on program fidelity and implementation quality using observational tools, checklists, and program staff feedback loops.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis for leadership, development, and program teams; produce one-off briefs and quick-turn dashboards.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy including data governance, standardization of indicators, and roadmap for analytics maturity.
Collaborate with IT and data engineering staff to translate analytical needs into data architecture and reporting requirements.
Participate in cross-functional planning sessions, sprint planning, and agile ceremonies to prioritize evaluation tasks and productize research outputs.
Maintain an up-to-date repository of research tools, templates, and trainings to standardize evaluation across programs.
Provide mentorship to junior research assistants, interns, and program staff on research best practices and ethical data use.
Coordinate logistics for evaluation activities including scheduling interviews, managing incentives, and ensuring accessibility for participants.
Keep current with sector trends, new evaluation methods, and technology tools; present relevant innovations to leadership for adoption.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Mixed-methods research design: qualitative interviewing, focus groups, survey design, and programmatic measurement.
Quantitative analysis using statistical software (R, Stata, SPSS, or Python) for descriptive and inferential statistics.
Survey administration platforms and tools experience (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, REDCap, KoBoToolbox).
Database management and reporting tools (Excel advanced functions, Google Sheets, SQL basics, Airtable).
Data visualization and dashboarding (Tableau, Power BI, Data Studio) to create clear, actionable visuals.
Familiarity with data collection platforms and mobile data collection tools for field work.
Experience preparing IRB applications, consent forms, and working within human subjects research protocols.
Knowledge of program monitoring and evaluation frameworks (logic models, ToC, results frameworks).
Grant writing and grant reporting: developing evaluation sections, performance measures, and funder deliverables.
Proven ability to clean and document datasets, maintain data dictionaries, and produce reproducible analysis workflows.
Basic geospatial analysis / mapping tools (ArcGIS or QGIS) — optional but valuable for community-based research.
Experience with qualitative analysis software (NVivo, Atlas.ti, Dedoose) for coding and thematic analysis.
Familiarity with data privacy standards and compliance (FERPA, HIPAA, PII handling).
Project management tools and methodologies (Asana, Trello, MS Project, or similar) to manage evaluation timelines.

Soft Skills

Strong written and verbal communication: able to craft donor-friendly narratives and technical reports for varied audiences.
Stakeholder engagement and facilitation: building trust with participants, community partners, and internal teams.
Attention to detail: meticulous about documentation, data validation, and version control.
Critical thinking and problem solving: synthesize complex information and recommend pragmatic next steps.
Time management and prioritization: manage multiple evaluation projects and competing deadlines.
Cultural humility and competency working with diverse communities and marginalized populations.
Collaborative mindset: ability to work cross-functionally with program, development, operations, and external partners.
Adaptability and learning orientation: comfortable iterating methodology and tools in dynamic program environments.
Ethical judgment and discretion handling sensitive participant data and results.
Mentorship and training ability: coach program staff in basic M&E skills and data literacy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Social Sciences, Public Policy, Nonprofit Management, Public Health, Statistics, Data Science).

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Program Evaluation, Public Policy, Social Work, Public Health (MPH), Sociology, Statistics, or related field.
Additional certification in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), Grant Writing, or Data Analytics desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Public Policy / Public Administration
Social Work / Sociology / Anthropology
Evaluation / Monitoring & Evaluation
Statistics / Data Science / Biostatistics
Public Health / Health Services Research
Nonprofit Management / Community Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of professional experience in program evaluation, nonprofit research, or applied social research.
Entry-level placements may consider 1–2 years with strong internship/fellowship experience.

Preferred:

3–5+ years of progressively responsible experience conducting applied research and program evaluations in nonprofit, government, or academic settings.
Demonstrated experience producing funder reports, supporting grant proposals, and presenting findings to senior leaders and external stakeholders.
Experience managing small teams, contractors, or externals and familiarity with multi-site program evaluations.
Background working with marginalized communities, culturally competent engagement strategies, and ethical research practices.