Major Gifts Officer
You carry a portfolio of major-gift prospects and donors — typically those capable of five, six, or seven-figure gifts — running the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship work that moves major philanthropic dollars into the organization's mission.
What it's like to be a Major Gifts Officer
Donor visits, prospect briefings, proposal drafts, and stewardship meetings make up the week. Your portfolio of 100-150 high-capacity donors lives in the CRM, organized by interest and cultivation stage. You're often measured on visits made, asks delivered, and dollars raised — though the major closes lag the cultivation by years.
What surprises people new to major gifts is how patient the cultivation arc feels before the first major ask — years of relationship-building can precede a single gift conversation. Variance across employers is wide: at universities and major hospitals you specialize on a school, department, or program; at smaller nonprofits you carry broader institutional portfolios.
Officers who thrive tend to balance patient listening with comfort delivering a six-figure ask. CFRE eligibility builds across years. The trade-off is the back-loaded metrics — today's cultivation closes in 2-5 years, while quarterly reporting expects faster progress.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
How this category is changing
Skills & Requirements
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