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.
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.
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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.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Business Operations roles →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.
Median pay for a Major Gifts Officer is about $66K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $43K to $107K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, and Persuasion.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 4.3% through 2034, with roughly 105,930 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Major Gifts Director, Development Associate, and Development Coordinator.
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