Hiring a major gifts officer is an important decision for any nonprofit that relies on individual giving to fund its mission. A strong major gifts officer can build long-term relationships with donors, identify new fundraising opportunities, and develop the trust that leads to significant philanthropic commitments.
Because the role combines fundraising expertise, relationship management, communication, and strategic thinking, nonprofits need a deliberate approach to finding the right candidate. This guide explains how to hire a major gifts officer, where to find qualified candidates, and what to look for during the hiring process.
What Does a Major Gifts Officer Do?
A major gifts officer is a nonprofit fundraising professional responsible for developing relationships with individuals who have the capacity and inclination to make significant charitable contributions.
The specific responsibilities vary by organization, but a major gifts officer commonly:
- Manages a portfolio of major donors and prospective donors
- Identifies and qualifies potential major gift prospects
- Develops individualized donor cultivation and solicitation strategies
- Builds relationships with donors through meetings, calls, events, and other engagement
- Makes or coordinates major gift solicitations
- Works with executive leaders, board members, and program staff on donor relationships
- Maintains accurate records in the organization’s CRM
- Tracks fundraising activity, pipeline development, and revenue goals
- Partners with planned giving, annual giving, and other development staff
The ideal candidate therefore needs more than a history of asking for donations. They need the ability to develop authentic relationships, manage a portfolio strategically, communicate effectively, and connect a donor’s interests with the organization’s mission.
1. Define the Major Gifts Officer Role Before Recruiting
Before looking for candidates, establish what success will look like in the position. This is particularly important because major gifts programs differ significantly between nonprofits.
Start by defining the size and composition of the officer’s portfolio, the organization’s typical major gift range, annual fundraising expectations, and the level of access the officer will have to executive leadership and board members.
The job description should also clarify whether the position will focus primarily on cultivating existing donors, identifying new prospects, soliciting gifts, or managing the entire major gifts cycle.
Resources like Nonprofit.ai‘s nonprofit job description template provides a structured prompt specifically designed for nonprofit positions. It asks organizations to define the role’s purpose, mission, responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, reporting structure, and working conditions.
Clear expectations make it easier to evaluate candidates consistently and help prospective applicants determine whether the opportunity matches their experience.
2. Look for Major Gifts Experience, Not Just Fundraising Experience
Fundraising experience is useful, but it does not necessarily mean a candidate has experience with major gifts.
When evaluating candidates, look for evidence that they have managed donor relationships over time and successfully moved prospects through the major gift cycle. Relevant experience may include portfolio management, donor qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, moves management, and capital or campaign fundraising.
Ask candidates about specific examples rather than relying exclusively on general statements. For example, you might ask:
- How have you identified and qualified major gift prospects?
- How large was your previous donor portfolio?
- How do you decide when a donor is ready for a solicitation?
- Tell us about a major gift you helped secure.
- How do you build relationships with donors who are initially reluctant to engage?
- How do you work with executive directors, CEOs, or board members during a solicitation?
These questions can reveal how a candidate actually approaches major gift fundraising.
3. Recruit Through Multiple Channels
There is no single source for finding a qualified major gifts officer. Nonprofits can use several recruiting strategies depending on their budget, timeline, and internal recruiting capabilities.
Post the Position on Nonprofit Job Boards
Posting the position on nonprofit-focused job boards can reach candidates who are already interested in mission-driven organizations.
Idealist‘s nonprofit job board is one option. It allows organizations to post social-impact jobs and gives candidates the ability to search by location, experience level, and issue area. The site currently includes major gifts and other development positions among its listings.
For fundraising-specific candidates, the AFP Career Center is another useful resource. The Association of Fundraising Professionals Career Center has a dedicated Major Gifts category, along with categories for development, donor relations, planned giving, grants, and other fundraising functions.
Organizations working in philanthropy and foundations can also consider the Council on Foundations Philanthropic Career Center, which focuses specifically on foundation and philanthropic-sector careers.
General job platforms can expand the candidate pool, but specialized nonprofit and fundraising boards can help organizations reach candidates who already understand the sector.
Use Your Professional Network
Fundraising is relationship-driven, and recruiting can be as well. Ask development professionals, board members, peer organizations, and nonprofit associations for referrals.
The AFP chapter directory can be particularly useful for identifying local fundraising communities. AFP’s directory currently lists more than 200 chapters across geographic regions, including chapters throughout the United States.
Rather than simply posting a job and waiting for applications, organizations can use local professional networks to learn who is active in the fundraising community, attend industry events, and generate referrals.
Employee and professional referrals can be particularly useful when looking for experienced fundraising professionals who may not be actively applying to job postings.
Recruit Internally
If the organization already has an experienced development team, consider whether an internal candidate could step into the role. An internal promotion can provide continuity and reduce the learning curve associated with understanding the organization’s mission, donors, systems, and culture.
However, internal candidates should still be evaluated against the actual requirements of the position.
Work With a Nonprofit Recruiter
For organizations that need to reach experienced candidates or do not have the internal capacity to conduct a comprehensive search, a nonprofit recruiting firm can manage some or all of the hiring process.
Nonprofit recruiters can help define the position, develop a candidate profile, source prospective candidates, conduct initial screening, and coordinate the search through the interview process.
For example, Recruiterie‘s nonprofit recruiting practice works with nonprofit organizations on professional and executive searches, including development and major gifts positions. Recruiterie describes its approach as a high-touch process focused on understanding an organization’s priorities, limitations, mission, and culture before connecting it with candidates.
A specialized nonprofit recruiter can be particularly useful when a search requires targeted outreach beyond applicants responding to a public job posting.
The right recruiting approach depends on the organization’s needs. A nonprofit with a strong internal talent acquisition function may manage the search independently, while an organization with a small HR team or a highly specialized search may benefit from outside recruiting support.
4. Evaluate Relationship-Building Skills
Technical fundraising knowledge is only part of the job. Major gift fundraising depends heavily on trust and relationships.
During interviews, assess how candidates listen, ask questions, communicate with different audiences, and approach donor relationships. A strong candidate should be able to demonstrate that they understand the difference between transactional fundraising and long-term relationship building.
Consider including a practical exercise in the interview process. For example, provide a hypothetical donor profile and ask the candidate to explain how they would research the prospect, develop a cultivation strategy, engage organizational leadership, and determine an appropriate next step.
A structured interview makes it easier to compare candidates against the same criteria.
CharityVillage’s nonprofit interview guide includes more than 100 mission-aligned interview questions, including questions focused on mission alignment, teamwork, and other nonprofit hiring considerations. The guide is specifically designed for Canadian job seekers, so U.S. organizations should use it as a source of ideas rather than a substitute for their own hiring process.
CharityVillage also offers sample nonprofit hiring interview questions that emphasize asking candidates for specific examples rather than relying on yes-or-no questions or broad claims about their abilities.
For a major gifts officer, useful questions include:
- Tell us about a donor relationship you developed over several years.
- How do you determine whether a prospect is ready for a major gift conversation?
- Describe a solicitation that did not go as planned. What did you learn?
- How do you collaborate with a CEO, executive director, or board member during a solicitation?
- How do you prioritize a portfolio when you have more prospects than you can actively cultivate?
- How would you explain our organization’s impact to someone who knows little about our work?
5. Assess Cultural and Mission Alignment
A major gifts officer represents the organization to some of its most important supporters. Candidates should understand the organization’s mission and be able to communicate why its work matters.
This does not necessarily mean they need previous experience in the same nonprofit sector. Instead, look for evidence that they can learn the organization’s work, communicate its impact clearly, and build credible relationships with donors around that mission.
Rather than relying on a generic personality or “culture fit” assessment, give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the organization.
For example, provide finalists with the organization’s mission statement, annual report, and a short description of several programs. Ask each candidate to prepare a five-minute explanation of the organization’s work as if they were introducing it to a prospective major donor.
This type of exercise can reveal research ability, communication skills, curiosity, and the candidate’s ability to translate program impact into a compelling donor conversation.
6. Make the Offer Competitive
Experienced major gifts officers are in demand across the nonprofit sector. Compensation should reflect the level of responsibility, geographic market, organizational size, and experience required.
Review salary benchmarks for comparable nonprofit fundraising positions and consider the full compensation package, including benefits, flexibility, professional development, and other forms of workplace support.
The AFP Career Center can also be useful for researching comparable fundraising positions because it organizes postings into categories such as major gifts, development, planned giving, and donor relations.
A well-defined role and competitive offer can make it easier to attract experienced candidates and reduce the risk of losing strong finalists during the hiring process.
7. Build a Strong Onboarding Plan
Hiring the right major gifts officer is only the beginning. New hires need access to donor data, organizational leadership, fundraising goals, program information, and the tools necessary to manage their portfolio.
A structured onboarding process should introduce the new hire to key donors and internal stakeholders while giving them time to understand the organization’s fundraising history and priorities.
Use a 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan
For organizations building an onboarding process from scratch, UST’s free nonprofit employee onboarding toolkit includes a 30-60-90 day plan, employee onboarding checklist, orientation checklist, onboarding survey, and other resources specifically designed for nonprofit employers.
Smartsheet’s free onboarding templates provide additional options, including new-hire checklists, onboarding plans, schedules, and 30-60-90 day templates that can be customized for different roles.
For a major gifts officer, the onboarding plan should go beyond standard HR tasks.
First 30 days:
- Learn the organization’s mission, programs, and impact
- Review fundraising history and current priorities
- Learn the CRM and donor management systems
- Review the major gift portfolio
- Meet development team members
- Meet executive leadership
- Review recent donor communications
Days 31-60:
- Begin a detailed portfolio review
- Meet key internal stakeholders
- Attend donor meetings with senior staff
- Develop initial relationship strategies
- Identify portfolio opportunities and risks
Days 61-90:
- Begin managing assigned donor relationships
- Develop individual donor strategies
- Establish portfolio goals
- Begin appropriate cultivation and solicitation activity
- Review progress with the development leader
This approach gives a new major gifts officer time to learn the organization before being expected to immediately produce fundraising results.
The Best Approach to Hiring a Major Gifts Officer
The most effective hiring process combines a clearly defined position, targeted candidate sourcing, structured interviews, and careful evaluation of both fundraising expertise and relationship-building ability.
Nonprofits can find major gifts officers through job boards, professional networks, internal promotions, referrals, and specialized nonprofit recruiting firms. The right approach depends on the organization’s resources, timeline, and the level of expertise required.
For organizations that want help reaching qualified nonprofit fundraising professionals, working with a specialized nonprofit recruiter can provide an additional sourcing channel while allowing internal leaders to focus on evaluating candidates and selecting the person who best fits the organization’s needs.
Ultimately, hiring a major gifts officer is not simply about finding someone who can ask for large donations. It is about finding a fundraising professional who can develop meaningful donor relationships, understand the organization’s mission, manage a strategic portfolio, and build the long-term support that sustains nonprofit organizations.
