Work with a defined donor portfolio
A major gifts role is focused on relationships rather than a generic appeal to everyone in a database. CASE’s donor cultivation guidance describes examining a prospect pool, considering existing relationships and giving history, and assigning responsibility for individual prospects. The organization defines what counts as a major gift for its own program. There is no universal dollar threshold to insert into a job description.
What happens during the week
A gift officer may prepare for a donor meeting, work with a program leader on a proposal, record the next step in a relationship, and arrange a stewardship conversation after a commitment. Those are different stages of the work. Research and preparation support the meeting; the meeting does not finish the relationship. Ask how the employer supports prospect research, travel, recordkeeping, and donor follow-up so that the portfolio is workable.
Who hires and where it sits
Institutions with a sustained donor program may assign major gifts to dedicated officers or a team within development. Educational institutions are one example discussed by CASE. The employer may place the role under a major gifts director or another development leader, but the actual reporting line belongs in the posting. Ask which leaders participate in donor conversations and who approves proposals or commitments. Do not assume that a gift officer can make every decision independently.
Experience to demonstrate
A candidate should be ready to explain how they have built trust, listened to a supporter’s interests, managed follow-up, and worked with colleagues to communicate a real funding need. Employers may ask for a record of donor work and responsibility for a portfolio; check the requirements of the actual vacancy. These responsibilities are narrower than all-purpose fundraising and different from gift planning. Related development postings appear below only when their posting description expressly mentions major gifts. They are not relabeled as dedicated major gifts vacancies. Read the full role before deciding that it is the right match. This page does not estimate pay or impose a single portfolio size on every employer.
Related current postings
These roles mention the specialty or carry related development responsibilities. Their titles remain unchanged.
Senior Director of Development, Athletics
The University Of Connecticut Foundation · Storrs, CT · Hybrid
Executive Director / President
Code For Science & Society (Cs&S) · Portland, OR, USA · Remote
President and CEO
Project R.E.S.T. · Spartanburg, SC, USA · On-site
Chief Executive Officer
Young Moms Together · Charleston, SC, USA · Hybrid
Director of Individual Giving
Starability Foundation · 720 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples, FL 34102, USA · On-site
Executive Director
Crossroads Corporation · Charlotte, NC, USA · On-site
Executive Director and Development Services
Henry Vilas Zoo Foundation · Madison, WI, USA · Hybrid
Director of Development, Athletics
Cal Poly Pomona · Pomona, California, USA · On-site
Vice President, Philanthropy
Junior Achievement Of Tampa Bay · Tampa, Florida, USA · On-site
Executive Director - Clemson Hillel
Hillel International · Clemson, South Carolina, USA · On-site
Director of Development, Corporate & Foundation Relations, UF Health
University Of Florida (Uf Health) · Gainesville, Florida, USA · On-site
Resources
Independent resources provide career context. They are not guarantees of a current vacancy.