A specialty within development
Planned giving is not another name for every major gifts assignment. It focuses on conversations about future or structured charitable support and on the organization’s ability to receive and steward that support. The National Association of Charitable Gift Planners maintains hiring and performance resources for gift-planning officers. Its materials are useful context for understanding why employers treat this as a distinct specialty rather than simply adding the label to a general fundraising role.
What an ordinary workday can involve
The work can include preparing for a donor conversation, reviewing the record of a donor’s intentions, coordinating with colleagues on documentation, and following up with existing supporters. The precise authority depends on the employer’s program. Ask who reviews proposed arrangements and which specialists provide guidance. A gift planner should understand the limits of their own role; this career page does not provide donors with legal or tax advice or suggest that every officer is qualified to do so.
Employers and working relationships
The charitable gift planners’ career center includes gift-planning and planned-giving positions, illustrating that employers recruit explicitly for the specialty. Within an institution, a role may work alongside major gifts, donor relations, finance, and other colleagues involved in a gift program. Ask who the position reports to, how responsibilities are divided, and how donor information is shared. A reporting line or management assignment should be verified in the specific posting rather than inferred from the title.
Read the background requirements closely
A job may ask for fundraising experience, knowledge of gift-planning practice, or experience coordinating technically detailed work. Look for the employer’s stated requirements and the training support available. A major gifts background can be relevant, but it does not automatically establish every skill a gift-planning position needs. The related listings below appear only if the posting description expressly mentions planned giving; none is presented as a dedicated planned-giving vacancy without that title. Use the specialty resources to understand the field, then read the complete employer description. No salary figure, credential requirement, or universal experience threshold is invented here.
Related current postings
These roles mention the specialty or carry related development responsibilities. Their titles remain unchanged.
Director, Corporate Partnerships (Technology Sector)
National Geographic Society · Washington, DC · Hybrid
Director, Corporate Partnerships (Technology Sector)
National Geographic Society · Washington, DC · On-site
Chief Executive Officer
Nature & Culture International · California · Remote
Chief Development Officer
Blue Star Families · Washington, D.C., USA · Hybrid
Resources
Independent resources provide career context. They are not guarantees of a current vacancy.