- How would you go about discovering new potential donors? …
- Can you describe a time when you changed someone’s mind about donating? …
- How would you maintain and build relationships with donors? …
- What experience do you have working with organizations’ finances?
There comes a point in every nonprofit’s experience where your team realizes that there is someone missing: a major gift officer. A major gift officer is the teammate that takes charge on all fundraising assignments related to cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major givers.
The definition of a major giver varies from nonprofit to nonprofit depending on the fundraising capacity of that organization, but their importance remains the same. A major giver is someone who has the capacity and willingness to give a game-changing gift to a nonprofit organization.
Clearly, a major gift officer is going to be an important character in the narrative of your nonprofit. So it’s important that you choose someone who is completely qualified!
The right MGO will look different for every organization, but all effective major gift officers will share some of the same characteristics. We’ve compiled this list of the 8 most important features to find in a major gift officer. Those traits are:
If you can find all or most of these traits in a potential major gift officer, you know you’re on the right track. Let’s break down these traits and see why they’re so important.
This trait is the first on our list because it’s absolutely crucial to the success of your MGO. Your officer is going to have to be able convey information effectively and efficiently through all sorts of communication avenues, so this should be one of the first skills that you look for.
A potential MGO should be able to write clearly and effectively in a variety of tones. They should be able to gauge levels of familiarity and formality in different situations and adjust their presentation accordingly.
When searching for an MGO, consider asking for some sort of writing sample to get an idea of their own personal style. During the interview process, you might get a better sense of their capabilities if you set them up with an assignment to read, process, and present information on a topic. For example, ask your interviewee to craft a heartfelt thank-you letter based on a supporter profile.
You’ll be able to tell from these questions how skilled they are at consolidating chunks of information into the most important segments on the fly, as well as get a sense of where their interests are.
Fundraising experience is a crucial trait of anyone that your nonprofit hires into a high-stress, high-stakes position. While not having experience is fine for entry-level positions, it’s important that your major gift officer understands the pressure of working on a fundraising campaign.
Whether or not your potential MGO has worked as a major gift officer before, they should at least have worked with a nonprofit on some sort of fundraising campaign before.
Some questions that you could ask your prospect to gauge their level of fundraising experience and comfort in the nonprofit sector are:
If your MGO has previous fundraising experience, they won’t become flustered or upset when something goes wrong. They know that unpredictability is the name of the game, and that nothing is ever going to go perfectly as planned.
They’ll also be able to bring their own unique experiences to your nonprofit’s institutional knowledge, which will benefit the fundraising techniques of everyone involved.
Adaptability is a key feature for anyone in fundraising, but it’s especially important for major gift officers. Major gift officers are responsible for securing some of the largest gifts for a nonprofit, so they must be able to think on their feet and react to any situation.
Nonprofit statistics indicate that the philanthropic world is changing rapidly, so your major gift officer has to be able to adapt to the changing times as well as the needs of the individual prospect.
In addition to being adaptable in their own role, they have to adapt to the needs of your nonprofit organization. Everyone in a nonprofit, especially the smaller ones, wears multiple hats. Your major gift officer should be able to flow between roles as necessary in order to keep everything running smoothly.
Being able to adapt and overcome any obstacles in a situation is a strong trait for your major gift officer.
When your nonprofit is searching for the right major gift officer to join your team, you have to consider how they’ll fit into not only your team’s culture, but also into the processes already in place at your organization.
Every nonprofit has a unique software system. Payment processing, online fundraising, and supporter data management are all just pieces of the nonprofit software puzzle. When you’re choosing your nonprofit’s next MGO, ask them the following questions during the interview:
Not everyone has the functional intelligence necessary to learn how to use new software quickly and efficiently. But given how much of the nonprofit sphere relies on software, your MGO has to be able to adapt and learn in any system.
This will also be crucial if you systematically track your major giver pipeline in your software. If your major gift officer can’t use the fundraising software you already have, they might not be the right fit for your organization.
It’s okay if your potential MGO isn’t already fluent in whatever program your nonprofit uses. The most important thing is that they’re comfortable enough with technology to pick up the new program with a little help.
This facet of someone’s personality is especially important for a major gift officer. When working as a major gift officer, especially for a larger nonprofit organization, it’s key that your major gift officer be able to act discreetly in order to protect the privacy of your supporters.
There are two reasons why discretion is key for a major gift officer. The first is because your officer may have access to personal and sensitive information via the details a prospect has previously shared with your nonprofit.
The second is because there are limited major giving prospects in any given region. If your major gift officer is unable to keep the identities of your prospects during a fundraising cycle private, you risk them putting your supporters in an uncomfortable situation, especially if they are the types of supporters who enjoy giving to multiple organizations a year.
While it may be difficult to gauge someone’s level of discretion in an interview or over the phone, you can easily reach out to their references to learn about their behavior from people they’ve worked with in the past. Some valuable contacts to reach out to are:
Based on their level of interaction, each person will have a different perspective of your potential major giving officer, and those differences are valuable to your understanding of your prospective MGO!
Discretion is only one piece of the ‘effective MGO’ puzzle, though. For more information on major gift best practices, check out this guide to major giving from ClearView CRM.
Engagement is crucial for a major gift officer. Their role in your fundraising success is in the name—they’re a major part of your fundraising capacity! A major gift officer who just ‘phones it in’ without really digging into the weeds for your nonprofit is one who will be less effective than other potential officers.
Engagement from your MGO can be measured in the same way that you measure engagement with your supporters—by their level of involvement of various aspects of your organization as well as the fundraising industry as a whole. During the interview process, call your potential MGO’s references and find out how engaged they were with all aspects of the nonprofit.
Consider sending them a feedback questionnaire after their interview to gauge how they feel about the nonprofit. You’ll be able to tell how engaged they were with learning and responding during the interview by the level of detail they give in their answers!
The more someone knows about all parts of your nonprofit’s workforce, the more effective they’ll be at using their own position to the benefit of the organization.
Emotional intelligence, while more difficult to quantify, is a key trait for major gift officers to possess. Your major gift officer won’t be able to script every single interaction they have with a prospect, so they should be able to react quickly and think on their feet.
But quick thinking isn’t the only tool necessary to read a room and secure the major gift. Your major gift officer has to be able to tell when someone responds well to a certain method or discussion, or when they’ve hit a rough patch and need to recalibrate.
Major giving to a nonprofit organization is very personal for many people, so your major gift officer has to be able to walk the fine line between making a connection between your prospect and your organization, and pushing the boundaries into someone’s personal life.
This trait can be difficult to determine in an interview, so consider some of the following options to learn more about the emotional intelligence of a potential hire:
All types of intelligence are important, but emotional intelligence is especially important for an officer who will interact with a variety of people on a near-daily basis about something as personal as major gifts.
The most important trait for your major gift officer to have is determination. Your nonprofit’s major giving strategy depends on the strength of will of your MGO.
It is no mean feat to come to work every day and know that most of the people that you interact with are going to tell you, “No.” It takes a certain level of resiliency, of flexibility and adaptation to thrive in a career like that.
When trying to find the right MGO for your nonprofit organization, look for determination and grit above all else.
Find someone who won’t be discouraged by an initial “no,” but instead will find a way to work with the prospect to reach a mutually beneficial agreement or a different solution to a problem that your nonprofit may have.
This trait may be hard to gauge with just an interview, so don’t be afraid to combine reaching out to someone’s references, giving them a personality test, and asking them to act out a scenario they may encounter during the hiring process.
Hiring anyone for your nonprofit may be an arduous undertaking, but by creating a list of the traits that are most important for each position, you can help yourself narrow down the list of potential hires to find the best fit.
For another useful tip for the administration of your nonprofit organization, check out this informative article on fundraising consultant fees from Averill Fundraising Solutions.
Bob Happy brings nearly 35 years of experience providing expert leadership and direction to clients across the not-for-profit sector to his current role as President of Averill Solutions. Before forming Averill Solutions, Bob served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the nation’s largest fundraising firm. He has mentored hundreds of professional fundraising practitioners and many have joined him at Averill Fundraising Solutions.
Major Gifts Officer Interview Questions
A major gifts officer is responsible for securing donations from individuals and organizations that are above a certain threshold. In order to be successful in this position, you need to be able to cultivate relationships with potential donors and persuade them to give.
Example: “I find it’s important to build a relationship with my donors before asking for a large gift. I usually start by sending monthly newsletters or emails about our organization’s progress and upcoming events. Then, I invite them to attend an event where they can meet other supporters of the organization. After this initial contact, I schedule a phone call to get to know them better and learn more about what they hope to achieve through their philanthropy. Finally, I ask if they would be willing to make a larger donation to help us reach our goals.”
Your relevant experienceYour educationYour communication skillsYour ability to work with othersExample: “I am an excellent candidate for this position because I have several years of fundraising experience. In my last role, I raised over $100,000 in one year alone. I also have a degree in business management, which makes me well-qualified for this role. Additionally, I have strong communication skills that allow me to connect with donors and explain our mission to them.”
Before you can ask for a donation, you need to be able to answer some questions about the organization you want to donate to. In this guide, you will find questions and answers about the role of a major gifts officer.
Example: “I update my personal fundraising goals at least once a month. I find it helpful to look back on previous months’ results to see what worked well and what didn’t so I can adjust my strategy accordingly. This helps me stay focused on my long-term goals while also making adjustments as needed.”
Much more important is how the candidate will perform in your institution, with your donors, your staff, and your particular challenges and opportunities. Think carefully about the qualities that have allowed others to succeed in your institution, and qualities that have not worked so well. Will this candidate complement existing team members, in talent, skill, experience, and temperament? Involve interviewers who have a track record not only of identifying talent, but identifying and grooming talent in your institution.
Do candidates have unquestionable, clearly demonstrated passion for the mission, and will they be able to communicate that passion in a way that inspires donors and colleagues? Have they done their homework? Do they understand the nuances and complexities of the institution? Do they understand their role in helping the institution fulfill its mission? Do they come to the interview with related ideas? Note the conclusion of candidates’ gift stories: Do they convey simply that “we secured a seven-figure gift,” or do they go further to convey that “we secured a seven-figure gift that allowed us to fulfill our mission in a significant way?” Don’t be afraid to ask candidates to cite ways in which they personally relate to the mission of your institution.
Second, the interviewers should agree on what most needs to be learned in the limited time available. Every institution has priorities that affect the type of information that is necessary to glean during an interview and the type of candidate that is sought. Development divisions use a wide variety of metrics, some are engaged or are soon to be engaged in a campaign, some have critical short-term needs, and others have a more long-range focus. Nonetheless, input from a number of development leaders with diverse backgrounds resulted in a set of consistently used questions that we offer here, grouped into five areas.
Virtually every development leader interviewed for this piece advised that making the résumé the focus of the interview is a misstep. The hiring manager’s relationship with prospective gift officers is about the future more than the past. Past performance metrics are important, but the number of zeros that appear on a résumé give very little insight into candidates’ creativity, drive, and ability to build and nurture meaningful, productive relationships with colleagues and prospective donors. Many factors, including the efforts of other individuals, play a role in gift outcomes, so past performance is not necessarily an indication of future success.
Finally, one of the most intimate relationships a gift officer will have is with his or her supervisor and immediate colleagues. Interviewers should ask themselves, “Is this candidate someone that excites, stimulates, and even challenges me? Would I feel comfortable talking with them about personal, confidential matters?” Whatever the answers, it is very likely that donors will feel the same way.
What field experience do you have for a MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER POSITION?
Answer tips
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
If you are being asked this question from your employer then you can explain your experience. Tell the employer what responsibilities you were performing during your job. You can tell what programs you developed and what modules you worked on. What were your achievements regarding different programs.
Answer sample
I have been working with computers since 2001. I also have a degree in network support/computer repair. I have built my last 3 computers, have work with Dell as an employee. So I have around 15 years experience working with computers.
Not everyone has the functional intelligence necessary to learn how to use new software quickly and efficiently. But given how much of the nonprofit sphere relies on software, your MGO has to be able to adapt and learn in any system.
Some questions that you could ask your prospect to gauge their level of fundraising experience and comfort in the nonprofit sector are:
Clearly, a major gift officer is going to be an important character in the narrative of your nonprofit. So it’s important that you choose someone who is completely qualified!
When your nonprofit is searching for the right major gift officer to join your team, you have to consider how they’ll fit into not only your team’s culture, but also into the processes already in place at your organization.
The most important trait for your major gift officer to have is determination. Your nonprofit’s major giving strategy depends on the strength of will of your MGO.
FAQ
What is the role of a major gift officer?
How do you determine your major gift?
- Step 1: Run a list of your top donors. The simplest way to determine a major gift level is to run a list of your top 10 donors for the last 12 months. …
- Step 2: Average your top 10. Take the average of the top ten donor’s totals from last year.
What is the difference between major gifts and principal gifts?
Why are major gifts important?
