February 8, 2007 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Q. I have written grant proposals for a dozen years and have had lots of experience in many areas of fund raising except the one I’m most interested in: soliciting major gifts, working one-on-one with affluent donors. How do I break into this field?
A. It will be tough for you to land a job as a major-gifts officer, primarily because of the age-old Catch-22: Most employers want to hire people with relevant experience, but to get relevant experience you first need someone to hire you.
Still, depending on your additional skills, some employers may be willing to give you a chance, says Tom Knox, executive director of resource development in the major and planned-gifts department at the Humane Society of the United States, in Washington.
For instance, a sincere passion for an organization’s mission may help win over a potential employer. In fact, Mr. Knox says that is one of the first things he looks for in an applicant.
“It is critical that the gift officer’s enthusiasm match the donor’s passion, so if you couldn’t convince me that you were mission-focused, then it wouldn’t matter how much experience you had in major-gifts work, I wouldn’t hire you,” he says. “On the other hand, a very enthusiastic, mission-focused person with limited experience is one that I would give further consideration.”
But you would be better off if you had at least some background — whether on staff or as a volunteer — working one-on-one with donors.
“Certainly your experience as a grant writer is helpful in terms of being able to prepare a proposal, but it doesn’t show how well you interact directly with donors,” says Mr. Knox.
So if you have any fund-raising or sales experience, make sure to highlight it. If not, he suggests you get some by volunteering.
If you have taken any classes in the area of major gifts or planned giving, or attended any conferences, make sure to mention that to potential employers as well, says Mr. Knox. He also encourages you to consider becoming a certified fund-raising executive through the Association of Fundraising Professionals. For more on this credential, see “What the Certified Fund-Raising Executive Credential Means — and What It Doesn’t, (The Chronicle, October 16, 2002).
But the most critical skill you need to be a successful major-gifts officer is the ability to cultivate relationships, and unfortunately, grant-proposal writers aren’t always thought of as having the right personality for the job, says David Reis, director of business development at Orbis International, a nonprofit organization in New York that strives to eliminate blindness in the developing world.
Yet even if you have the salesmanship and people skills, Mr. Reis thinks you will still have difficulty unless you are able to demonstrate how you’ve used those skills to bring in new donors or retain existing ones.
“If you already have this background, you probably have a good case, especially if you’ve developed relationships with wealthy foundation trustees,” he says. “If not, you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
Bentley Marane, vice president of major gifts for the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, offers suggestions on developing in-person contacts: “Put yourself in the same room as major donors by becoming [a donor] yourself or by attending charity events with major donors.”
She also recommends asking the charities you already work with if you can volunteer to help with any major-gift associated events, such as helping to arrange or guide tours of the organization.
Once you meet donors, pay close attention to their interests, adds Ms. Marane.
“Remember what they tell you and follow up by taking advantage of opportunities to communicate with them,” she says. For example, send them a congratulatory note if you read a newspaper article about any achievements or recognition they receive. “You never know what connections they have that may lead you to a job in major gifts.”
