Major Gifts Officer |
Career OverviewA major gifts officer is responsible for the development and implementation of the fund development from private sources and resources for the hospital or healthcare facility. The major gifts officer is responsible for soliciting and obtaining funding sources and donations, monitoring and supervising the allocation of the funds as well as keeping accurate records and tax information on the various gift sources.
The major gifts officer is often the publicity person or works closely with the publicity department around fundraisers and other income generating projects. The major gifts officer helps to set realistic and appropriate goals for fundraising and organizes appropriate staff for committees and activities in relation to the fundraising activities.
For ongoing project the major gifts officer may be the person in charge of tracking and reporting the overall level of fundraising and success of the campaign. This may involve developing databases or data entry templates, working with various departments within the hospital or healthcare facility to track donations, or working with community members.
The major gifts officer should have an ability to network both with in the hospital or healthcare facility and outside of the facility within the community. He or she should have a very strong background in accounting, finance or fundraising or should have experience working for a non-profit or public organization.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as a business background are critical for a major gifts officer. They should be able to make presentation both to professionals and to the public and should have excellent organizational skills. The major gifts officer should be able to use various software and computer programs to keep managers informed of the progress of the fundraising drive. Coordination of volunteers and paid staff is also an important role or responsibility of the major gifts officer.
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Career RequirementsMost major gifts officer positions require a history of successful campaign completions, a background in accounting or business, as well as an ability to set and achieve reasonable goals.
The major gifts officer will be largely working independently; usually reporting to a planning or management committee so should be very self-motivated and creative in designing fundraising campaigns.
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Job OutlookThe role of a major gifts officer is very different from facility to facility. Some hire full time major gifts officers whereas others work only during fundraising campaigns. Regardless if the position is full or part time the demand for major gifts officers will increase slightly as more hospitals and long term care facilities are opened or expanded.
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Career TrackA major gifts officer has several options including starting a private company for fundraising and contracting their services to hospitals or healthcare facilities for specific events or ongoing activities throughout the year. Those major gifts officers with accounting or financial backgrounds may choose to move into management or other positions within the various departments within the healthcare facility.
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CompensationA full-time major gifts officer often earns between $40,000 and $60,000. This amount will vary based on the size of the fundraiser and the amount of time that the major gifts officer spends involved in the fundraising. Some contract or campaign based major gifts officer earn a percentage of the total amount raised provided that the fundraiser reaches a pre-established level.
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