Major Gifts Managers: The Key to Employee Retention

Although the executive director has long been seen as the key figure in a nonprofit organization, another significant position determines its financial success. Major gifts managers play an important role in ensuring that the fundraising department has a solid strategy and skilled employees who meet donation targets.

While some smaller nonprofits try to scrape by with the executive director leading the fundraising charge, this can lead to burnout all around. To increase financial well-being and run the most efficient fundraising campaigns, major gifts managers play a vital role in the nonprofit industry. (Major Gifts Today covers this and similar topics very well.)

Organizations looking to increase major gifts donations may be interested in offloading this responsibility to an experienced manager but they might be unsure where to start. This position was traditionally only filled at larger organizations, but it has become a worthwhile investment for smaller nonprofits.

Why Have a Major Gifts Manager?

Sometimes, especially with a new or inexperienced executive director, major gifts officers get put on the backburner. If the executive director does not recognize the importance and value of the major gifts officers, they can get overlooked for what seem to be more important issues.

Major gifts officers work on their own time, interacting with their own clients, and can seem out of the loop of program development and other day-to-day operations of the nonprofit. This leads them to pick up administrative duties that can overburden their workload. The financial consequences of this are very real for the organization: a burnt-out employee leads to a decrease in job performance and less successful solicitation attempts.

Major gifts officer positions have a high turnover rate. The average retention rate for this role is 18-20 months. This is unfortunate, as there is a correlation between the length of time a major gifts officer has been employed and the return on donations. In this career path, remaining in a position increases the success rate of asks.

New executive directors often underestimate the impact of stewardship on increasing donations. Retaining staff to continue strengthening bonds with donors is a remarkably easy way to meet the organization’s fundraising goals.

Major gifts managers are an asset to a nonprofit once it begins to grow. Reducing the workload of major gifts officers allows them to spend more time strategizing and meeting with clients. Meeting goal targets of face-to-face meetings with donors increases their chances of being able to make an ask. A better work environment and increased support can only benefit the overall financial wellbeing of the nonprofit.

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The Role of Major Gifts Managers

So what do major gifts managers do, exactly? The role may look a little different from nonprofit to nonprofit, but they all conduct their work with their organization’s future vision in mind.

In general, major gifts managers are employed to provide support and advocacy for major gifts officers within the organization. They make sure that any issues are brought to the executive director. The major gifts manager may also be the liaison to the board of directors to ensure that the fundraising strategy is aligned with the organization’s financial goals.

Major gifts managers are often experienced in the industry and can provide guidance to new officers. They may provide coaching or help analyze donor data before making a significant solicitation. If they note that an employee is struggling or failing to meet targets, they may encourage additional training in the area that needs support.

In some workplaces with smaller budgets, major gift managers may have their own caseload and may work alongside the other officers. However, their main work should be ensuring that the fundraising department has structures and processes in place to run efficiently.

In larger workplaces, major gifts managers may oversee two distinctly different fundraising streams—usually annual donations and major gifts. Annual donations are smaller contributions that help support the daily operations of the nonprofit, whereas major gifts help secure the financial future of the nonprofit in lump sum and planned giving arrangements. Sometimes there is a competitive environment between these streams, and each may be highly protective of their client information.

Hiring a manager can help mitigate issues between the two streams and help develop a strategy that satisfies people on both sides of the fundraising fence for the organization’s benefit.

Best Practices When Hiring

The decision to hire major gifts managers cannot be made lightly. Hiring the wrong person for this position could be a costly mistake and cause tension in the workplace.

The most important thing to consider is the applicant’s experience as a major gifts officer. It is crucial that the person in this position understands the industry, has been successful when asking for large monetary donations, and understands the burden of the workload. They must be passionate about helping newer major gifts officers become skilled at cultivating relationships and soliciting annual gifts, major gifts, and planned donations.

Experienced major gifts managers have an eye for the right time to ask for a donation. They may look at donor data and identify prospective donors that have not been approached recently, but they feel that the time is right to ask again. Or they may feel that the time has come to stop expending resources on a particular person and advise the team to move on.

Another aspect that must be considered is keeping the right people in the right positions. For example, suppose you have a major gifts officer with spectacular performance who is bringing in significant donations for the organization. In that case, it may be best to keep them in that position. Choosing someone who understands the job and can act as the liaison between major gifts officers and the executive director is a better choice than moving your superstar major gifts officer.

Hiring someone with a positive outlook, a proven track record, loyalty to the cause, and a shared vision with the board of directors can help ease the transition to including this management position in your organization. Taking a thorough look at their references can help you gauge the hiring process.

Conclusion

If you are looking to increase the efficiency of your fundraising department, connecting with major gifts managers may be the next step for your organization. Avoiding burnout and improving retention rates can only benefit your fundraising efforts, improving the organization’s financial outlook.

An executive director does not always have the experience needed to manage a fundraising department. With the differences between annual gifts and major gifts, a skilled manager to oversee the entire project and ensure that fundraising goals are met could be the difference in whether your nonprofit sinks or floats.

Removing some of the executive director’s workload also frees them up to deal with operational concerns, improve programming, form a marketing strategy, and spend time working with the board of directors. This can help maintain and improve employee relations in all departments as well as the overall atmosphere of the organization.

Overall, the hiring of major gifts managers should be considered a strategic move. You should be pleasantly surprised with your return on investment when you see the annual donation figures, and the entire team should feel the relief that this position provides.