Purpose-driven · Major gift officers
Major gift officer recruiters
We recruit major gift officers and fundraising leaders for ministries, faith-based nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.
The role
The relationships your mission runs on
A major gift officer looks after the donors who give the largest gifts. They build those relationships over years, learn what each donor cares about, and know when to ask.
Get the hire right and those relationships grow. Get it wrong and a donor who has given for a decade can quietly drift away.
Why it's hard
Why good major gift officers are hard to hire
- The best ones aren't looking. A strong major gift officer has a portfolio of donors who trust them and every reason to stay.
- Mission fit is the job. Donors can tell whether the person across the table believes in the work.
- The seat is often regional, close to where your largest donors live, which narrows the pool fast.
- Many ministries have always hired through their own networks. When the network runs dry, there's no process to fall back on.
What we look for
What a strong major gift officer looks like
We test for four things, in interviews and in references from the people they've worked alongside.
- A track record with a portfolio of major donors: gifts closed, and relationships that lasted.
- Patience. Major gifts can take a year or more to come together.
- They listen more than they pitch, and they remember what each donor cares about.
- They keep the CRM and the follow-up as current as their lunch calendar.
Timing
When to start the search
Work back from the date you need someone in the seat. If you want a major gift officer in place on January 1, start the search around October. That leaves room to find the right person and for them to give notice.
A later start date is fine. We can close the search early and hold the start until the timing works for you.
How it works
How the search runs
The Bullseye Meeting
We sit down with your development leader and executive team and agree on the region, the donor portfolio, the pay, and who makes the final call.
Mapped search
We approach major gift officers doing the work well right now, at ministries and nonprofits that share your convictions. Most aren't looking.
Mutual-fit assessment
We assess their donor track record, mission fit and character, and check it with people who've worked alongside them.
Onboard & follow through
We advise on the offer, then stay in touch through the first 90 days, while they meet your donors and your team.
Questions
Major gift officer search: common questions
Yes. Many of the organizations we serve are faith-driven, and we recruit for ministries, faith-based nonprofits and mission-led companies.
Typically one to three weeks to calibrate, candidate recommendations from around week four to week eight, and an offer to your top candidate between weeks eight and twelve for a leadership role or twelve and sixteen for an executive role. Searches finish faster when you're ready to move as soon as the right person surfaces.
You pay a deposit to launch the search, nothing more until you hire, a payment at hire, and a final payment thirty days after your new leader starts. Fees depend on the role, and we quote them plainly in the first conversation.
Every FireSeeds search carries a guarantee. If the placement doesn't work out within the agreed period, we re-run the search. The specifics are set out in the engagement letter before we start.
Hiring a major gift officer?
Tell us about the seat you need to fill. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right team to fill it.