A major gifts officer resume that only says "raised money" gets filtered out. The nonprofits hiring for this role care about one thing: can you cultivate and solicit major donors, manage a portfolio, and steward relationships ethically. The resumes that land interviews talk about cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship — not just "raised money."
In one line: your resume should answer "what portfolio did you manage, what gifts did you cultivate and close, and how did you steward donors."
"Raised money" tells a development director nothing:
Quantify around: portfolio size, dollars raised/gifts closed, visits/asks, retention. See how to quantify achievements on a resume. Keep dollar figures honest and respect donor confidentiality.
Group your major gifts officer skills so a reviewer can scan them:
See how to write the skills section. For a major gifts officer, lead with cultivation and solicitation — meetings are the means, closed gifts and retained donors are the result. Related roles are the planned giving officer resume guide and the annual giving manager resume guide.
These roles overlap but differ in focus — keep your resume positioned:
One carries a major-gift portfolio; the other manages fundraising overall. Tailor to the target role — see how to tailor your resume to a job description.
Cultivation, solicitation, portfolio management, and stewardship. Use portfolio size, dollars raised/gifts closed, visits/asks, and retention to show what you managed and closed — not just "raised money." Keep figures honest and confidential.
Use real numbers: portfolio size, dollars raised, gifts closed, visits/asks, and donor retention. "Managed a portfolio, cultivated and closed gifts, stewarded donors" beats "raised money." Keep dollar figures honest and respect confidentiality.
A major gifts officer carries a donor portfolio — cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts. A fundraising manager manages fundraising broadly — programs, campaigns, and teams. One is a frontline fundraiser; the other manages the function. Frame your resume to match the role.
Use ranges, totals, and metrics (portfolio size, dollars raised, retention) rather than naming donors or specific gifts. Pair them with your cultivation and stewardship approach so it's clear you raise major gifts ethically and keep donors engaged.
The core of a major gifts officer resume is showing cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Make your portfolio, closed gifts, and retention clear, keep every figure honest, and your resume will compete. When it's ready, run it through Prism Resume's free check: prismresume.com/check.
Wondering how your own resume holds up?
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