Major Gifts Officer Resume: How to Show Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship in 2026

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."

What your major gifts officer resume must prove

• Cultivation: prospect identification, moves management, relationship building.
• Solicitation: face-to-face asks, proposals, gift closing, pledges.
• Portfolio: managing a portfolio of donors, visits, pipeline.
• Stewardship: donor stewardship, recognition, retention, donor intent.

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."

Don't just say "raised money" — show cultivation and solicitation

"Raised money" tells a development director nothing:

• ❌ "Raised money for the organization." — Says nothing about cultivation or portfolio.
• ✅ "Managed a portfolio of major-gift prospects, cultivated relationships through moves management, solicited and closed gifts, and stewarded donors to retention." — Cultivation, solicitation, portfolio, and stewardship.

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.

How to write the skills section

Group your major gifts officer skills so a reviewer can scan them:

• Cultivation: prospect ID, moves management, relationship building
• Solicitation: face-to-face asks, proposals, closing, pledges
• Portfolio: portfolio management, visits, pipeline, goals
• Stewardship: stewardship, recognition, retention, donor intent
• Tools: CRM/donor database (e.g., Raiser's Edge/Salesforce awareness), reporting

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.

Major gifts officer vs fundraising manager

These roles overlap but differ in focus — keep your resume positioned:

• Major gifts officer: works a donor portfolio — cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual gifts.
• Fundraising manager: manages fundraising broadly — see the fundraising manager resume guide — programs, campaigns, events, and teams.

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.

Common mistakes

• No portfolio: portfolio size and pipeline are the headline — show them.
• No solicitation: asks closed and dollars raised (honest figures) prove results.
• No stewardship: retention and donor intent show you keep donors, not just acquire.
• No moves management: cultivation discipline is what major gifts is built on.
• Vague: "raised money" loses to "managed a portfolio, cultivated and closed gifts, stewarded donors."

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a major gifts officer resume highlight most?

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.

How do I quantify a major gifts officer resume?

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.

How is a major gifts officer resume different from a fundraising manager resume?

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.

How do I show results without breaking donor confidentiality?

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.

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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.