How to hire an executive director of development, gift planning

How to hire an executive director of development, gift planning, step by step

Here's a step-by-step executive director of development, gift planning hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an executive director of development, gift planning job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new executive director of development, gift planning
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The executive director of development, gift planning hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an executive director of development, gift planning to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an executive director of development, gift planning that fits the bill.

   This list presents executive director of development, gift planning salaries for various positions.

   Type of Executive Director Of Development, Gift Planning	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive Director Of Development, Gift Planning	Fundraisers organize events and campaigns to raise money and other donations for an organization. They may design promotional materials and increase awareness of an organization’s work, goals, and financial needs.	$28-88
   Co-Founder	A Co-Founder is an essential member of a company as they complement the skills, vision, and mission of the Founder. Most of the time, the tasks of a Co-Founder revolve around the financial planning and developing strategies that would be beneficial for the company's financial gain and workforce... Show more	$29-86
   Co-Owner	A co-owner is responsible for ensuring smooth business operations, searching for the best industrial opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability. Some of the business co-owners' duties include planning activities for business promotions, monitoring current market trends, establishing a reliable workforce, developing product specifications, managing financial goals and cost estimates, strengthening marketing strategies, and keeping records of business papers and documents... Show more	$30-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Development Programs
   • Appeals
   • Annuities
   • Charitable Gift
   • Real Estate
   • Fund Raising
   • Donor Relations
   • Capital Campaign
   • Financial Support
   • Donor Database
   • Development Projects
   • Management Process
   • Individual Giving
   • Economic Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Publish monthly e-newsletter for alumni; manage alumni website content and maintain alumni Facebook presence.
   • Resolve financial issues relate to charitable contributions, provide program budgets, process payroll, and oversight management of operating accounts.
   • Direct professional staff responsible for the implementation of HUD programs for the construction and rehabilitation of multi-family housing projects.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your executive director of development, gift planning job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An executive director of development, gift planning can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, executive directors of development, gift planning' average salary in hawaii is 66% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level executive directors of development, gift planning 68% less than senior-level executive directors of development, gift planning.
   • Certifications. An executive director of development, gift planning with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an executive director of development, gift planning's salary.

   Average executive director of development, gift planning salary

   $106,169yearly

   $51.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level executive director of development, gift planning salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 1, 2026

4. Writing an executive director of development, gift planning job description

   A job description for an executive director of development, gift planning role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an executive director of development, gift planning job description:

   Executive director of development, gift planning job description example

   A Director of Major Gifts will advance the mission of Holy Cross Hospital by securing private philanthropic support in furtherance of the Health System's strategic plan, its programs and initiatives. This position requires a significant level of personal involvement and commitment to establishing and maintaining professional relationships with the Health System's major donors, grateful patients and closest friends. Particular emphasis will be given to strategies of cultivation and solicitation of major gifts designed to support Holy Cross Hospital's initiatives.
   **ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:**
   
   ***Establish professional relationships with Holy Cross Hospital's leadership, medical department leaders, and involve, as appropriate, in the Development process to engage with key prospects and donors.**
   
   ***In consultation with the Vice President of Development, engage board members, volunteers, grateful patients and friends of Holy Cross Hospital to provide opportunities for involvement, in furtherance of the Health System's mission and fundraising goals.**
   
   ***Work to develop and maintain a strong working knowledge of Holy Cross Hospital, its programs, and its strategic priorities. Actively participate in the life of the health system, with emphasis on attending key events and hosting donors/prospects at such events to further steward/cultivate for future philanthropic support.**
   
   ***Record pertinent contacts (visits, emails, phone calls) with prospects and donors in Holy Cross Hospital's Development's database, timely and in accordance with departmental policies.**
   
   **Record and maintain accurate open proposals in Holy Cross Hospital's database, timely and in accordance with divisional policies and procedures.**
   
   **Perform other duties as assigned by the Vice President of Development.**
   
   ***Perform other duties as assigned.**
   
   **Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion**
   
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions.
   
   Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right executive director of development, gift planning for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with executive directors of development, gift planning they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit executive directors of development, gift planning who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your executive director of development, gift planning job on Zippia to find and recruit executive director of development, gift planning candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting executive directors of development, gift planning requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new executive director of development, gift planning

   Once you've selected the best executive director of development, gift planning candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new executive director of development, gift planning first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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