How To Become A Planned Giving Officer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a planned giving officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Planned giving officers work for non-profit organizations, developing and implementing strategies to secure donations through the estate plans of individual donors. These non-profit professionals educate donors about the benefits of planned giving and help create personalized giving plans that align with the donorâ€™s financial and philanthropic goals. Planning giving officers build relationships with donors, provide excellent customer service, and maintain accurate donation records.

ScorePlanned Giving OfficerUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,443

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.11%

Black or African American 5.91%

Hispanic or Latino 9.07%

Unknown 4.66%

White 74.84%

Gender

female 28.12%

male 71.88%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a planned giving officer?

Pros

Potential for a high level of autonomy
Possibility for career growth and advancement
Competitive compensation, benefits, and bonuses
Potential for travel to conferences and networking events
Access to ongoing training and professional development

Cons

May require long hours or weekends during peak fundraising periods
Can be uncomfortable to ask for large donations and/or handle rejection from donors
Emotional stress from working with people experience end-of-life issues and personal loss
May require extensive time away from home/family for donor visits or conferences/events
Can be challenging to keep up with evolving tax laws and regulations

Key steps to become a planned giving officer

Explore planned giving officer education requirements

Most common planned giving officer degrees

Bachelor's

70.1 %

Master's

19.8 %

Associate

5.8 %

Start to develop specific planned giving officer skills

Skills	Percentages
Alumni	25.85%
PowerPoint	16.75%
Appeals	6.39%
Annuities	6.38%
Remainder	5.25%

Complete relevant planned giving officer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New planned giving officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a planned giving officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real planned giving officer resumes.

Research planned giving officer duties and responsibilities

Manage, coordinate, and synchronize all unit redeployment efforts.
Manage SharePoint data system for facility safety inspections and inventory tracking; develop organizational plan and access for over 3K personnel.
Develop and coordinate USMC classify requirements and ensure they are included in appropriate planning documents and forums throughout DoD.
Coordinate VIP visits to the unit.

Prepare your planned giving officer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your planned giving officer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a planned giving officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable planned giving officer resume templates

Build a professional planned giving officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your planned giving officer resume.