How to hire a principal gifts officer

How to hire a principal gifts officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step principal gifts officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a principal gifts officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new principal gifts officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the principal gifts officer you need to hire. Certain principal gifts officer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect principal gifts officer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of principal gifts officers.

   Type of Principal Gifts Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Principal Gifts Officer	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.	$28-60
   Fundraising Internship	A fundraising intern has the opportunity to learn how to create fundraising events from beginning to execution. They also learn how to execute the best practices in fundraising events such as creating a cause, case statement, budget, functional database, and other important parameters... Show more	$13-23
   Major Donor Coordinator	The major function of a donor coordinator is to oversee the full implementation of activities such as fundraising or gift-giving. They manage all the transactions of the clients, donors, and volunteers, depending on the organization... Show more	$16-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Donor Database
   • Leadership Gifts
   • Professional Development
   • Capital Campaign
   • Donor Relations
   • Strategic Plan
   • Family Foundations
   • Principal Gift Prospects
   • Donor Communications
   • Gift Agreements
   • Comprehensive Campaign
   • Ministry
   • Alumni Affairs
   • Individual Giving

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all aspects of donor prospecting, cultivation, stewardship, and budget/vendor/consultant management for special events and individual giving.
   • Coordinate among cross-functional business departments including investor relations, risk, trading desk, compliance, tax/accounting, and portfolio administration.
   • Execute PAC fundraising plan for congressional and political action committee clients.

   More principal gifts officer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your principal gifts officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A principal gifts officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, principal gifts officers' average salary in hawaii is 60% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level principal gifts officers earn 53% less than senior-level principal gifts officers.
   • Certifications. A principal gifts officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a principal gifts officer's salary.

   Average principal gifts officer salary

   $86,359yearly

   $41.52 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level principal gifts officer salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average principal gifts officer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$100,579	$48
   2	Washington	$98,644	$47
   3	Connecticut	$98,401	$47
   4	District of Columbia	$98,267	$47
   5	Massachusetts	$98,091	$47
   6	Maine	$97,569	$47
   7	Virginia	$94,389	$45
   8	Arizona	$93,890	$45
   9	Texas	$88,965	$43
   10	Minnesota	$88,615	$43
   11	Oregon	$86,635	$42
   12	Michigan	$85,171	$41
   13	New Hampshire	$82,148	$39
   14	Tennessee	$78,744	$38
   15	Florida	$75,944	$37
   16	Colorado	$75,943	$37

   Average principal gifts officer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Childhelp	$129,289	$62.16
   2	Earthjustice	$125,063	$60.13	3
   3	American Red Cross	$123,597	$59.42	39
   4	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$107,146	$51.51	12
   5	Middlebury College	$104,816	$50.39	2
   6	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$103,550	$49.78
   7	U.S. Bank	$99,126	$47.66	100
   8	International Rescue Committee	$96,793	$46.54
   9	Children's Hospital Colorado	$91,663	$44.07
   10	Phoenix Children's	$91,254	$43.87	1
   11	BAE Systems	$90,418	$43.47	179
   12	CURE	$90,135	$43.33
   13	Park Nicollet Medical Center Inc	$90,060	$43.30
   14	Health Alliance	$87,533	$42.08	5
   15	Danbury Hospital	$87,280	$41.96	9
   16	Echoing Green	$86,275	$41.48
   17	Pacific Architects and Engineers	$86,248	$41.47
   18	Michigan State University	$84,745	$40.74	7
   19	PSEA	$84,201	$40.48	2
   20	Princeton University	$83,819	$40.30	4

4. Writing a principal gifts officer job description

   A good principal gifts officer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a principal gifts officer job description:

   Principal gifts officer job description example

   Hiring Range: $129,370.00 - $161,710.00
   
   PLEASE NOTE: The hiring range applies to US-based employment and may be higher in certain US geographic locations.
   
   Compassion is looking for an experienced leader in philanthropic development to help implement Compassion's first Principal Gifts program. This role will work with the Principal Gifts team lead to plan, prepare and execute new processes for donor development of $1M+ donors from prospecting, cultivation and stewardship.This Principal Gifts Philanthropic Strategist develops, builds, and manages a portfolio of high worth prospective and current donors in order to meet Compassion's annual and long-term revenue goals. The Advisor further builds complex, customized activities and campaigns to further engage constituents with Compassion's ministry objectives. At this career level, she or he or conducts major, complex revenue generating strategies for very large initiatives. Further, she or he often coaches Relationship Managers and related staff and may also have full leadership responsibility for a small staff.
   
   What will you do?
   
   Maintains a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is a consistent witness for Jesus Christ, maintains a courteous, Christ-like attitude in dealing with people within and outside of Compassion, and faithfully upholds Compassion's ministry in prayer.Acts as an advocate to raise the awareness of the needs of children. Understands Christ's mandate to protect children. Commits to and prioritizes child protection considerations in all decision-making, tasks and activities across the ministry. Abides by all behavioral expectations in Compassion's Statement of Commitment to Child Protection and Code of Conduct. Reports any concerns of abuse, neglect or exploitation of children through Compassion's internal reporting process and appropriately supports responses to incidents if they occur.Uphold and engage in Compassion's core Cultural Behaviors.Serves as a key leader and subject matter expert in professional fundraising environment with particular emphasis on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-level, high-dollar donors and constituents of Compassion's ministry. Actively advances growth along all product lines and is accountable for achieving revenue goals established by leadership.Responsible for designing and leading unique fundraising and cultivation activities/campaigns for the purpose of generating revenue, increasing retention, identifying prospects, and acquiring commitments/sponsorships.Serves as a lead advocate on behalf of Compassion's ministry of Christian child development to audiences such as current and prospective major donors, constituents, foundations, etc. Drives engagement and builds strong relationships with planned portfolio of constituents through regular personal visits, phone calls, proposals, presentations, and other correspondence.Develops multi-faceted fundraising forecasts. Sets strategy and timelines for each constituent relationship and qualified prospect in order to achieve fundraising goals. Ensures fundraising and stewardship reports are provided for both internal use and constituent use as needed.Serves as key participant and leader for Compassion tours and project visits, meetings, and special events. As appropriate, also includes constituents in visits and events.Responsible for personally speaking and/or delegating subordinate staff to speak at various types of speaking engagements in various settings advocating for Compassion or Children in need to current or prospective donors.If subordinate staff are assigned to this relationship manager, this incumbent provides leadership and development to direct reports. As applicable, fosters an environment of professional growth, in alignment with compassion's strategies and objectives. Consults with peer management and senior leaders to successfully align departmental resources and priorities across Compassion. If managing direct reports, further selects, manages and develops assigned staff, establishing goals and objectives, coaching and managing performance, including discipline, motivation, and annual reviews.Compiles or prepares and administers the annual budget and departmental expenses, ensuring accountability for on-time completion of deliverables based on department objectives, SLAs, and other Compassion standards, ensuring compliance with regulatory and board policies.
   
   What do you bring?Bachelor's Degree in a related field.This person will be involved in creating materials for high level donors and leadership; thus, they need to have experience not only in fundraising, but also in communication of all forms.Minimum of 10 years serving in Major or Principal Gifts or Campaign management In addition to helping with strategy, this person will carry a portfolio of 50 donors and must have a proven track record of soliciting and securing 7+ figure gits. As Principal Gifts works closely with the executive team, this individual must demonstrate proficiency in supporting and coaching leaders for philanthropic cultivation and solicitation.
   
   *Equivalent education, training and/or certification may be substituted for experience and education shown above
   
   Will you travel?
   
   You may be required to travel up to 25% of normal schedule. Travel would likely include 1-3 trips/month (2 nights away typically).
   
   #LI-CNB #LI-REMOTE

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5. Post your job

   To find principal gifts officers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any principal gifts officers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level principal gifts officers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your principal gifts officer job on Zippia to find and recruit principal gifts officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit principal gifts officers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 principal gifts officer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the principal gifts officer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new principal gifts officer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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