Principal gifts officer vs chief fundraising officer

The differences between principal gifts officers and chief fundraising officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a principal gifts officer and a chief fundraising officer. Additionally, a principal gifts officer has an average salary of $86,359, which is higher than the $81,627 average annual salary of a chief fundraising officer.

Principal gifts officer vs chief fundraising officer overview

	Principal Gifts Officer	Chief Fundraising Officer
Yearly salary	$86,359	$81,627
Hourly rate	$41.52	$39.24
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	95,423	63,005
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Principal gifts officer vs chief fundraising officer salary

Principal gifts officers and chief fundraising officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Principal Gifts Officer	Chief Fundraising Officer
Average salary	$86,359	$81,627
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $126,000	Between $33,000 And $198,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Childhelp	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between principal gifts officer and chief fundraising officer education

There are a few differences between a principal gifts officer and a chief fundraising officer in terms of educational background:

	Principal Gifts Officer	Chief Fundraising Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Business	Finance
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Principal gifts officer vs chief fundraising officer demographics

Here are the differences between principal gifts officers' and chief fundraising officers' demographics:

	Principal Gifts Officer	Chief Fundraising Officer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9%	Male, 55.2% Female, 44.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.1% White, 77.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 6.0% Asian, 4.4% White, 82.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between principal gifts officer and chief fundraising officer duties and responsibilities

Principal gifts officer example 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.

Chief fundraising officer example responsibilities.

Manage monthly progress meetings and promote education and leadership opportunities through skill-building activities.
Gain excellent customer service skills and an understanding of team management under outstanding leadership.
Publish blogs and editorials on organization's website.

Principal gifts officer vs chief fundraising officer skills

Common principal gifts officer skills

Donor Database, 15%
Leadership Gifts, 13%
Professional Development, 13%
Capital Campaign, 10%
Donor Relations, 8%
Strategic Plan, 6%

Common chief fundraising officer skills

Principal Gifts Officer vs. similar jobs

Principal Gifts Officer related careers

Principal Gifts Officer related jobs

What similar roles do

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Principal Gifts Officer
Principal Gifts Officer vs Chief Fundraising Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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