Post job

Professional fundraiser vs principal gifts officer

The differences between professional fundraisers and principal gifts 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 professional fundraiser and a principal gifts officer. Additionally, a principal gifts officer has an average salary of $86,359, which is higher than the $43,692 average annual salary of a professional fundraiser.

The top three skills for a professional fundraiser include alumni, non-profit organization and telephone calls. The most important skills for a principal gifts officer are donor database, leadership gifts, and professional development.

Professional fundraiser vs principal gifts officer overview

Professional FundraiserPrincipal Gifts Officer
Yearly salary$43,692$86,359
Hourly rate$21.01$41.52
Growth rate11%11%
Number of jobs43,44195,423
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4343
Years of experience44

Professional fundraiser vs principal gifts officer salary

Professional fundraisers and principal gifts officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Professional FundraiserPrincipal Gifts Officer
Average salary$43,692$86,359
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $74,000Between $59,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Childhelp
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between professional fundraiser and principal gifts officer education

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

Professional FundraiserPrincipal Gifts Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Professional fundraiser vs principal gifts officer demographics

Here are the differences between professional fundraisers' and principal gifts officers' demographics:

Professional FundraiserPrincipal Gifts Officer
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 46.0% Female, 54.0%Male, 59.1% Female, 40.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 5.2% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%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%
LGBT Percentage19%19%

Differences between professional fundraiser and principal gifts officer duties and responsibilities

Professional fundraiser example responsibilities.

  • Mentore new and struggling CSP's to help them reach and achieve their goals.
  • Contact alumni to update/verify their personal information and raise money for the university through gifts from alumni and friends of the university
  • Monitor complaint database assign customers grievances to designate department or CSR for further investigation and resolution.

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.

Professional fundraiser vs principal gifts officer skills

Common professional fundraiser skills
  • Alumni, 22%
  • Non-Profit Organization, 14%
  • Telephone Calls, 11%
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Outbound Calls, 9%
  • Charitable Donations, 9%
Common principal gifts officer skills
  • Donor Database, 15%
  • Leadership Gifts, 13%
  • Professional Development, 13%
  • Capital Campaign, 10%
  • Donor Relations, 8%
  • Strategic Plan, 6%

Browse business and financial jobs