There’s More Than One
- Chief Development Officer
- Grant Writer
- Charitable Gift Planner
- Annual Fund Manager
- Database Specialist
- Prospect Researcher
- Donor Relations Director
- Director of Foundations
- Director of Alumni Relations
- Director of Grants
- Philanthropic Advisor
- Event Planner
- Digital Engagement Officer
- Grants Manager
- Corporate Relations Director
- Senior Directors
- Vice Presidents
- Associates
- Consultants
- Advisors
This month I’m thinking about all the different jobs and titles that are covered by the professional fundraiser umbrella. I’m sure you can add to the list. Indeed.com lists 155 different fundraising job titles.
Many of you have held these jobs, sometimes simultaneously. What you know is a job title doesn’t always reflect the true nature of the position. You may have the title of “Director of Grants Management,” but if you don’t have a team then you’re the grant writer, the prospect researcher, and probably even responsible for the end of cycle grant report.
I recently read a blog from RNL.com about this very thing. According to this blog post, fundraiser jobs titles change when new technology becomes mainstream. Here are some of the titles they listed:
- Major Gift Catalyst
- Digital Engagement Officer
- Senior Engagement and Major Gift Officer
- Director of Donor Experience
The author of this blog post examined about 1,000 job postings and notices these three things:
Digital/virtual has been embraced by those engaged in donor outreach.
The focus is on “engagement” – building donor confidence and relationships. This shift is bringing annual giving and major gift officers closer together.
Titles matter. A donor is more likely to respond to someone with “donor experience” than “manager” in their title. Yes, our donor-facing titles are marketing. But they also send very clear signals about what we’re trying to accomplish.
An HR-driven title signals hierarchy.
A visionary title signals purpose.
Which signal do you want to send your donors?
DMGroupConsulting, is your frontline fundraising consultant. Contact us at https://dmgroupconsulting.com/contact/.