Of all the questions Richard and I get from folks, one of the most asked is, “What are the qualities of a good major gift officer?”  I stop them right there and say, “Hey, you don’t want to know what makes a good major gift officer. You want to know the qualities of a great major gift officer.”
I mean, why start at good?  Let’s always go for great.   It’s the great major gift officer who will help take your program to new levels.  It’s the great one who helps you carry out your mission to serve your donors.
Unfortunately, there are more terrible MGOs than there are great ones.  I mean, there are some really awful ones.  Richard and I often look at each other in wonder at how these folks actually came to be major gift officers.  When I first started working in major gifts, I will admit that I used to get very angry with these people, but over the years I’ve learned to react out of compassion.
Awful MGOs are not bad people.  They are just in the wrong job.  While it’s rare to go from awful to great, there is also a real lack of training in our industry as well.  So, it may be the case that this good person just didn’t get the training he or she needed.  But, more often than not, it’s just not a good fit.  Sadly, some major gift officers don’t find this out for 20 or more years.  They go from one organization to another every two or three years languishing in mediocrity.
So, to answer the question that we get so often, I’ve created a list of qualities that make both a great…and a terrible, major gift officer.  Here they are:

As you can see, there is a stark difference between the two.  If you are a manager, this is a chart I would keep as you are evaluating your major gift officers and trying to hire new ones.
If you are a major gift officer, it’s gut check time.  Are you an MGO who has more qualities on the left side of this chart or the right?  Really be honest with yourself.  If you have more on the right, it means this job is not a good fit.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But, perhaps, for the first time in your life, you need to face reality and find what truly brings you joy and fulfillment – because it is not this job.
Your work should bring you joy and fulfillment.  Why spend years and years doing something that brings you down?  There is nothing like the feeling of loving what you do everyday.  It’s a true gift.
Jeff