I got a call last month from an executive director I'd never met. She was excited—almost giddy—because her board had finally approved a budget line for a development officer. After years of doing all the fundraising herself while also running programs, managing staff, and keeping the lights on, she was about to get help.
"We're posting the job next week," she told me. "Do you have any advice?"
I asked her a question I always ask: "What systems do you have in place for this person to use?"
Long pause.
"What do you mean by systems?"
And there it was. The moment I knew this hire was at risk before it even happened.
Here's the hard truth: hiring a development officer won't solve your fundraising challenges if you don't have the infrastructure to support them. I've watched too many talented fundraisers walk into exciting opportunities only to burn out within 18 months because they were set up to fail from day one.
So if you're an executive director preparing to hire your first development officer, here's what I wish you knew before you post that job description.
1. A Development Officer Is Not a Miracle Worker
I know what you're hoping. You're hoping this person will come in, wave a magic wand, and suddenly your funding problems will disappear. Major gifts will roll in. Your donor base will triple. That capital campaign you've been dreaming about will launch flawlessly.
But that's not how fundraising works.
A development officer is a builder, not a magician. They can create systems, cultivate relationships, and design strategies—but they can't do it in a vacuum. They need a foundation to build on. They need your support, your board's engagement, and realistic expectations about what's possible in year one.
If you're expecting transformational results in six months, you're setting both of you up for disappointment. Real fundraising infrastructure takes time to build. The first year is about laying groundwork. The return on investment comes later.
2. You Need to Build Some Infrastructure Before They Arrive
Imagine hiring a chef and handing them an empty kitchen. No pots, no pans, no ingredients, no recipes. Just a pile of money and a note that says "Make dinner happen."
That's what it feels like when a development officer walks into an organization with no donor database, no giving history, no case for support, and no board engagement.
You don't need to have everything perfect. But before you hire, you should have at least these basics in place:
- A donor database (even a simple one like Bloomerang or Little Green Light)
- Clean data showing who has given in the past and how much
- A clear articulation of your mission and impact
- Some level of board buy-in about fundraising
- Realistic revenue goals based on your current donor base
If you don't have these things, consider bringing in a consultant to help you build them first. Or be very transparent in your job posting that this role will include significant infrastructure development in year one, and adjust your expectations accordingly.
3. Your Board Needs to Be Ready (Or at Least Willing)
Here's a conversation I've had more times than I can count:
Executive Director: "Our new development officer is struggling. Donors aren't responding. We're not hitting our goals."
Me: "Is your board helping with cultivation and outreach?"
Executive Director: "Well, no. They don't really do fundraising."
Listen: your development officer cannot do this alone. They should not have to do this alone. Fundraising is a team sport, and your board members are essential players.
Before you hire, have an honest conversation with your board about their role in fundraising. At minimum, they should be willing to:
- Make their own annual gift (at a meaningful level for them)
- Help identify and introduce potential donors
- Attend cultivation events
- Make thank you calls or write notes to donors
- Tell your organization's story with confidence
If your board pushes back hard on this, you need to address that before you bring a fundraiser on board. Otherwise, you're asking someone to row a boat while half the crew sits on their hands.
4. The Job Description Matters More Than You Think
I review a lot of development officer job postings, and I see the same problems over and over. The description asks for someone who can:
- Build a development program from scratch
- Manage all grants and grant reporting
- Plan and execute events
- Run social media and communications
- Create all marketing materials
- Manage the database
- Cultivate major donors
- Launch a capital campaign
All for $45,000 a year.
That's not a job description. That's a wish list for a superhero who doesn't exist.
Be realistic about what one person can accomplish. Prioritize the core fundraising functions—donor cultivation, stewardship, pipeline management—and be willing to either outsource other tasks or accept that they won't happen right away.
And please, pay people what they're worth. A skilled development officer can generate significant revenue for your organization. Don't lose good candidates because you're trying to hire expertise on an entry-level salary.
5. You'll Need to Give Them Time to Build Relationships
Fundraising is relationship work. And relationships take time.
Your new development officer will need to spend time getting to know your existing donors, understanding their motivations, building trust. They'll need to research prospects, have coffee meetings, send handwritten notes, make phone calls that don't immediately ask for money.
To someone who's not familiar with fundraising, this can look like... nothing. It can look like your development officer is just chatting with people and not "working."
But this is the work. This is how you move someone from a $50 donor to a $5,000 donor. This is how you build the foundation for major gifts.
If you're micromanaging their time or demanding that every activity directly generate revenue, you're undermining the relationship-building that makes sustainable fundraising possible.
Trust the process. Give them space to cultivate.
6. You Have to Let Them Lead on Strategy
You hired a development officer because you needed expertise you didn't have. So let them use it.
I've seen executive directors override their development officer's recommendations because they had a different vision or because a board member suggested something else. And I get it—you know your organization better than anyone. But when it comes to fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and campaign design, you need to trust the person you hired.
That doesn't mean rubber-stamping everything they suggest. It means having real conversations, asking questions, understanding their rationale. It means being collaborative, not combative.
If you find yourself constantly second-guessing their approach, either you hired the wrong person or you're not ready to share leadership in this area. Figure out which one it is and address it.
7. Success Takes Longer Than You Think (And That's Normal)
In a healthy development program, you'll typically see:
- Months 1-6: Infrastructure building, data cleanup, relationship establishment
- Months 6-12: Initial cultivation activities, some small wins, pipeline development
- Year 2: Increased giving from existing donors, new donor acquisition, stronger systems
- Year 3+: Major gift closes, sustained revenue growth, predictable fundraising outcomes
Notice that the big wins don't happen immediately. If you're evaluating your development officer's performance after six months based solely on revenue generated, you're using the wrong metrics.
Look instead at:
- Are systems being built and documented?
- Is the donor pipeline moving forward?
- Are relationships being cultivated intentionally?
- Is donor retention improving?
- Are we learning what works and adjusting accordingly?
Revenue growth will follow. But it follows the groundwork.
8. You're Not Just Hiring a Position—You're Making a Partnership
The most successful development officers I know have executive directors who see them as strategic partners, not just staff members executing tasks.
That means including them in leadership conversations. It means considering the fundraising implications of program decisions. It means treating donor relationships as organizational assets that require shared ownership.
It also means being honest with them about challenges, giving them access to information they need, and advocating for them when board members have unrealistic expectations.
When executive directors and development officers work as true partners, fundraising becomes integrated into the fabric of the organization instead of being siloed as "that thing the development person does."
That's when things really take off.
The Bottom Line
Hiring your first development officer is a big step. It signals that your organization is ready to invest in sustainable fundraising. That's exciting.
But don't let that excitement blind you to the realities of what makes a development hire successful. It's not just about finding the right person—though that matters. It's about creating the conditions for that person to thrive.
Build some infrastructure first. Get your board on board. Set realistic expectations. Give your new hire the time, tools