Leadership and Management
Planning and structure
Development leadership translates the institutional strategic plan into a fundraising plan with goals, budgets, staffing, and a calendar. Candidates should understand campaign readiness - feasibility or planning studies, case for support, goal setting through a gift range chart, volunteer leadership recruitment, and a quiet phase before any public announcement.
Metrics that matter
Know the arithmetic. Donor retention rate equals donors who gave in both years divided by donors in the prior year. Cost per dollar raised equals total fundraising expense divided by total dollars raised. Average gift, donor acquisition cost, portfolio size, solicitations made, and dollars in the pipeline all belong on a dashboard - but activity metrics (visits, proposals) are leading indicators, not results. Multi-year pledges should be counted as cash in the year received, not the full commitment in year one.
Operational judgment
Expect questions on CRM data hygiene, gift acceptance and naming policies, budgeting, technology investment, staff development, and building a board-staff partnership. Equity and inclusion belong here too: who is on the board, who is solicited, and who is pictured in materials are management decisions.
Traps
Comparing cost ratios across organization types without context; reporting gross event revenue instead of net; treating a large estate expectation as current revenue; and measuring activity as if it were outcome.
Rule of thumb
A commonly cited planning benchmark for a mature major gifts program is roughly $0.20–$0.25 in cost per dollar raised, and 100–150 qualified prospects per major gifts officer. Use these as conversation starters, not laws - new programs and small shops legitimately run higher.