Development Office Organization and Structure

This research explores the organizational structure and staffing of development offices, with a particular focus on the structure of major giving teams and prospect management teams.

Summary This research explores the organizational structure and staffing of development offices, with a particular focus on the structure of major giving teams (e.g., central, regional, and unit-based) and prospect management teams. We investigate the roles and responsibilities of fundraising teams, how staff communicate and collaborate across offices, and how administrators assess the success of their development offices. Download the report Key observations from our research 1. All profiled institutions operate central development offices which conduct fundraising by type of giving (e.g., annual, leadership, major, planned). 2. Three of five profiled institutions utilize decentralized development structures in which individual units employ major gift officers.Prospect management and research teams at profiled institutions conduct discovery work (i.e., identification of new prospects). 3. Central development offices at profiled institutions host all-staff meetings and trainings, design internal websites, and conduct portfolio reviews to increase communication across all fundraising teams. 4. Administrators at profiled institutions track data to establish goals and evaluate the success of individual staff members, as well as their offices’ overall fundraising performance.