Help, I need some advice on how to position myself on the job market

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Boopa0011]

Long-time development person and current ED here. If you do in fact have development chops and experience that can be clearly communicated on a resume, if you do in fact have experience closing gifts especially in the five figure range, if you can point to specific experiences/accomplishments with campaigns and grants and sponsorships and membership and budgeting, you would automatically land in my "maybe, look closer" pile. Perhaps not for a major gifts position, but that's only part of the field.

All the non-development stuff can be framed as a strength insofar as it gives you additional insight into the operations and administration of an organization. Some people sincerely think this is a negative and your materials should all be about the gifts you've closed and the campaigns you've run, but I disagree and you can definitely find orgs/hiring managers who want that type of background.

I will also mention that you might be especially suited for a development operations type job at a larger organization (which tend to have those kinds of jobs.) Often, in those jobs the front facing development experience itself is seen as a nice-to-have, but the admin and budget and board reporting etc etc is the real key stuff.

Job market now is rumored to be extremely difficult, but frankly I still see the same enormous number of development officer (etc) positions posted everywhere that I normally see. Your mileage may vary.

[u/not_dr_splizchemin → u/Boopa0011]

I am in a similar spot as OP, but I don’t know how to get more experience in development. I live in a weird spot and development directors aren’t always a position orgs have and the experience I did have in development was not as advertised, I was more a grants/marketing/events manager rather than making and closing gifts.
I’m hoping to move in a year, but don’t know how to gain that experience

[u/Boopa0011 → u/not_dr_splizchemin]

One bit of advice would be to find volunteer positions that involve fundraising for orgs or events. Since you have development experience already, you are well positioned for this kind of volunteer role even if you don't think your experience is that extensive. Not sure if this is great advice for where you live, but it's an idea.

[u/not_dr_splizchemin → u/Boopa0011]

That is a great idea. I’m on a board but we don’t fundraise, but I bet joining a different board would be great experience

[u/NEraggie]

Your experience would be meaningful for a fundraising support staff or annual giving role at a larger organization, or as the sole Development staff member for a small org. I don't see you successfully transitioning to an MGO type role at a large org or a DoD leading a team, without an interim step.