Why Midlevel Officers Deserve Equal Pay
Let’s be honest: in the nonprofit world, compensation often doesn’t line up with contribution. A glaring example? Midlevel gift officers (MLOs) compared to their major gift officer (MGO) counterparts.
In many organizations, midlevel officers are paid significantly less than major gift officers, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars less, despite the fact that they’re raising comparable revenue, and in some cases, even more.
Now, let’s acknowledge reality: there are organizations where MGOs do bring in substantially larger gifts and should be compensated accordingly. That’s fair and right. But across the sector, this isn’t always the case, and yet the pay gap persists.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Here’s what we see in practice:
Caseload size: Midlevel officers are often responsible for 500+ donors compared to the 100–150 that MGOs typically manage. That’s hundreds more records kept clean, phone numbers verified, email addresses updated, and donor preferences tracked.
Outreach volume: If an MLO is calling each donor 2–3 times per year, that’s 1,500+ calls annually – far more activity than a typical major gifts portfolio demands.
CRM accuracy: MLOs tend to be the most diligent at logging their work. That’s not just busywork, it’s building organizational memory. Every verified address, every note about a donor’s passion, every “left voicemail” becomes part of the pipeline health. With a caseload of 500, if you don’t track it, you don’t remember it.
Stewardship load: MLOs are responsible for sharing impact with hundreds more donors. That means more holiday cards, more handwritten envelopes, more thoughtful PS notes.
The Human Side of the Work
Beyond metrics, midlevel fundraisers put in the kind of invisible labor that often goes unnoticed:
Crafting personalized notes to dozens of donors in one afternoon.
Spending hours handwriting holiday cards, because they know a personal touch matters.
Learning the “why” behind each donor’s giving, not just the “what.”
They’re not just filling a gap between annual fund and major gifts. They’re building a donor experience that keeps people connected, inspired, and ready for the next step in their philanthropic journey.
This Isn’t About Diminishing MGOs
Let’s be crystal clear: major gift officers are rockstars too. They cultivate transformational gifts, and that takes talent, strategy, and persistence. But lifting up midlevel officers does not mean dimming the spotlight on MGOs.
It means recognizing that both roles are mission critical. Both require skill, grit, and relentless focus on relationships. Both drive revenue. Both build pipelines.
Equal Pay is about Equity and Retention
Here’s another truth nonprofits don’t talk about enough: many midlevel officers pursue MGO roles not because they don’t love midlevel work, but because that’s the only way to get paid fairly.
That’s a loss for the organization. Midlevel fundraising is its own craft, and when it’s done well, it keeps hundreds of donors engaged and invested. By paying MLOs equitably, we’re not just retaining talent, we’re keeping people in roles that are both vital to the organization and fulfilling to the fundraiser.
When midlevel officers are underpaid, the message is clear: “Your work is less valuable.” But organizations can’t afford to keep losing the very people who are holding the middle of the donor pipeline together.
Fair pay isn’t just about recognition – it’s about retention, pipeline health, and long-term organizational sustainability.
Time to Celebrate Midlevel Officers
If midlevel officers are raising comparable revenue, managing five times the caseload, making thousands more donor touches, and doing the work that keeps donor records accurate and relationships alive, then let’s compensate them accordingly.
Midlevel officers are rockstars. Let’s start paying them like it.