As this is a fundraising position, would you share with us the size of your previous portfolio? Please also detail your donor base, in-kind donations, major gifts, etc.

How to Answer
Pro Tip
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example

For any fundraising position, it is important to bring metric-based information to the interview table. This will illustrate to the interviewer that you are able to produce results and use data to clearly explain what those results mean.

You can also use these metrics to highlight your ability to analyze data to inform the decisions you make. Talk about how having this information helps you make big-picture, strategic decisions in terms of targeting new donors and cultivating existing ones.

"In my current position as a major gifts officer, I manage relationships with over one hundred individual donors who give at the $50,000 level or higher. Since we focus our investments in local schools, our donors are individuals with a passion for public education and a strong dedication to the future of our city's youth. I identified these individuals and stewarded them to eventually making gifts totaling more than $50 million over the course of the past ten years."

"Throughout the course of my twenty-year career, I have worked for small nonprofits with overhead as low as one million dollars as well as billion-dollar, international agencies. As a result, I am just as comfortable managing portfolios with only a few dozen donors as I am with hundreds of donors. I have worked with individual donors as well as companies to secure in-kind donations such as new computers, service vehicles, volunteer time, construction supplies, and more. In addition, I have solicited gifts totaling over $200 million. All of this experience has given me a strong aptitude for understanding the donor base of an organization, and I am eager to apply this skill to this position with the Red Cross."