Major gift officers in university advancement voluntarily leave their positions for similar roles at other institutions at an alarmingly high rate–once every 18 months on average, according to research. This frequent voluntary turnover and burnout of MGOs causes significant institutional dilemmas for advancement departments, and can disrupt the relationship between donors and institutions. 

I’ve seen this firsthand working in advancement since 2016, and for my doctoral research at the University of Arkansas, U.S., I wanted to understand the effects of turnover for fundraisers. Starting in 2019, I conducted an academically rigorous qualitative research study for a sample of MGOs.  I interviewed these frontline fundraisers to understand the reasons why they left their fundraising role at one institution for a similar role at another institution. I also explored  research on what’s called compassion organizing–that is, an organization’s response to pain and suffering caused by organizational behavior and the ability for an organization to promote joy and fulfillment in the workplace. 

This research, directly from the front lines of fundraising, draws connections between compassion and retention. Here’s how advancement leaders can create positive changes to increase workplace satisfaction and retain talented gift officers within their organizations.