The closest thing I have heard to there being something like this in higher ed was 10X (i.e., salary of 70k should be $700k+), but so much of this depends on the person’s role (administrative, etc.), how long they have been employed with that organization (needs to be employed with the organization longer than 18 months to start bringing in major gifts), etc.

My understanding was that you should aim for 3x the salary sometime between year 2 and 3 (it takes time to build relationships).

Of course, just hiring a gift officer and expecting this to happen automatically is folly. Does the board support development? Are you giving the gift officer the systems and tools they need? Is there a good enough prospect list?

Knowing how to be an excellent major gifts officer doesn’t mean you know how to build a development operation.