54 DEANS AND DEVELOPMENT interview process. While Foundation staff or other development offi- cers might be in the best position to judge an applicant’s development skills, your personality must be a match with the individual who is hired. You will be travelling with this person frequently and must work closely together when making significant asks of donors. If a candidate is selected for you—even one with an excellent development pedigree— and their personality clashes with yours, the fundraising efforts of your college will suffer. Even if you do not know much about development, it is in your best interest to guide the selection process. If the development officer reports to the central Development Office (with “dotted line” to the dean), you may have little say about the position’s title, but it can be helpful to include the phrase “alumni relations.” One occasionally encounters alumni prospects that are skittish about speaking with someone from “development,” but pleased by outreach from “alumni relations.” Development Officer Whether you share a single development officer with other colleges or have multiple officers, development officers have common responsibili- ties. The development officer must know the technical side of giving (e.g., giving options, tax implications, what type of quid pro quo arrange- ments to avoid) and should possess the skills and knowledge necessary for developing donors (e.g., use of moves management, best phrasing to use when asking for visits and gifts, knowing when a potential donor is ready for an ask). The officer should readily adapt to your priorities in development for the college, and will quickly learn how best to support you for your development success. Your development officer is responsible for constructing and then maintaining a portfolio of about 150 individuals in different stages of development. These stages tend to include identification (research has identified the individual as a prospect), discovery (an initial visit to determine if an individual may be philanthropically minded), cultiva- tion (building the relationship of the donor to the institution), solicita- tion (a request for their financial support), and stewardship (showing the institution’s appreciation of their gift). The officer will place individuals into a moves management system showing the date and outcome of last