SOC 13-1131.00Bright outlook

    Fundraisers

    Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization.

    Median pay
    $72,550
    Growth
    +5.5%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    10,000
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $46,630
    Median
    $72,550
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $115,820
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    111,040 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Fundraisers organize activities and campaigns to secure donations and gifts for organizations. They earn a median annual pay of $72,550, with opportunities growing faster than average.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What fundraisers do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. May design and produce promotional materials. May also raise awareness of the organization's work, goals, and financial needs.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Fundraisers spend their days planning and executing strategies to secure financial support and donations for their organizations. They design promotional materials, raise public awareness about their organization's goals, and build strong relationships with donors and community members. This work relies heavily on communicating with people outside the organization, gathering information, and making strategic decisions.

    To succeed, fundraisers need strong skills in speaking, active listening, persuasion, and negotiation. They must understand sales, marketing, customer service, and communications. Because their primary interest area is enterprising, these professionals thrive on taking initiative, leading projects, and achieving goals. They must be dependable, cooperative, and sincere, using social perceptiveness to connect with potential donors and explain their organization's financial needs.

    How to get there

    Entering this field typically requires a bachelor's degree along with several years of related work experience. Students preparing for this career often major in fields such as business administration, management and operations, marketing, business communications, public relations, advertising, or communication and media studies.

    While gaining experience, professionals can pursue credentials to enhance their career prospects. For example, they can earn the Grant Professional Certified credential from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute. Additionally, anyone planning to enter this field should research local regulations, as some states list a license for this work.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for fundraisers was $72,550. This means half of the workers in this role earned more than this amount, and half earned less. Salaries typically range from under $46,630 for the lowest 10% of earners to over $115,820 for the highest 10% of earners.

    With 111,040 people employed in this field, the occupation is projected to grow by 5.5% from 2025 to 2035, which is faster than the average for all occupations. This growth, combined with normal turnover, is expected to create about 10,000 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    0 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    17 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    37 / 100
    Social (S)
    54 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    84 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    51 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ESC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    95
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    93
    Getting Information
    87
    Developing Objectives and Strategies
    85
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    85
    Thinking Creatively
    85
    Working with Computers
    85
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    81
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    80
    Analyzing Data or Information
    78
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Persuasion
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Writing
    • Critical Thinking
    • Negotiation
    • Coordination
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Service Orientation

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Administration and Management
    • Communications and Media
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Administrative
    • Mathematics
    • Psychology

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Fluency of Ideas
    • Near Vision

    Work styles

    • Social Orientation
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Cooperation
    • Perseverance
    • Initiative
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Sincerity

    Also called

    Annual Giving Coordinator · Annual Giving Officer · Campaign Fundraiser · Capital Campaign Fundraiser · Community Fundraiser · Contract Grant Writer · Development Associate · Development Coordinator · Development Officer · Direct Response Consultant

    Career pathway

    From your interests to fundraisers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Fundraisers$72,550 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Carnegie Mellon University logo
      Carnegie Mellon University

      Pittsburgh, PA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $97,419
      4 yrs after
      $160,783
      Median debt
      $19,000
    2. 2University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus logo
      University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus

      Ann Arbor, MI · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $96,806
      4 yrs after
      $144,654
      Median debt
      $19,500
    3. 3University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $94,811
      4 yrs after
      $144,599
      Median debt
      $10,656
    4. 4University of Pennsylvania UPENN logo
      University of Pennsylvania UPENN

      Philadelphia, PA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $108,743
      4 yrs after
      $136,806
      Median debt
      $19,250
    5. 5Emory University-Main Campus logo
      Emory University-Main Campus

      Atlanta, GA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $87,830
      4 yrs after
      $136,731
      Median debt
      $15,000
    6. 6University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus logo
      University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus

      Chapel Hill, NC · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $88,182
      4 yrs after
      $135,874
      Median debt
      $9,250
    7. 7Boston College logo
      Boston College

      Chestnut Hill, MA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $75,464
      4 yrs after
      $123,144
      Median debt
      $18,625
    8. 8Bismarck State College logo
      Bismarck State College

      Bismarck, ND · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $113,408
      4 yrs after
      $122,948
      Median debt
      $14,482

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What fundraisers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Communication, General
    • Grantsmanship
    • Marketing/Marketing Management, General
    • Political Communication
    • Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
    • Public Relations/Image Management
    • Research Administration

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    11 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about fundraisers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common job titles for people in this field?

    People in this career may work under various titles. Common examples include development associate, annual giving coordinator, campaign fundraiser, development officer, and contract grant writer.

    What level of education and preparation is expected for fundraisers?

    Most fundraisers need a bachelor's degree to enter the field. Additionally, employers typically look for candidates who have already gained several years of related work experience.

    What are the key skills needed to be a successful fundraiser?

    Fundraisers must be excellent communicators who excel at speaking, active listening, and writing. They also need strong interpersonal skills, including persuasion, negotiation, and social perceptiveness, to effectively connect with donors.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.