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Role hub · Fundraisers

Fundraiser: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of fundraisers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$72,550
Hourly
$34.88
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Fundraisers organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. The median pay is $72,550 a year ($34.88 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (90% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$72,550
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
111,040
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
90% of workers
Key facts

Fundraisers at a glance

  • Fundraisers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $72,550 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for fundraisers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of fundraisers in the United States to grow 5.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimates that 65.5% of fundraisers in the United States had the ability to telework in 2025, a preliminary estimate of whether the job allows it, not a count of remote jobs.

    Source: BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 preliminary

Explore the role

Every page for Fundraisers

How to becomeFundraiser how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →Interview questionsFundraiser interview questions

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The work

What fundraisers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
  2. Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.
  3. Write and send letters of thanks to donors.
  4. Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors.
  5. Create or update donor databases.
  6. Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
  7. Develop or implement fundraising activities, such as annual giving campaigns or direct mail programs.
  8. Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations.
Job requirements

What the job requires

Data BLS figures for fundraisers (SOC 13-1131), 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey.

Telework available
65.5%
of workers had the ability to telework
Workday sitting
85.6%
mean share of the day required to sit
Most common strength level
Sedentary
91.4% of workers
Can pause work
more than 99.5%
of workers could take short, unscheduled breaks
Self-paced workload
87.7%
of workers set their own workload

On TryHired lists: Remote careers · Desk jobs.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey. Estimates are preliminary; ranges are shown as published.

Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all fundraiser jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations40.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $79,830
  2. Educational services; state, local, and private25.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $80,760
  3. Social assistance9.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $68,090
  4. Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries3.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $67,580
  5. Professional, scientific, and technical services2.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +11.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $84,550
  6. Ambulatory healthcare services2.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +14.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $76,450

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SpeakingcorePersuasioncoreReading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningWritingNegotiationCritical ThinkingCoordinationSocial Perceptiveness

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Communications and Media, Economics and Accounting.

Tools and technology

Software fundraisers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe PageMakerDesktop publishing software
  • Corel CorelDraw Graphics SuiteGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Microsoft PublisherDesktop publishing software
  • SAP BusinessObjects Crystal ReportsData base reporting software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareIn demand
  • Salesforce softwareCustomer relationship management CRM softwareIn demand
  • Blackbaud The Raiser's EdgeCustomer relationship management CRM softwareIn demand

Also called: Contract Grant Writer, Development Associate, Development Officer, Direct Response Consultant, Fundraising Consultant, Grant Coordinator.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.