Career
Fundraisers
Raise the money that keeps organizations and causes going.
$72,550
Median pay
+5.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
10,000
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
- Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.
- Write and send letters of thanks to donors.
- Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors.
- Create or update donor databases.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Identify and build relationships with potential donors.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $72,550 a year and 10,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Business AdministrationSee the degree →
- CommunicationSee the degree →
- MarketingSee the degree →
- Public Relations and AdvertisingSee the degree →
- Communication, GeneralCIP 09.0100
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationCIP 09.0900
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Fundraising Managers$125,470 · +5.4%
- Public Relations Specialists$74,750 · +1.8%
- Advertising and Promotions Managers$133,660 · -3.7%
- Social and Community Service Managers$80,390 · +7.2%
- Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners$61,160 · +5.8%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.