Fundraising Managers: Career Profile
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.
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What Tasks Do Fundraising Managers Perform?
The core tasks performed by fundraising managers span:
- Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
- Manage fundraising budgets.
- Develop fundraising activity plans that maximize participation or contributions and minimize costs.
- Plan and direct special events for fundraising, such as silent auctions, dances, golf events, or walks.
- Establish goals for soliciting funds, develop policies for collection and safeguarding of contributions, and coordinate disbursement of funds.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new fundraising opportunities.
- Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations.
- Contact corporate representatives, government officials, or community leaders to increase awareness of organizational causes, activities, or needs.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful fundraising managers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Account Manager
- Account Supervisor
- Advancement Director
- Annual Giving Director
- Campaign Manager
- Canvass Director
- Community Manager
- Development Director
How Many Fundraising Managers Are There?
There are about 344,254 fundraising managers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -1.0% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Fundraising Managers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $90,350 |
| Hourly median | $43.44 |
| 10th percentile | $56,372 |
| 25th percentile | $73,361 |
| 75th percentile | $107,339 |
| 90th percentile | $124,328 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $166,420 |
| Massachusetts | $145,380 |
| Rhode Island | $139,140 |
| New Jersey | $137,440 |
| District of Columbia | $136,150 |
| Washington | $135,730 |
| California | $131,950 |
| Indiana | $131,010 |
| Virginia | $130,210 |
| Vermont | $129,770 |
| Wisconsin | $129,020 |
| New Hampshire | $128,810 |
| Delaware | $126,710 |
| Maryland | $126,130 |
| Colorado | $124,330 |
| Minnesota | $123,460 |
| Maine | $121,930 |
| Connecticut | $121,020 |
| Florida | $119,600 |
| North Dakota | $118,420 |
| North Carolina | $116,950 |
| Kansas | $114,090 |
| Georgia | $111,640 |
| Kentucky | $106,810 |
| Michigan | $106,780 |
| Pennsylvania | $104,400 |
| Arizona | $103,650 |
| Montana | $103,040 |
| Illinois | $101,000 |
| Ohio | $100,140 |
| Oklahoma | $99,990 |
| Nevada | $98,690 |
| New Mexico | $97,750 |
| Oregon | $97,240 |
| Texas | $96,720 |
| Tennessee | $95,980 |
| Iowa | $94,950 |
| Hawaii | $94,420 |
| Mississippi | $92,990 |
| Nebraska | $90,920 |
| Alaska | $90,780 |
| Idaho | $87,010 |
| Missouri | $86,690 |
| Alabama | $85,600 |
| South Carolina | $82,700 |
| Utah | $78,050 |
| West Virginia | $75,780 |
| Arkansas | $65,840 |
Where Fundraising Managers Earn the Most
Compensation for fundraising managers shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $143,781 | 24.9% | 2.15 |
| New England | $136,741 | 10.2% | 2.09 |
| Far Western US | $126,859 | 22.2% | 1.34 |
| Southeast | $111,059 | 12.9% | 0.65 |
| Plains States | $108,192 | 4.2% | 0.77 |
| Great Lakes | $105,308 | 15.4% | 1.36 |
| Southwest | $97,753 | 9.1% | 0.74 |
| Rocky Mountains | $87,798 | 1.0% | 0.66 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $168,020 | 3,950 |
| Binghamton, NY | NY | $160,970 | 30 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $160,100 | 1,510 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $152,940 | 490 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | WI | $149,310 | 90 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $148,870 | 270 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $148,480 | 1,230 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | FL | $147,450 | 30 |
Which Industries Hire Fundraising Managers
The bulk of fundraising managers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 12,190 | $126,400 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 11,310 | $126,440 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 6,260 | $106,480 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 2,110 | $112,770 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,580 | $134,180 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,500 | $132,870 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 670 | $118,890 |
| Information | 480 | $119,600 |
Below are examples of industries where fundraising managers work:
Tools and Technology
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Data mining software: Google Analytics (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Sales and marketing software: HubSpot software (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Sales and marketing software: Marketo Marketing Automation (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for fundraising managers reflects the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Spend Time Sitting
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How to Become Fundraising Managers
Most fundraising managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Financial Managers (Primary-Long)
- Treasurers and Controllers (Primary-Long)
- Investment Fund Managers (Supplemental)
- Compensation and Benefits Managers (Supplemental)
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Social and Community Service Managers (Primary-Short)
- Project Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Students preparing for fundraising managers typically earn programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
4 programs across 3 majors
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
4 programs across 2 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-2033.00 (Fundraising Managers).
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