Fundraising managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.
Fundraising managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations. The role reports a median annual salary of $123,480 in the US and is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.48 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include funding methods, financial statements, social media marketing techniques, financial management, corporate social responsibility.
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Fundraising managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administrative
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Economics and Accounting
- Communications and Media
- Personnel and Human Resources
A day in the life
You begin the morning reviewing how your organisation's latest fundraising campaign is doing, comparing donations against your goals and the costs of running it. Next you meet your team to plan a gala dinner, dividing up the venue, invitations, sponsors and volunteers. Mid-morning you call a company contact to ask them to sponsor the event, explaining the cause and what their support will achieve. You then review the budget, looking for ways to cut costs without spoiling the experience for guests. After lunch you edit a grant application to a funding body, making sure the story is compelling and the figures are accurate. In the afternoon you meet a local official and a journalist to raise awareness of your work. Chasing pledges and reconciling donation records can be slow and dull. But when a campaign succeeds and you can see the difference the money makes, the effort feels completely worth it.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Fundraising managers do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.
What does a typical day look like in Fundraising managers?
You begin the morning reviewing how your organisation's latest fundraising campaign is doing, comparing donations against your goals and the costs of running it. Next you meet your team to plan a gala dinner, dividing up the venue, invitations, sponsors and volunteers. Mid-morning you call a company contact to ask them to sponsor the event, explaining the cause and what their support will achieve.
How much does Fundraising managers earn?
The median annual salary for Fundraising managers in the US is $123,480.
What is the job outlook for Fundraising managers?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 45,700 workers.
How do I become fundraising managers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Fundraising managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include funding methods, financial statements, social media marketing techniques, financial management, corporate social responsibility, financial analysis. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Fundraising managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Fundraising managers a score of 0.48 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Fundraising managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.