Fundraisers
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.
Fundraisers 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. The role reports a median annual salary of $66,490 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 (0.53 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Speaking, Persuasion, Active Listening, Writing, Reading Comprehension.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £29,097 a year for Debt, rent and other cash collectors (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £26,163 to £33,638 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 7122). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Clerical support workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Fundraisers, 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 4. 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
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Advertising and Public Relations — BMM / BAMMC with an advertising specialisation (three years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG
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Marketing — BBA or BMS with a marketing specialisation (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, IPMAT, NPAT, SET
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Administration and Management
- Communications and Media
- Economics and Accounting
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
A day in the life
You start the morning going through your donor database, updating records from recent gifts and noting who needs a follow-up. Next you write personal thank-you letters to donors who gave last week, making each one warm and specific. Mid-morning you call a local business owner to ask them to sponsor your charity's upcoming run, explaining what their support will achieve. After lunch you meet a potential major donor over coffee, listening to what matters to them and sharing stories of your organisation's impact. In the afternoon you work on a grant application to a funding body, gathering figures and writing a compelling case. Late in the day you plan the next stage of your annual appeal with your manager. Rejection is part of the job, and data entry can be tedious. But when a donor says yes and you know their gift will change lives, it feels wonderful.
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
- 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.
- Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Fundraisers do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Fundraisers?
You start the morning going through your donor database, updating records from recent gifts and noting who needs a follow-up. Next you write personal thank-you letters to donors who gave last week, making each one warm and specific. Mid-morning you call a local business owner to ask them to sponsor your charity's upcoming run, explaining what their support will achieve.
How much does Fundraisers earn?
The median annual salary for Fundraisers in the US is $66,490.
What is the job outlook for Fundraisers?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 134,400 workers.
How do I become a fundraisers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Fundraisers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Speaking, Persuasion, Active Listening, Writing, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Fundraisers?
Our AI-durability model gives Fundraisers a score of 0.53 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?
Fundraisers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.