Business and Financial Operations · Holland code ESC

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.

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

O*NET 13-1131.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $72,550; Middle half earn $57,480 to $92,180. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 90% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 134,400 jobs in 2024, projected 140,200. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Fundraisers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Develop or implement fundraising activities, such as annual giving campaigns or direct mail programs.
Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking4.1 / 5
Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Writing4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
Active Learning3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.6 / 5
English Language4.3 / 5
Sales and Marketing3.9 / 5
Administration and Management3.7 / 5
Communications and Media3.4 / 5
Economics and Accounting3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic0
Investigative17
Artistic37
Social54
Enterprising84
Conventional51

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

grants management officer · DE Finanzhilfenmanager/Finanzhilfenmanagerin · FR gestionnaire des subventions
public funding advisor · DE Berater im Bereich öffentliche Finanzierung/Beraterin im Bereich öffentliche Finanzierung · FR conseiller en financements publics/conseillère en financements publics
fundraising manager · DE Fundraiser/Fundraiserin · FR collecteur de fonds/collectrice de fonds
grants administrator · DE Zuschussverwalter/Zuschussverwalterin · FR administrateur de bourses d’études ou de recherche/administratrice de bourses d’études ou de recherche
fundraising assistant · DE Mitarbeiter im Bereich Fundraising/Mitarbeiterin im Bereich Fundraising · FR assistant collecteur de fonds/assistante collectrice de fonds

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Chartered and certified accountants (2421)233,600 employed
Financial and accounting technicians (3533)37,700 employed
Company secretaries and administrators (4214)24,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.24. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (13-1131).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test