Management · Holland code ECS

Fundraising Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.

Also called: Advancement Director, Annual Giving Director, Development Director, Fundraising Manager, Donor Engagement Director, Foundation Director, Individual Giving Director, Individual Giving Manager.

O*NET 11-2033.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $125,470; Middle half earn $95,970 to $169,990. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 65% 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.

What the work involves

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

Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
Manage fundraising budgets.
Direct activities of external agencies, establishments, or departments that develop and implement fundraising strategies and programs.
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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking4.1 / 5
Critical Thinking4.1 / 5
Active Listening4.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Writing3.9 / 5
Active Learning3.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Administration and Management4.3 / 5
Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
Administrative4.2 / 5
English Language4.1 / 5
Sales and Marketing3.8 / 5
Economics and Accounting3.5 / 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
Investigative24
Artistic27
Social46
Enterprising100
Conventional64

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
programme funding manager · DE Programmfinanzierungsmanager/Programmfinanzierungsmanagerin · FR responsable du financement de projets
activism officer · DE Kampagnenleiter/Kampagnenleiterin · FR chargé de campagne/chargée de campagne
fundraising manager · DE Fundraiser/Fundraiserin · FR collecteur de fonds/collectrice de fonds
economic development coordinator · DE Koordinator Wirtschaftsentwicklung/Koordinatorin Wirtschaftsentwicklung · FR coordonnateur du développement économique/coordonnatrice du développement économique

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Human resource managers and directors (1136)229,100 employed
Chartered and certified accountants (2421)233,600 employed
Financial and accounting technicians (3533)37,700 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.

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