$Who Earns What

How much does a fundraiser make?

US Fundraisers

Answer: A typical fundraiser in the United States makes $72,550 a year (median, May 2025, US Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Yearly pay of a typical person doing this job in the US
$72,550

Line up 100 people; this is the one in the middle (median). about 111,000 people work in this job. Well above the US-wide typical pay ($50,980).

Lower earner
$46,630
10th from the bottom of 100
Typical person
$72,550
Right in the middle (median)
Higher earner
$115,820
10th from the top of 100

If 100 people had this job

Lowest at bottom-left, highest at top-right

Hover over a person to see their yearly pay

54 of 100
more than half

Fundraiser pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread)

Fundraiser pay in the United States (May 2025, median and spread) — Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lower earner (10th from bottom)Typical person (median)Higher earner (10th from top)People in this job
$46,630$72,550$115,820about 111,000
States where fundraisers earn the most (median, May 2025)
StateTypical person (median)People in this job
District of Columbia$80,840about 2,000
New York$80,540about 12,000
Maryland$79,780about 2,000
California$79,710about 13,000
Massachusetts$79,060about 6,000

Why does pay differ?

In the United States, pay can differ by employer field and location, and experience, useful skills, and greater responsibility can matter too. Planned giving is one specialty that needs extra tax knowledge; some states require registration, and the optional CFRE credential shows further expertise. Fundraisers may also work extra evening or weekend hours for events.

What if you lived in a different state?

Pay varies a lot by state in the US
Whole US$72,550
District of Columbia$80,840
New York$80,540
Maryland$79,780
California$79,710
Massachusetts$79,060
Montana$61,280
Texas$60,320
Alabama$60,120

Top 5 and bottom 3 states, typical (median) yearly pay.

What does a fundraiser 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's a typical day like?

A fundraiser checks donor records, researches people to approach, and writes or sends messages by email or phone. They may plan an online campaign or charity event, meet donors, thank supporters, and track how well the effort worked.

How to get this job

In the United States, fundraisers typically earn a bachelor's degree, often in communications, business, or social science, and build experience through nonprofit internships or volunteering. Some states require registration for certain fundraising work; optional CFRE certification requires education, professional experience, results, and an exam.

Usually a bachelor's degree (preparation level 4 of 5)

Good for people who like leading and selling and helping and teaching.

Did you know?

Some fundraisers help people give stocks or real estate through a will—not just cash—and need special tax training for these planned gifts.

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Sources and data

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (bls.gov); descriptions and related jobs from O*NET 31.0. Figures as of May 2025, full-time yearly pay (hourly × 2,080 hours). bls.gov/oes · O*NET OnLine

Pages used for the text

Data: US BLS OEWS, May 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY