Best Fundraiser programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. May design and produce promotional materials.
51 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,173 people a year. The job pays a median of $66,440 in Illinois across about 4,470 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1401In Illinois → | 1,654 | 76.1% | 48 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0100In Illinois → | 422 | 19.4% | 10 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0902In Illinois → | 79 | 3.6% | 7 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0900In Illinois → | 18 | 0.8% | 2 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 23 of the 51 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 335 | Communication, General | $37,808 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 2 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 313 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $51,687 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 3 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 300 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $42,782 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 4 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 205 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $50,012 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 5 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 121 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $51,065 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 6 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 87 | Communication, General | $37,778 | 47% | — | 65% |
| 7 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 82 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $51,137 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 8 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 57 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $36,386 | 52% | $28,087 | 89% |
| 9 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 53 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $39,482 | 60% | $18,431 | 81% |
| 10 | Bradley University Peoria, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 41 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $48,663 | 76% | $21,768 | 77% |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $40,244 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 12 | Midwestern Career College Chicago, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 54% | $12,455 | — |
| 13 | Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $43,320 | 22% | — | 75% |
| 14 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Communication, General | $32,050 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 15 | North Central College Naperville, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $45,464 | 64% | $20,052 | 77% |
| 16 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $40,829 | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 17 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 73% | $14,960 | 63% |
| 18 | National Louis University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Communication, General | — | 30% | $18,904 | 95% |
| 19 | Lewis University Romeoville, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $43,196 | 67% | $17,632 | 71% |
| 20 | Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $40,074 | 70% | $20,794 | 74% |
| 21 | McKendree University Lebanon, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $34,872 | 53% | $23,994 | 72% |
| 22 | McHenry County College Crystal Lake, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 23 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $39,977 | 45% | — | 71% |
| 24 | Dominican University River Forest, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 55% | $16,176 | 90% |
| 25 | Roosevelt University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $42,720 | 35% | $21,085 | 97% |
All 51 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 335 | 2 |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 313 | 2 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 300 | 2 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 205 | 1 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 121 | 1 |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public | 87 | 3 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 82 | 1 |
| Columbia College Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 57 | 3 |
| Aurora University | Aurora | Private not-for-profit | 53 | 1 |
| Bradley University | Peoria | Private not-for-profit | 41 | 3 |
| Southern Illinois University - Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | 41 | 1 |
| Midwestern Career College | Chicago | Private for-profit | 40 | 1 |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public | 39 | 1 |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | 35 | 1 |
| North Central College | Naperville | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 1 |
What fundraisers earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $72,550. Illinois pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Fundraisers page.
How to become a Fundraiser
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Fundraisers6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0900Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- 09.0902Public Relations/Image Management
- 09.0904Political Communication
- 52.0214Research Administration(no graduates reported)
- 52.0502Grantsmanship
- 52.1401Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing fundraisers programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Fundraiser?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Marketing/Marketing Management, General, which awarded 1,654 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 76.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Fundraiser?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations. Together they graduate about 2,173 people a year in Illinois.
How much do fundraisers earn in Illinois?+
The median is $66,440 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.4% below the U.S. median of $72,550. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for fundraisers growing?+
BLS projects a +4.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
51 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do fundraisers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Development Officer, Philanthropy Officer, Contract Grant Writer, Fundraising Consultant among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1131.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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