Best Fundraiser programs in Indiana, 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.
34 schools in Indiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,032 people a year. The job pays a median of $66,250 in Indiana across about 2,080 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Indiana that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Indiana that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Indiana (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 Indiana page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1401In Indiana → | 670 | 64.9% | 29 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0100In Indiana → | 289 | 28.0% | 11 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0900In Indiana → | 50 | 4.8% | 5 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0902In Indiana → | 18 | 1.7% | 5 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 5 | CIP 52.0502In Indiana → | 5 | 0.5% | 1 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
Top 25 schools in Indiana
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 21 of the 34 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 327 | Communication, General | $41,409 | 83% | — | 50% |
| 2 | Ball State University Muncie, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 104 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $42,480 | 62% | — | 85% |
| 3 | Butler University Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 61 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $60,438 | 80% | $35,696 | 85% |
| 4 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 56 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $63,906 | 95% | $19,452 | 11% |
| 5 | University of Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 41 | Communication, General | $33,054 | 56% | $18,930 | 66% |
| 6 | University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $40,814 | 48% | — | 96% |
| 7 | Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $49,556 | 43% | — | 81% |
| 8 | Taylor University Upland, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 34 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $49,939 | 74% | $20,836 | 74% |
| 9 | Marian University Indianapolis, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $44,540 | 67% | $23,371 | 95% |
| 10 | Grace College and Theological Seminary Winona Lake, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $41,436 | 69% | $16,216 | 82% |
| 11 | Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $41,942 | 43% | — | 72% |
| 12 | Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $44,742 | 70% | $20,155 | 89% |
| 13 | Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 27 | Communication, General | $32,322 | 69% | $25,896 | 76% |
| 14 | University of Evansville Evansville, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 64% | $19,593 | 78% |
| 15 | Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $50,703 | 35% | $18,316 | — |
| 16 | Trine University Angola, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $51,244 | 64% | $22,269 | 85% |
| 17 | Hanover College Hanover, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Communication, General | $31,621 | 67% | $20,442 | 84% |
| 18 | Indiana Wesleyan University - Marion Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 16 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $50,703 | 67% | $21,351 | 89% |
| 19 | University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 11 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 55% | $20,012 | 96% |
| 20 | Franklin College Franklin, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $36,964 | 60% | $22,055 | 70% |
| 21 | Manchester University North Manchester, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $37,351 | 46% | $17,980 | 71% |
| 22 | Anderson University Anderson, IN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | $39,577 | 54% | $21,789 | 79% |
| 23 | Indiana Institute of Technology Fort Wayne, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 48% | $20,661 | 70% |
| 24 | Indiana Institute of Technology - College of Professional Studies Fort Wayne, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Marketing/Marketing Management, General | — | 28% | $19,930 | — |
| 25 | Indiana University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Public · 3 feeder programs | 7 | Grantsmanship | — | 54% | — | 76% |
All 34 schools in Indiana
Every school in Indiana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette | Public | 327 | 2 |
| Ball State University | Muncie | Public | 104 | 2 |
| Butler University | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 61 | 1 |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Private not-for-profit | 56 | 1 |
| University of Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 41 | 3 |
| University of Southern Indiana | Evansville | Public | 41 | 1 |
| Indiana State University | Terre Haute | Public | 39 | 1 |
| Taylor University | Upland | Private not-for-profit | 34 | 3 |
| Marian University | Indianapolis | Private not-for-profit | 33 | 1 |
| Grace College and Theological Seminary | Winona Lake | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 2 |
| Purdue University Northwest | Hammond | Public | 28 | 1 |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 2 |
| Saint Mary's College | Notre Dame | Private not-for-profit | 27 | 2 |
| University of Evansville | Evansville | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 2 |
| Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global | Marion | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 2 |
What fundraisers earn in Indiana
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $72,550. Indiana pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Indiana
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 Indiana
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 Indiana.
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 670 degrees in Indiana in 2024-25, 64.9% 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 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 1,032 people a year in Indiana.
How much do fundraisers earn in Indiana?+
The median is $66,250 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.7% 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 Indiana?+
34 institutions in Indiana reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card