Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-1131

Best degree programs for Fundraisers, ranked by enrollment

Q: 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 49,123 degrees in 2024-25, 71.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Fundraiser?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 68,923 people a year.

Q: How much do fundraisers earn?

The median is $72,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $46,630 at the 10th percentile to $115,820 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: 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.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

1,181 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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.

Q: 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.

6 college programs and 1,181 schools train Fundraisers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $72,550 median wage, 111,040 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

6 college programs at 1,181 schools train fundraisers, graduating 68,923 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Marketing/Marketing Management, General. The job pays a median of $72,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

68,923

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$72,550

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+4.3%

About as fast as average

Openings / yr

10,200

new plus replacement

Schools

1,181

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About 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 calledDevelopment OfficerPhilanthropy OfficerContract Grant WriterFundraising ConsultantFundraiserGrant WriterDonor OfficerDonor SpecialistGrant CoordinatorGrants SpecialistCampaign FundraiserDonation Specialist

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

CIP 52.14

Marketing

49,123graduates / yr

973 schools · 1 specialization · 71.3% of pipeline

Grad earnings $44,670

Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs

CIP 09.01

Communication and Media Studies

11,464graduates / yr

375 schools · 1 specialization · 16.6% of pipeline

Grad earnings $34,858

Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs

CIP 09.09

Public Relations

8,331graduates / yr

164 schools · 3 specializations · 12.1% of pipeline

Grad earnings $39,658

Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

CIP 52.05

Business/Corporate Communications

5graduates / yr

1 schools · 1 specialization · 0.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $41,000

6 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Marketing/Marketing Management, General CIP 52.1401	49,123	71.3%	973	$44,670	$24,250
2	Communication, General CIP 09.0100	11,464	16.6%	375	$34,858	$25,000
3	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication CIP 09.0900	4,140	6.0%	164	$39,658	$24,500
4	Public Relations/Image Management CIP 09.0902	4,001	5.8%	144	$39,658	$24,500
5	Political Communication CIP 09.0904	190	0.3%	9	$39,658	$24,500
6	Grantsmanship CIP 52.0502	5	0.0%	1	$41,000	$26,000

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Ensign College Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	1,156	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	43%	$11,149	—
2	Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	997	Communication, General	84%	—	57%
3	The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	806	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	73%	—	77%
4	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	729	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	86%	—	24%
5	Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	671	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	43%	$34,565	100%
6	Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	664	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	74%	—	55%
7	Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	662	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	46%	$11,580	—
8	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs	630	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	71%	—	74%
9	University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	618	Communication, General	83%	—	33%
10	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	610	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	77%	—	43%
11	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 4 feeder programs	602	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	69%	—	73%
12	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs	591	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	74%	—	42%
13	University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 4 feeder programs	590	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	65%	—	74%
14	University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 3 feeder programs	581	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	90%	—	38%
15	University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 2 feeder programs	550	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	75%	—	85%
16	The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	529	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	53%	—	87%
17	Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 1 feeder programs	528	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	87%	—	38%
18	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	526	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	43%	$21,535	79%
19	Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	514	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	55%	—	89%
20	Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	486	Communication, General	80%	$35,682	51%
21	University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	486	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	21%	$15,478	—
22	Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	472	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	55%	$6,760	96%
23	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs	467	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	68%	—	90%
24	The University of Tampa Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	464	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	64%	$33,070	40%
25	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	459	Communication, General	65%	—	86%
26	Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 2 feeder programs	436	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	82%	—	46%
27	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	436	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	88%	—	61%
28	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 2 feeder programs	431	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	52%	—	69%
29	Washington State University Pullman, WA Public · 3 feeder programs	431	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	60%	—	87%
30	University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 2 feeder programs	417	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	79%	—	60%
31	University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs	414	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	83%	—	60%
32	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	404	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	54%	—	80%
33	Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK Public · 1 feeder programs	387	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	68%	—	75%
34	University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	368	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	91%	—	24%
35	Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	353	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	80%	—	75%
36	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI Public · 2 feeder programs	352	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	67%	—	83%
37	University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI Public · 2 feeder programs	352	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	59%	—	86%
38	Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs	349	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	86%	—	61%
39	Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	342	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	86%	$25,823	44%
40	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 3 feeder programs	338	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	81%	—	85%
41	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs	335	Communication, General	85%	—	42%
42	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	328	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	63%	—	66%
43	Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs	327	Communication, General	83%	—	50%
44	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs	319	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	53%	—	55%
45	Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH Public · 3 feeder programs	317	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	64%	—	86%
46	University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 1 feeder programs	317	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	74%	—	78%
47	Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 2 feeder programs	313	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	65%	—	88%
48	University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL Public · 3 feeder programs	308	Communication, General	69%	—	53%
49	Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · 2 feeder programs	308	Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	45%	—	—
50	University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 3 feeder programs	305	Marketing/Marketing Management, General	61%	—	72%

What fundraisers earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$72,550

Mean annual

$77,200

Median hourly

$34.88/hr

People employed

111,040

What the range looks like

10th pct$46,630Median$72,55090th pct$115,820

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$106,760median

1,060 jobs

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

$81,910median

200 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$82,930median

3,020 jobs

New Haven, CT

$80,460median

430 jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

$82,180median

9,520 jobs

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

$80,610median

4,450 jobs

Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

$78,720median

160 jobs

Trenton-Princeton, NJ

$83,830median

170 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+4.3%

About as fast as average

Openings per year

10,200

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

5,800

134,400 → 140,200

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
Texas	$60,320	4,020	0.40×	67	7,524
Florida	$64,390	—	—	50	5,297
Ohio	$64,080	3,460	0.87×	59	3,311
Utah	$61,820	920	0.74×	12	3,126
California	$79,710	12,860	0.99×	46	2,940
New York	$80,540	11,600	1.68×	76	2,707
Georgia	$72,010	2,690	0.77×	45	2,601
Pennsylvania	$63,730	6,180	1.43×	68	2,568
Illinois	$66,440	4,470	1.03×	51	2,173
Arizona	$64,180	1,580	0.68×	18	2,090
Michigan	$66,130	3,170	1.01×	42	1,952
Wisconsin	$65,880	2,130	1.01×	29	1,931
Massachusetts	$79,060	6,160	2.37×	40	1,923
Alabama	$60,120	1,120	0.74×	18	1,734
North Carolina	$66,100	3,700	1.05×	26	1,680
Tennessee	$61,370	1,930	0.83×	25	1,587
South Carolina	$62,720	1,200	0.73×	15	1,480
Washington	$79,000	3,870	1.53×	25	1,198
Minnesota	$76,910	3,190	1.51×	35	1,117
Virginia	$72,610	4,010	1.37×	21	1,096
Connecticut	$77,730	1,350	1.12×	13	1,080
Arkansas	$50,190	360	0.39×	16	1,062
New Jersey	$77,170	1,950	0.64×	29	1,056
Colorado	$74,440	2,470	1.20×	22	1,032
Indiana	$66,250	2,080	0.91×	34	1,032
Oklahoma	$63,950	950	0.78×	19	983
Missouri	$63,860	1,670	0.80×	27	898
Iowa	$63,930	1,230	1.11×	21	873
Kansas	$64,820	1,100	1.07×	22	873
Idaho	$61,150	380	0.62×	7	835
Louisiana	$72,030	330	0.24×	16	831
New Hampshire	$66,260	810	1.66×	12	823
Mississippi	$57,610	230	0.27×	21	810
Kentucky	$68,270	1,030	0.72×	20	799
Maryland	$79,780	2,010	1.02×	17	771
District of Columbia	$80,840	2,350	4.69×	5	686
Rhode Island	$75,410	1,000	2.78×	9	623
Oregon	$64,080	2,090	1.49×	15	561
Nebraska	$68,030	770	1.06×	10	519
North Dakota	$76,040	340	1.09×	8	328
Delawaremoderate	$71,250	320	0.91×	4	320
Nevada	$68,530	310	0.28×	5	303
West Virginia	$54,760	260	0.52×	9	293
Maine	$66,790	930	2.03×	6	218
Hawaiimoderate	$63,750	440	0.98×	3	201
New Mexicomoderate	$65,440	330	0.52×	4	168
South Dakota	$66,800	80	0.25×	6	147
Wyomingmoderate	$71,310	90	0.43×	3	61
Montanamoderate	$61,280	700	1.92×	3	55
Vermontmoderate	$72,530	510	2.35×	3	47
Alaskalimited	$62,750	290	1.25×	1	16

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

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

Speaking4.1
Reading Comprehension4.0
Active Listening4.0
Writing4.0
Critical Thinking3.9
Active Learning3.3
Monitoring3.1
Mathematics3.0

Knowledge areas

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

Abilities

Speech Clarity4.1
Oral Expression4.1
Written Comprehension4.0
Oral Comprehension4.0
Speech Recognition4.0
Written Expression4.0

Core activities

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.8
Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.7
Getting Information4.5
Developing Objectives and Strategies4.4
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
Thinking Creatively4.4

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

FacebookhotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft WordhotSalesforce softwarehotStructured query language SQLhotAdobe PageMakerAudienceView Ticketing

How to get in

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.

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

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

11-2033

Fundraising Managers

$125,47038,810 jobs+4.2%

27-3031

Public Relations Specialists

$74,750283,380 jobs+4.8%

11-2011

Advertising and Promotions Managers

$133,66021,470 jobs-2.2%

11-9151

Social and Community Service Managers

$80,390209,330 jobs+6.4%

13-1121

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

$61,160142,860 jobs+4.8%

11-2032

Public Relations Managers

$146,91074,850 jobs+5.0%

Common questions

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 49,123 degrees in 2024-25, 71.3% 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 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marketing, Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 68,923 people a year.

How much do fundraisers earn?+

The median is $72,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $46,630 at the 10th percentile to $115,820 at the 90th. 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?+

1,181 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 6 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 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

All Clema data sources and release dates →

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.

Try for free Book a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card