Best degree programs for Fundraising Managers, ranked by enrollment
8 college programs and 1,396 schools train Fundraising Managers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $125,470 median wage, 38,810 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
8 college programs at 1,396 schools train fundraising managers, graduating 89,899 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Marketing/Marketing Management, General. The job pays a median of $125,470 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About fundraising managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.
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.
8 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.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1401 | 49,123 | 54.6% | 973 | $44,670 | $24,250 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0213 | 16,743 | 18.6% | 548 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0100 | 11,464 | 12.8% | 375 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0900 | 4,140 | 4.6% | 164 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0902 | 4,001 | 4.5% | 144 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 6 | CIP 52.0206 | 2,409 | 2.7% | 175 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0909 | 2,014 | 2.2% | 64 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 8 | 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.
What fundraising managers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $96,520 | 2,560 | 0.73× | 76 | 8,164 |
| Florida | $97,240 | 1,320 | 0.53× | 55 | 5,900 |
| Arizona | $116,470 | 530 | 0.65× | 28 | 4,622 |
| Utah | $95,190 | 130 | 0.31× | 12 | 4,527 |
| California | $135,870 | 5,430 | 1.20× | 64 | 4,070 |
| New York | $169,510 | 4,080 | 1.69× | 86 | 3,830 |
| Ohio | $101,470 | 1,630 | 1.17× | 64 | 3,829 |
| Pennsylvania | $111,280 | 1,950 | 1.29× | 82 | 3,286 |
| Georgia | $113,050 | 680 | 0.56× | 54 | 3,216 |
| Illinois | $106,290 | 2,860 | 1.88× | 58 | 2,559 |
| Michigan | $113,360 | 880 | 0.80× | 46 | 2,508 |
| Massachusetts | $151,740 | 2,260 | 2.49× | 45 | 2,246 |
| Alabama | $83,700 | 210 | 0.39× | 22 | 2,199 |
| Wisconsin | $123,090 | 400 | 0.55× | 34 | 2,109 |
| Indiana | $112,890 | 440 | 0.55× | 41 | 2,100 |
| North Carolina | $125,870 | 1,030 | 0.83× | 35 | 2,099 |
| Tennessee | $107,760 | 300 | 0.36× | 32 | 2,098 |
| South Carolina | $103,240 | 220 | 0.39× | 23 | 1,837 |
| Virginia | $143,730 | 880 | 0.85× | 28 | 1,733 |
| Minnesota | $126,920 | 680 | 0.93× | 37 | 1,651 |
| Washington | $137,010 | 1,050 | 1.19× | 32 | 1,641 |
| Iowa | $98,700 | 370 | 0.94× | 27 | 1,620 |
| Kentucky | $124,770 | 210 | 0.42× | 21 | 1,464 |
| Arkansas | $71,110 | 150 | 0.46× | 17 | 1,437 |
| Colorado | $130,010 | 600 | 0.84× | 23 | 1,403 |
| Oklahoma | $122,100 | 220 | 0.51× | 24 | 1,271 |
| Connecticut | $122,540 | 900 | 2.14× | 15 | 1,240 |
| New Jersey | $140,500 | 750 | 0.70× | 31 | 1,205 |
| Missouri | $111,120 | — | — | 40 | 1,197 |
| West Virginia | $74,400 | 100 | 0.56× | 10 | 1,178 |
| Kansas | $121,210 | 160 | 0.45× | 26 | 1,138 |
| New Hampshire | $157,080 | 270 | 1.56× | 13 | 987 |
| Idaho | $87,990 | 70 | 0.32× | 7 | 965 |
| Maryland | $130,750 | 810 | 1.17× | 19 | 948 |
| Louisiana | $122,150 | 50 | 0.11× | 16 | 923 |
| Mississippi | $82,620 | 70 | 0.24× | 22 | 836 |
| Oregon | $103,870 | 1,160 | 2.37× | 19 | 723 |
| Rhode Island | $155,970 | 220 | 1.73× | 9 | 705 |
| District of Columbia | $141,720 | 800 | 4.59× | 10 | 634 |
| Nebraska | $97,230 | 400 | 1.57× | 12 | 613 |
| Delaware | $131,750 | 120 | 0.99× | 5 | 447 |
| North Dakota | $121,750 | 30 | 0.32× | 9 | 386 |
| Maine | $116,470 | 220 | 1.41× | 8 | 382 |
| Nevada | $106,420 | 150 | 0.40× | 5 | 303 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $93,910 | 240 | 1.56× | 3 | 207 |
| Vermont | $129,170 | 180 | 2.35× | 5 | 187 |
| New Mexico | $101,680 | 70 | 0.30× | 5 | 175 |
| Montanamoderate | — | 170 | 1.33× | 3 | 91 |
| Alaskalimited | $103,090 | 110 | 1.41× | 2 | 20 |
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
- Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
- Manage fundraising budgets.
- 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.
- Contact corporate representatives, government officials, or community leaders to increase awareness of organizational causes, activities, or needs.
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Active Learning3.4
- Monitoring3.1
- Mathematics3.0
Knowledge areas
- Administration and Management4.3
- Customer and Personal Service4.2
- Administrative4.2
- English Language4.1
- Sales and Marketing3.8
- Economics and Accounting3.5
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.1
- Oral Expression4.1
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Written Expression3.9
Core activities
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
- Getting Information4.3
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.2
- Working with Computers4.1
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Fundraising Manager
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
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 8 majors mapped to Fundraising Managers8 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
- 09.0909Communication Management and Strategic Communications
- 52.0206Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
- 52.0213Organizational Leadership
- 52.0502Grantsmanship
- 52.1401Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Fundraising Manager?+
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, 54.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Fundraising Manager?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Marketing, Business Administration, Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 89,899 people a year.
How much do fundraising managers earn?+
The median is $125,470 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $75,130 at the 10th percentile to $222,350 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 fundraising managers growing?+
BLS projects a +4.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 3,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,396 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 fundraising managers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Fundraising Manager, Advancement Director, Development Director, Annual Giving Director among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-2033.
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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