Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 13-1131

Fundraisers

The published band from $46,630 to $115,820 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Personal Financial Advisors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Fundraisers: Personal Financial Advisors ($105K) , Financial Specialists, All Other ($81K) , Labor Relations Specialists ($95K) , Financial and Investment Analysts ($103K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Fundraisers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-1131 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Identify and build relationships with potential donors
  2. 2. Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors
  3. 3. Write and send letters of thanks to donors
  4. 4. Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors
  5. 5. Create or update donor databases
  6. 6. Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions
  7. 7. Develop or implement fundraising activities, such as annual giving campaigns or direct mail programs
  8. 8. Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations
  9. 9. Conduct research to identify the goals, net worth, charitable donation history, or other data related to potential donors, potential inve…
  10. 10. Develop fundraising activity plans that maximize participation or contributions and minimize costs
  11. 11. Direct or supervise fundraising staff, including volunteer staff members
  12. 12. Establish fundraising or participation goals for special events or specified time periods

Fundraisers: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-1131 - lead skill Speaking at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 4.1
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.0
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Persuasion 4.0
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.9
  7. 7. Negotiation 3.9
  8. 8. Coordination 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.6
  2. 2. English Language 4.3
  3. 3. Sales and Marketing 3.9
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.7
  5. 5. Communications and Media 3.4
  6. 6. Economics and Accounting 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$46,630 to $115,820
median $72,550 · ~2.5× spread
$73K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
10,200
Annual openings
111,040
Estimated US jobs
Personal Financial Advisors
Highest-pay peer · $105K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Fundraisers

1. California $79,710
2. Washington $79,000
3. District of Columbia $80,840
4. Minnesota $76,910
5. New Jersey $77,170
6. Maryland $79,780
7. North Dakota $76,040
8. Connecticut $77,730
9. Massachusetts $79,060
10. New York $80,540

Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations titles

  1. 1. Financial Specialists, All Other $81,100
  2. 2. Labor Relations Specialists $95,420
  3. 3. Financial and Investment Analysts $102,740
  4. 4. Personal Financial Advisors $105,070
  5. 5. Business Operations Specialists, All Other $83,050
  6. 6. Budget Analysts $91,640

The OEWS band for Fundraisers runs from $46,630 (10th) to $115,820 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $72,550. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 10,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $79,710. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Personal Financial Advisors at $105,070. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Fundraisers pay-rank #25 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

On the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table (32 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Fundraisers lands at #25, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Fundraisers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Fundraisers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 13-1131

California · top state for Fundraisers

$80K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$79K · behind California

Personal Financial Advisors

Highest-pay peer vs Fundraisers · $105K

Financial Specialists, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Fundraisers · $81K

Compare Fundraisers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Fundraisers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Fundraisers land on the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table? ▼
Fundraisers is pay-rank #25 of 32 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Training and Development Specialists ($69K), Human Resources Specialists ($76K), Loan Officers ($77K), Property Appraisers and Assessors ($68K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do fundraisers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Fundraisers. Leading ones include: 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for fundraisers? ▼
For SOC 13-1131, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Sales and Marketing. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Fundraisers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $46,630 and the 90th at $115,820 for Fundraisers (2.5× spread). The national median is $72,550. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Fundraisers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Fundraisers is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 10,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Fundraisers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Fundraisers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Fundraisers? ▼
California ($79,710), Washington ($79,000), District of Columbia ($80,840) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Fundraisers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-1131. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Fundraisers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics