Guidance.help

Fundraisers

The occupation Fundraisers covers people who organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. You may also need to identify and build relationships with potential donors. The strongest interest signal is Enterprising (6.0 of 7), then Social (4.2) and Conventional, which gives it the code ESC. Plan on a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience; O*NET labels this considerable preparation. Strength in speaking, writing, and reading comprehension helps most here. A regular part of the work is to secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors. If you want leading, persuading and making business decisions, keep it on your list. If you need hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, it may feel thin.

What they do

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.

Main tasks

  • 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.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Persuasion
  • Active Listening
  • Negotiation

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and writing.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
  • You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ESC takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.

Preparation

Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Contract Grant Writer
  • Development Associate
  • Development Officer
  • Direct Response Consultant
  • Fundraising Consultant

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with ESC and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.