Fundraising Managers
Also called: Advancement Director, Annual Giving Director, Development Director, Fundraising ManagerPlan, direct, or coordinate activities to solicit and maintain funds for special projects or nonprofit organizations.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 12 of its 16 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 5.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Public relations and fundraising managers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 33% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $83,700 | $73,740 to $107,310 | 210 |
| Alaska | $103,090 | $96,580 to $119,990 | 110 |
| Arizona | $116,470 | $83,200 to $157,140 | 530 |
| Arkansas | $71,110 | $62,910 to $100,140 | 150 |
| California | $135,870 | $106,910 to $192,290 | 5,430 |
| Colorado | $130,010 | $105,950 to $165,400 | 600 |
| Connecticut | $122,540 | $95,460 to $171,640 | 900 |
| Delaware | $131,750 | $111,130 to $164,500 | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $141,720 | $128,360 to $169,130 | 800 |
| Florida | $97,240 | $76,060 to $135,720 | 1,320 |
| Georgia | $113,050 | $90,080 to $151,430 | 680 |
| Hawaii | $93,910 | $78,740 to $118,340 | 240 |
| Idaho | $87,990 | $77,160 to $122,220 | 70 |
| Illinois | $106,290 | $83,840 to $132,430 | 2,860 |
| Indiana | $112,890 | $90,880 to $168,160 | 440 |
| Iowa | $98,700 | $77,620 to $124,990 | 370 |
| Kansas | $121,210 | $101,700 to $169,280 | 160 |
| Kentucky | $124,770 | $95,420 to $153,720 | 210 |
| Louisiana | $122,150 | $97,350 to $124,440 | 50 |
| Maine | $116,470 | $101,030 to $143,660 | 220 |
| Maryland | $130,750 | $103,090 to $172,290 | 810 |
| Massachusetts | $151,740 | $107,450 to $204,560 | 2,260 |
| Michigan | $113,360 | $89,160 to $149,100 | 880 |
| Minnesota | $126,920 | $100,030 to $180,520 | 680 |
| Mississippi | $82,620 | $74,580 to $114,410 | 70 |
| Missouri | $111,120 | $83,620 to $173,240 | not published |
| Montana | not published | not published | 170 |
| Nebraska | $97,230 | $80,860 to $129,040 | 400 |
| Nevada | $106,420 | $84,610 to $132,210 | 150 |
| New Hampshire | $157,080 | $109,860 to $201,030 | 270 |
| New Jersey | $140,500 | $114,280 to $172,610 | 750 |
| New Mexico | $101,680 | $101,680 to $153,850 | 70 |
| New York | $169,510 | $130,140 to $223,630 | 4,080 |
| North Carolina | $125,870 | $94,730 to $166,610 | 1,030 |
| North Dakota | $121,750 | $90,720 to $149,990 | 30 |
| Ohio | $101,470 | $79,240 to $135,290 | 1,630 |
| Oklahoma | $122,100 | $104,010 to $196,800 | 220 |
| Oregon | $103,870 | $83,670 to $135,520 | 1,160 |
| Pennsylvania | $111,280 | $95,400 to $138,960 | 1,950 |
| Rhode Island | $155,970 | $124,840 to $175,780 | 220 |
| South Carolina | $103,240 | $80,340 to $140,280 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $107,760 | $80,660 to $132,620 | 300 |
| Texas | $96,520 | $78,200 to $125,470 | 2,560 |
| Utah | $95,190 | $62,140 to $110,350 | 130 |
| Vermont | $129,170 | $113,060 to $154,420 | 180 |
| Virginia | $143,730 | $104,880 to $191,380 | 880 |
| Washington | $137,010 | $112,090 to $182,260 | 1,050 |
| West Virginia | $74,400 | $60,520 to $102,950 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $123,090 | $98,390 to $172,040 | 400 |
Nationally: $125,470. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 12 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Manage fundraising budgets. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan and direct special events for fundraising, such as silent auctions, dances, golf events, or walks. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop fundraising activity plans that maximize participation or contributions and minimize costs. | Not published |
| Not much | Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new fundraising opportunities. | Not published |
| AI alone | Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| AI + software | Establish goals for soliciting funds, develop policies for collection and safeguarding of contributions, and coordinate disbursement of funds. | Not published |
| AI + software | Contact corporate representatives, government officials, or community leaders to increase awareness of organizational causes, activities, or needs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct research to identify the goals, net worth, charitable donation history, or other data related to potential donors, potential investors, or general donor markets. | Not published |
| AI alone | Formulate policies and procedures related to fundraising programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Evaluate advertising and promotion programs for compatibility with fundraising efforts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct activities of external agencies, establishments, or departments that develop and implement fundraising strategies and programs. | Not published |
| Not much | Assign, supervise, and review the activities of fundraising staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Write interesting and effective press releases, prepare information for media kits, and develop and maintain company internet or intranet Web pages. | Not published |
| AI alone | Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures. | Not published |
| Not much | Produce films and other video products, regulate their distribution, and operate film library. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 20 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #9 Edit written materials or documents
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manage budgets or finances | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Edit written materials or documents | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures | |||
| Develop marketing or promotional materials | |||
| Evaluate programs, practices, or processes | |||
| Develop professional relationships or networks |
Show all 20 activities
| Examine financial activities, operations, or systems | |||
| Develop organizational or program goals or objectives | |||
| Coordinate group, community, or public activities | |||
| Operate audiovisual or related equipment | |||
| Develop business or marketing plans | |||
| Develop financial or business plans | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Design databases | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report32%
- An image or graphic18%
- A presentation or slides11%
- A design mockup9%
- An app or website7%
How they worked with Claude
77% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for fundraising managers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 222,545 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 5%
- 3 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 5%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 235,527 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Public Relations Specialists Very high +1.8% 5%
- 3 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 5%
- 4 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Public Relations and Fundraising Managers”, which today also includes “Public Relations Managers”, so these figures cover it too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 4% associate's
- 11% master's
- 85% not published
O*NET marks 85% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 3% high school
- 6% some college
- 3% associate's
- 53% bachelor's
- 30% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 3% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Public relations and fundraising managers” · 1,425 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Public relations and fundraising managers”
8 programs, such as Communication, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Public Relations/Image Management.
See all
- Communication, General
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- Public Relations/Image Management
- Communication Management and Strategic Communications
- Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Grantsmanship
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
28.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/11-2033.00