Fundraising / Development Specialist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Fundraising or Development Specialist raises funds and develops funding resources for an organization, program or non-profit institution. Manages special fundraising events, online donations, individual membership or corporate donations or grants. Builds awareness of the contributions and financial needs of organizations and programs.
Job Outlook
There were 503 Fundraising / Development Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 20253 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Fundraising / Development Specialist industry, which includes the Fundraising / Development Specialist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Fundraising / Development Specialist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $85,646.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $83,238.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Fundraising / Development Specialist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $60,004.
Education and Experience
Posted Fundraising / Development Specialist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 60.74% |
| Master's Degree | 15.7% |
| Doctoral Degree | 3.1% |
| Other | 11.03% |
Posted Fundraising / Development Specialist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 41% |
| 3 to 5 years | 49.02% |
| 6 to 8 years | 7.49% |
| 9+ years | 2.49% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Fundraising / Development Specialist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (55.98%)
- Writing (36.27%)
- Research (34.13%)
- Management (33.64%)
- Detail Oriented (30.87%)
- Leadership (29.51%)
- Planning (23.28%)
- Microsoft Office (22.59%)
- Interpersonal Communications (21.18%)
- Coordinating (19.12%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Raiser's Edge NXT (16.45%)
- Prospect Research (10.58%)
- Fundraising (67.86%)
- Marketing (26.52%)
- Planned Giving (13.53%)
- Sales Prospecting (40.56%)
- Philanthropy (19.63%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Grant Applications (10.36%)
- Administrative Support (9.64%)
- Customer Relationship Management (17.07%)
- Public Relations (6.29%)
- Data Entry (8.8%)
- Event Planning (6.69%)
- Finance (14.04%)
- Grant Writing (17.12%)
- Project Management (19.11%)
- Salesforce (11.23%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Sales Prospecting (86.91%)
- Prospect Research (22.67%)
- Planned Giving (29%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Fundraising / Development Specialist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Grant Writer
- Major Gifts Officer
- Development Associate
- Market Development Specialist
- Development Officer
- Nursing Professional Development Specialist
- Youth Development Specialist
- Fundraiser
- Philanthropy Officer
- Fundraising Associate
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Fundraising Manager
- Alumni Relations Manager
- College Athletic Director
- Chief Executive Officer
- Community Relations Manager
- Grants Manager / Administrator
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Fundraising / Development Specialist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Spectrum (382)
- Volunteermatch (237)
- American Red Cross (195)
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society (175)
- Milton Hershey School (149)
- PayPal (113)
- GPAC (103)
- Health Connect America (98)
- Renaissance (86)
- Medtronic (76)
North Carolina
- Spectrum (34)
- University of North Carolina (24)
- Duke University (24)
- Atrium Health (12)
- Farmers Consulting (10)
- High Point University (8)
- Volunteermatch (8)
- North Carolina State University (7)
- PayPal (6)
- Appalachian State University (6)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Leadership in the Public Sector Undergraduate Certificates
- Leadership in the Public Sector Undergraduate Degrees
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.