Skip to main content
Business Management and Operations - Careers

Business Management and Operations

Business Management and Operations | Fundraising / Development Specialist

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 487 Fundraising / Development Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 19804 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 $76,211.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $74,132.

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 $56,811.

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 LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree61.03%
Master's Degree15.28%
Doctoral Degree2.98%
Other11.11%

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 ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years41.06%
3 to 5 years48.9%
6 to 8 years7.57%
9+ years2.46%

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 (55.93%)
  • Writing (35.84%)
  • Research (34.4%)
  • Management (32.87%)
  • Detail Oriented (30.67%)
  • Leadership (29.11%)
  • Planning (22.87%)
  • Microsoft Office (22.09%)
  • Interpersonal Communications (21.24%)
  • Coordinating (18.96%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Raiser's Edge NXT (16.51%)
  • Prospect Research (10.55%)
  • Fundraising (67.74%)
  • Marketing (26.35%)
  • Planned Giving (13.67%)
  • Sales Prospecting (40.79%)
  • Philanthropy (19.76%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Grant Applications (10.6%)
  • Administrative Support (9.83%)
  • Customer Relationship Management (16.62%)
  • Public Relations (6.34%)
  • Data Entry (8.82%)
  • Event Planning (6.24%)
  • Finance (14%)
  • Grant Writing (17.55%)
  • Project Management (19.09%)
  • Salesforce (10.83%)

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 (22.47%)
  • Planned Giving (29.12%)

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
  • Fundraiser
  • Youth Development Specialist
  • 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.

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 (363)
  • Volunteermatch (301)
  • American Red Cross (189)
  • National Multiple Sclerosis Society (175)
  • Milton Hershey School (131)
  • PayPal (113)
  • GPAC (112)
  • Health Connect America (103)
  • Medtronic (88)
  • Renaissance (86)

North Carolina

  • Spectrum (31)
  • Duke University (26)
  • University of North Carolina (22)
  • Atrium Health (12)
  • Farmers Consulting (10)
  • North Carolina State University (8)
  • High Point University (7)
  • Birth Tissue Recovery (7)
  • Volunteermatch (7)
  • PayPal (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!