Professional Fundraiser Salary in the United States

How much does a Professional Fundraiser make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Professional Fundraiser in the United States is $73,194 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.

However, a Professional Fundraiser's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $95,665
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $62,379 to $84,956
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $52,532

Key Factors That Influence Professional Fundraiser Salaries

A Professional Fundraiser's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Professional Fundraiser Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Professional Fundraiser's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $75,447
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $80,791
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $99,707
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $112,827
  • Expert (over 8 years): $147,562
Levels Salary
Professio... Level Professional Fundraiser$75,447
Developme... Level Professional Fundraiser$80,791
Developme... Level Professional Fundraiser$99,707
Developme... Level Professional Fundraiser$112,827
Developme... Level Professional Fundraiser$147,562

How Do Professional Fundraiser Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Professional Fundraisers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $81,040.
  • California: $80,733.
  • Massachusetts: $79,657.

Top Paying Cities for Professional Fundraisers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $92,319
  • San Francisco: $91,308
  • Oakland: $89,384

What Skills Can Increase a Professional Fundraiser's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Initiative (Mentioned in 4.64% Job Postings): Taking decisive action and initiating plans independently to address problems, improve professional life, and achieve goals.
  • Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 1.51% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
  • CRM (Mentioned in 0.55% Job Postings): Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers.
Skills Demand Percentage
Initiative 4.64%
Microsoft Office 1.51%
CRM 0.55%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Professional Fundraiser's salary.

  • Quality Assurance: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Trading: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Data Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Quality Assurance $78,317
7%
Trading $77,585
6%
Data Analysis $77,585
6%

Professional Fundraiser Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Professional Fundraiser roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 20% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare, offers compensation 10% above the average. Conversely, Professional Fundraiser positions in Business Services typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Professional Fundraiser as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Professional Fundraiser

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$80,513$39.010%

How Education impacts a Professional Fundraiser's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Professional Fundraisers enter the field with a No Diploma degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Professional Fundraiser with a No Diploma is between $70,001 and $77,096).

Professional Fundraiser Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Professional Fundraiser
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.3%
High School 5.2%
Associates 3.8%
Bachelors 67.1%
Masters 23.7%
Doctorate 0.0%

Professional Fundraiser Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Professional Fundraiser's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$62,379
Average $73,194/year
$84,956
$5,198
Average $6,099/month
$7,080
$1,200
Average $1,408/week
$1,634
$30
Average $35/hour
$41
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $84,956 $7,080 $1,634 $41
Average $73,194 $6,099 $1,408 $35
25th Percentile $62,379 $5,198 $1,200 $30

Most common benefits for Professional Fundraiser

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Professional Fundraiser

Here are companies hiring for Professional Fundraiser and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Professional Fundraiser

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Professional Fundraiser?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Professional Fundraiser roles, with salaries approximately 10% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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