What does a Fundraiser do?

Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. Day to day that includes work like identify and build relationships with potential donors and Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.

What skills should a Fundraiser put on a resume?

O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Fundraiser list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe PageMaker, AudienceView Ticketing, Blackbaud eTapestry, Blackbaud Luminate CRM, and Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Fundraiser work?

O*NET records 33 titles for this occupation, including Contract Grant Writer, Development Officer, Fundraising Consultant, and Philanthropy Officer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Fundraiser need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 90% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Fundraiser role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Fundraiser resume example

A resume for a Fundraiser needs to show the work itself: organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. Day to day that means work like this: identify and build relationships with potential donors; secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Contract Grant Writer
Development Officer
Fundraising Consultant
Philanthropy Officer
Development Associate
Direct Response Consultant
Grant Coordinator
Principal Gifts Officer
Annual Giving Coordinator
Annual Giving Officer
Campaign Fundraiser
Capital Campaign Fundraiser
Community Fundraiser
Development Coordinator
Donation Coordinator
Donation Specialist
Donor Officer
Donor Relations Officer

O*NET records 33 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

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.
Develop or implement fundraising activities, such as annual giving campaigns or direct mail programs.
Compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations.
Conduct research to identify the goals, net worth, charitable donation history, or other data related to potential donors, potential investors, or general donor markets.
Develop fundraising activity plans that maximize participation or contributions and minimize costs.
Direct or supervise fundraising staff, including volunteer staff members.
Establish fundraising or participation goals for special events or specified time periods.

28 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Identify and build relationships with potential donors, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Write and send letters of thanks to donors, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe PageMaker
AudienceView Ticketing
Blackbaud eTapestry
Blackbaud Luminate CRM
Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
Constant Contact
Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
Database software
Email software
Facebook
FileMaker Pro
Foundatino Directory Online (FDO)
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Excel

27 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Computer laser printers
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Passenger cars
Personal computers
Photocopying equipment
Tablet computers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
Salesforce
Microsoft Dynamics
SQL

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Speaking
02Active Listening
03Persuasion
04Reading Comprehension
05Writing
06Critical Thinking
07Negotiation
08Coordination
09Social Perceptiveness
10Service Orientation

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Sales and Marketing
Administration and Management
Communications and Media
Economics and Accounting
Computers and Electronics
Administrative

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

90%Bachelor's Degree
5%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.
5%Master's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Fundraiser do?: Organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. Day to day that includes work like identify and build relationships with potential donors and Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.
What skills should a Fundraiser put on a resume?: O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Persuasion, Reading Comprehension, and Writing among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Fundraiser list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe PageMaker, AudienceView Ticketing, Blackbaud eTapestry, Blackbaud Luminate CRM, and Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Fundraiser work?: O*NET records 33 titles for this occupation, including Contract Grant Writer, Development Officer, Fundraising Consultant, and Philanthropy Officer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Fundraiser need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 90% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Fundraiser role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.