Fundraiser Job Description Templates for Small Nonprofits
6 free templates for the organizations that hire without an HR department: development officer, major gifts, annual giving, events, corporate and foundation relations, and a part-time first hire. Download as DOCX.
Most fundraiser job descriptions online were written for an institution with a development team. They assume prospect research support, a stewardship coordinator, a database administrator, and a director who already owns the plan. If you run a nonprofit where the executive director is also the HR department and half the donor relationships, that posting describes a job you cannot offer.
The mismatch costs you twice. Strong candidates read a posting that implies infrastructure you do not have and either skip it or arrive expecting support that never appears. The employer side of this market is not small: the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 134,400 fundraisers in 2024, with employment projected to grow 4 percent through 2034 and about 10,200 openings a year, and a large share of those seats sit in organizations with no HR function at all.
At FirstHR we write hiring templates for that reader. The six below cover a general development officer, a major gifts officer, an annual giving manager, an events coordinator, corporate and foundation relations, and a part-time first fundraiser, each with the classification and compensation notes the generic versions skip. For the role above these, see the development director templates.
TL;DR
A fundraiser is the individual contributor who carries a donor portfolio, makes asks, and stewards gifts, distinct from a development director who runs the function. BLS OEWS (May 2025) puts the fundraiser median at $72,550 a year. Classify on duties, never pay a percentage of funds raised, and state the portfolio and goal. Six templates below, as DOCX.
Fundraiser, Development Officer, or Development Director
A fundraiser is an individual contributor who personally moves relationships and dollars. A development director manages the function, the budget, and the staff. Posting one when you mean the other is the most common error in nonprofit hiring, and it shows up in the salary you offer and in the candidates you attract.
Fundraiser and development officer are used interchangeably in the sector. Both describe the same seat: a portfolio, an activity expectation, and a revenue goal the person owns personally. Everything else on the ladder is a narrowing or a widening of that job.
Fundraiser / development officer
Individual contributor
Carries a portfolio, makes asks, writes appeals, and stewards donors. Reports to a director or, at a small nonprofit, straight to the executive director. This is the role the templates on this page are built for.
Major gifts officer
Specialist contributor
Same seniority band, narrower job: a smaller portfolio of larger relationships, measured in visits and closed gifts rather than in campaigns delivered. Usually the second or third fundraising hire.
Development director
Manager of the function
Owns the plan, the budget, and the staff, and answers to the board for total contributed revenue. Different posting, different pay band, different interview.
Grant writer
Institutional funding only
Writes to foundation and government deadlines. Overlaps with fundraising but is a writing and compliance job, not a relationship job, and many small nonprofits buy it as a contract service.
Title Inflation Costs You the Hire
Small nonprofits often offer a director title to a solo fundraiser because it is free and it feels generous. It is not free. Experienced candidates read a director posting and expect budget authority, staff, and a seat in board strategy, then discover in the second interview that the job is a portfolio and a mail calendar. You lose the candidate and the six weeks. Post the job you have, describe the autonomy honestly, and let the growth path be a real conversation instead of a title on an offer letter.
What Belongs in a Fundraiser Posting
A fundraiser job description does four jobs at once: it describes a measurable target, it filters people who support asks from people who make them, it protects you legally, and it closes the candidate. Most nonprofit postings do only the first and do it vaguely. Here is the full inventory.
The numbers that make it real
Portfolio size and gift range
Annual revenue goal in dollars
Visit or contact activity per month
Share of the budget that comes from contributed revenue
The parts that filter applicants
Whether the role asks, or only supports asks
CRM and database expectations
Evening, weekend, and travel requirements
Writing samples you will ask for
The parts that protect you
FLSA classification stated on the posting
A clear no-commission compensation statement
Essential functions written plainly
Equal opportunity statement
The parts that win the hire
Salary or a good-faith range
Who owns the relationships this person inherits
Board and executive director involvement in asking
A named person and a real deadline to apply
The omission that matters most is the ask itself. Plenty of applicants have fundraising on a resume because they coordinated events, wrote copy, or managed a database, and never once sat across from someone and asked for money. Say in the posting whether this role solicits or supports, because the two attract entirely different people. Our guide to writing a job description covers the general structure in more depth.
6 Fundraiser Job Description Templates to Download
Download all six as one file or copy them individually. Each follows the same structure used across our hiring templates: organization overview, position summary, key responsibilities, required qualifications, a classification and compliance note, an equal opportunity statement, and how to apply. The bracketed fields are the only parts you need to change.
Download All 6 Fundraiser Job Description Templates
Development officer, major gifts, annual giving, events, corporate and foundation relations, and part-time first hire. All in one download.
Fundraiser / Development Officer
The all-round hire
The general individual-contributor role: portfolio, appeals, acknowledgments, board support, and a written revenue goal.
Major Gifts Officer
Portfolio and visits
For a program built on larger relationships, with moves management, visit targets, and the commission warning stated plainly.
Annual Giving Manager
Appeals and retention
For the mail, email, and recurring giving engine, measured in response rate, average gift, retention, and cost to raise a dollar.
Fundraising Events Coordinator
Hourly, burst hours
For galas, auctions, and walks, with vendor management, volunteer coordination, and an honest non-exempt classification.
Corporate and Foundation Relations
Institutional pipeline
For proposals, sponsorships, and grant reporting, including restricted fund tracking and corporate partnership review.
Part-Time / First Fundraiser
Small nonprofit, first hire
For the organization hiring its first fundraising staff member, with the part-time exemption trap and contractor trap spelled out.
Template 1: Fundraiser / Development Officer
The general individual-contributor role, with portfolio, appeals, acknowledgments, board committee support, and a written revenue goal built in.
Fundraiser / Development Officer Job Description
FUNDRAISER (DEVELOPMENT OFFICER) JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Executive Director / Development Director / Board Chair]
Employment type: Full-time, [exempt / non-exempt: decide on duties]
Compensation: $_ per year, plus benefits
ABOUT [ORGANIZATION NAME]
[Organization Name] is a [501(c)(3) nonprofit / charitable trust] in [City,
State] working on [mission in one sentence]. Our annual budget is $[amount] and
[percentage] of it comes from contributed revenue. We are hiring a Fundraiser to
own the donor relationships that keep that revenue growing.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Fundraiser identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards individual and
institutional donors across the full giving cycle. This is a relationship role
first and an administrative role second: the person in this seat is expected to
be in front of donors, not only behind a keyboard.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Manage a portfolio of [number] donors and prospects at the $[amount] level
•Make [number] donor contacts and [number] in-person or video visits per month
•Research and qualify new prospects using [database / wealth screening / board
referrals]
•Write and deliver solicitations, proposals, and gift agreements
•Run the annual appeal cycle: [mail, email, year-end, giving day]
•Log every contact, proposal, and gift in [CRM name] within [number] days
•Issue timely gift acknowledgments that meet IRS substantiation requirements
•Staff the board development committee and prepare its reports
•Support [number] fundraising events per year alongside the events lead
•Report progress against a written goal of $[amount] per [year / quarter]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years of nonprofit fundraising, sales, or account management
•Demonstrated history of closing gifts or contracts at the $[amount] level
•Comfort asking for money directly, in person, without a script
•Working knowledge of a donor CRM and disciplined record keeping
•Strong writing: appeals, proposals, and acknowledgment letters
•Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends for donor events
•Valid driver license and reliable transportation for donor visits [if needed]
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE (read before posting)
Classify on duties, not on the title. A fundraiser who sets strategy, decides
which prospects to pursue, and negotiates gift terms may meet the FLSA
administrative exemption, which requires both a salary at or above the federal
threshold and a primary duty involving discretion and independent judgment on
matters of significance. A fundraiser whose day is data entry, mail merges, and
following a call script is non-exempt: track hours and pay overtime past 40 in a
week. Do not pay a percentage of funds raised; see the compensation note below.
This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Organization Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per year. We do not pay commission or a percentage of
funds raised; performance is recognized through [salary review / bonus tied to
overall organizational goals].
To apply, email __ with your resume and a short note about
the largest gift you have personally solicited.
Template 2: Major Gifts Officer
For a program built on fewer, larger relationships: moves management, visit targets, gift agreements, and the commission warning stated plainly.
Major Gifts Officer Job Description
MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Development Director / Executive Director]
Employment type: Full-time, exempt (confirm against duties and salary)
Compensation: $_ per year, plus benefits
Travel: [percentage] within [region]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Organization Name] is building a major gifts program to move beyond event and
grant income. We are hiring our [first / next] Major Gifts Officer to carry a
portfolio and to bring discipline to how we qualify, cultivate, and ask.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Major Gifts Officer carries a portfolio of [number] qualified prospects
capable of giving $[amount] or more, moves each one through a written
cultivation plan, and personally solicits gifts against an annual goal.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Carry a portfolio of [number] households or principals at $[amount] and above
•Build and maintain a written moves management plan for each relationship
•Complete [number] qualifying visits and [number] solicitations per [quarter]
•Draft proposals, gift agreements, and named recognition terms with the ED
•Partner with board members and the ED on their own portfolios and asks
•Steward donors after the gift: reporting, impact updates, and site visits
•Identify planned giving prospects and refer them to [advisor / counsel]
•Keep contact reports, ratings, and stages current in [CRM name]
•Report pipeline value, ask amounts, and closed gifts against goal monthly
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years carrying a fundraising or enterprise sales portfolio
•Verifiable record of closing gifts at or above $[amount]
•Skilled at discovery conversations and at asking without discounting
•Discretion with confidential donor and financial information
•Willingness to travel [percentage] and to meet donors on their schedule
•[CFRE credential preferred: optional, state your position]
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION NOTE
A major gifts officer usually meets the FLSA administrative exemption because
the primary duty involves discretion and independent judgment on matters of
significance, but the salary basis test still has to be satisfied with a
guaranteed weekly salary. Percentage-based or commission compensation is
condemned by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical
Standards and is a red flag to sophisticated donors, foundations, and charity
watchdogs. It also undermines the salary basis test if it replaces guaranteed
pay rather than sitting on top of it. Pay a market salary and, if you want
variable pay, tie it to organizational goals rather than to a share of the gift.
This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Organization Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per year, [benefits summary], [travel reimbursement].
To apply, email __ with your resume and a description of a
gift you cultivated from first meeting to close.
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Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
For the mail, email, and recurring giving engine, measured in response rate, average gift, donor retention, and cost to raise a dollar.
Annual Giving Manager Job Description
ANNUAL GIVING MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Development Director / Executive Director]
Employment type: Full-time, [exempt / non-exempt: decide on duties]
Compensation: $_ per year
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Organization Name] raises $[amount] each year from [number] donors giving under
$[amount]. That base funds [program] and feeds every major gift we will ever
close. We are hiring an Annual Giving Manager to run it as a program rather than
as a scramble each December.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Annual Giving Manager plans and executes the yearly calendar of appeals
across mail, email, and digital channels, grows the recurring giving program,
and reports on retention, average gift, and response rate.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Build and run the annual appeal calendar: [spring, fall, year-end, giving day]
•Write and produce direct mail and email appeals with [designer / vendor]
•Manage segmentation, list pulls, and suppression in [CRM name]
•Grow the monthly recurring giving program to [number] sustainers
•Own the donor acknowledgment process and its turnaround time
•Run donor retention efforts: welcome series, lapsed appeals, upgrades
•Coordinate peer-to-peer and workplace giving campaigns
•Report response rate, average gift, retention, and cost to raise a dollar
•Keep every list use compliant with our privacy and communication policy
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years in annual giving, direct response, or lifecycle marketing
•Hands-on CRM and email platform experience, including segmentation
•Strong short-form writing and a feel for what makes a donor open a letter
•Comfort with numbers: response rates, retention, cost per dollar raised
•Project management across overlapping deadlines and outside vendors
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Annual giving roles sit close to the exempt line. If the person sets the
strategy, chooses the segments, and controls the budget, the administrative
exemption may fit. If the person mainly executes a calendar someone else set,
pulls lists, and processes gifts, treat the role as non-exempt hourly and pay
overtime past 40 hours in a week. Year-end campaign weeks are exactly when that
overtime is earned, so decide before December rather than after. Written
acknowledgments have to meet IRS substantiation rules for gifts at or above the
federal threshold. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Organization Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per year, [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume and one appeal letter
you wrote.
Template 4: Fundraising Events Coordinator
For galas, auctions, and walks, with vendor and volunteer management and an honest non-exempt classification. For non-fundraising event work, the event coordinator templates fit better.
Fundraising Events Coordinator Job Description
FUNDRAISING EVENTS COORDINATOR JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Development Director / Executive Director]
[Organization Name] runs [number] fundraising events a year, including [gala,
golf outing, walk, auction, house parties], together raising $[amount]. We are
hiring an Events Coordinator to run the logistics end to end so our development
staff can stay focused on donors.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Fundraising Events Coordinator plans and delivers the organization's
fundraising events: venue, vendors, sponsors, registration, auction, run of
show, and the follow-up that turns an attendee into a donor.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Own the calendar, budget, and run of show for [number] events per year
•Secure venues, catering, and vendors, and manage contracts and deposits
•Support sponsorship sales and fulfill every sponsor benefit as promised
•Manage registration, ticketing, table assignments, and guest communication
•Run the silent or live auction: procurement, records, and bidder settlement
•Recruit, schedule, and brief event volunteers
•Ensure every ticket and auction receipt carries the required donor disclosure
about goods or services received in return
•Reconcile event revenue and expenses with [finance / bookkeeper]
•Deliver a written post-event report with net revenue and lessons learned
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years coordinating events, hospitality, or production logistics
•Vendor and contract management experience with a real budget
•Calm under pressure on event day and precise about details before it
•Availability for evenings, weekends, and setup or teardown shifts
•Ability to lift [weight] and stand for extended periods during events
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Treat this role as non-exempt unless you can honestly defend an exemption.
Event work concentrates hours in short bursts, and the weeks around a gala often
run well past 40 hours: those hours are overtime for a non-exempt employee and
have to be recorded and paid. Setup, teardown, and required travel between sites
generally count as hours worked. Volunteers are permitted, but an employee
cannot volunteer to do the same work you already pay them for. When a donor
receives goods or services in return for a payment, a separate disclosure duty
applies on top of the usual acknowledgment. This is general information, not
legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Organization Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [overtime policy], [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume and the budget size of
the largest event you have run.
Template 5: Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer
For the institutional pipeline: proposals, sponsorships, restricted fund tracking, and renewal strategy. If the job is purely writing to deadlines, use the grant writer templates instead.
Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer Job Description
CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION RELATIONS OFFICER JOB DESCRIPTION
Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Development Director / Executive Director]
Employment type: Full-time, [exempt: confirm against duties and salary]
Compensation: $_ per year
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Organization Name] receives $[amount] a year from institutional funders and
corporate partners, and we believe that number should be [amount]. We are hiring
a Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer to own that pipeline: research,
proposals, sponsorships, and the reporting that keeps funders renewing.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer builds and manages relationships
with institutional funders and business partners, from prospect research and
proposal through sponsorship fulfillment and grant reporting.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Maintain a pipeline of [number] institutional prospects and a rolling calendar
of deadlines, submissions, and reports
•Research funder priorities and match them honestly to our programs
•Write letters of inquiry, proposals, budgets, and final reports with [program
and finance staff]
•Sell and service corporate sponsorships, cause marketing, and matching gift
programs
•Coordinate employee volunteer days and workplace giving campaigns
•Track restricted funding terms and confirm that spending matches the award
•Prepare renewal strategy for every funder before the current award ends
•Keep funder records, deadlines, and requirements current in [CRM name]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[Number] years in institutional fundraising, grants, or B2B partnerships
•Proposal and report writing with a portfolio you can share
•Ability to read a program budget and build a project budget from it
•Attention to restricted gift terms and reporting deadlines
•[Grant management system / CRM] experience
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
If the role is mainly writing to specification against deadlines someone else
sets, look hard at the administrative exemption before assuming it applies. If
the role sets funder strategy, negotiates terms, and commits the organization,
the exemption is easier to defend. Restricted funds carry legal obligations:
money given for a stated purpose has to be spent on that purpose and tracked
separately, and misapplying it creates exposure with the funder and the state
charity regulator. If a corporate partnership involves promoting a product in
exchange for payment, review it with counsel for unrelated business income and
commercial co-venture rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Organization Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per year, [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume and one proposal or
report you wrote.
Template 6: Part-Time / First Fundraiser
For the organization hiring its first dedicated fundraising staff member, with the part-time exemption trap and the contractor trap spelled out.
Part-Time / First Fundraiser Job Description (Small Nonprofit)
Employment type: Part-time, [number] hours per week, non-exempt (hourly)
Compensation: $_ per hour
ABOUT THIS ROLE
[Organization Name] operates on a $[amount] budget with [number] staff. Until
now the Executive Director and the board have raised every dollar. We are hiring
our first dedicated Fundraiser, part-time, to build the basics: a clean donor
list, a repeatable appeal calendar, and a habit of thanking people well.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Part-Time Fundraiser builds and runs the organization's first structured
fundraising program: donor records, appeals, acknowledgments, and a small
portfolio of relationships, working [number] hours per week on a set schedule.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Clean up and maintain the donor database and giving history
•Run [number] appeals per year across mail and email
•Acknowledge every gift within [number] business days, with correct receipts
•Build a portfolio of [number] relationships and meet them in person
•Support the Executive Director and board members with their own asks
•Prepare a simple monthly report: gifts, donors, retention, and next steps
•Help prepare [number] grant applications alongside [staff / contractor]
•Recommend the first system upgrades we should make and why
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Experience fundraising, selling, or managing accounts in any sector
•Self-directed: this role has no fundraising colleague to learn from
•Clear writing and comfortable, direct conversation about money
•Basic spreadsheet and database skills
•[Number] hours of reliable weekly availability, including some evenings
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Two traps live in this exact role. First, part-time does not mean exempt: the
salary threshold is a weekly figure and is not prorated for part-time work, so a
part-time fundraiser almost never clears it. Pay hourly, track the hours, and
pay overtime past 40 in a week. Second, a first fundraiser is often hired as an
independent contractor to keep it simple. If you set the schedule, the tools,
the methods, and the priorities, that is an employee, and the misclassification
bill arrives with penalties. A genuine outside fundraising consultant runs their
own practice, serves other clients, and controls how the work gets done. Many
states also require professional fundraisers and fundraising consultants to
register and post a bond before soliciting; check with your state charity
regulator. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Organization Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour for [number] hours per week, [benefits or a
plain statement that none are offered at this level]
To apply, email __ with your resume and your availability.
Overtime, Commission, and Contractor Traps
Classification turns on duties and salary, not on the word fundraiser. The federal administrative exemption requires pay at or above the salary threshold plus a primary duty of office work directly related to management or general business operations, performed with discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance.
The current federal salary threshold is $684 per week, or $35,568 a year. The 2024 rule that would have raised it was vacated in November 2024 and formally rescinded in May 2026, so the older figure governs. Note that the threshold is weekly and is not prorated, which is why part-time fundraisers are almost always non-exempt. Our breakdown of exempt versus non-exempt classification works through the tests, and overtime rules covers what you owe once someone falls outside them.
Nonprofit status does not exempt you from the FLSA
Charitable purpose is not a wage and hour defense. Enterprise coverage reaches a nonprofit only when it does at least $500,000 a year of ordinary commercial business, and charitable program activity is not counted toward that figure, which is why many small nonprofits are not covered as enterprises. Individual coverage then does the work instead: an employee is covered personally when the job involves interstate commerce, and the Department of Labor treats out-of-state phone calls, interstate mail and email, ordering goods from another state, and handling credit card transactions as exactly that. A fundraiser emails donors in other states, mails appeals, and processes online gifts before lunch. Assume the role is covered, and get the classification right rather than hoping the organization falls outside the law.
Never pay a percentage of what the fundraiser raises
Commission fundraising is the single most common mistake small nonprofits make when they cannot afford a full salary. It is condemned by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards, it is a documented warning sign for foundations and charity watchdogs, and donors who learn that a share of their gift funded the ask react badly. It also causes wage and hour problems: the administrative exemption depends on a guaranteed weekly salary, so replacing salary with a share of proceeds can defeat the exemption you were relying on. Several states regulate paid solicitors separately and require disclosure of how much of a donation actually reaches the cause. Pay a market salary, and if you want variable pay, tie it to organizational goals rather than to a percentage of gifts.
Contractor, consultant, or employee
Hiring the first fundraiser as an independent contractor is tempting and often wrong. A genuine fundraising consultant runs their own practice, works with other clients, sets their own methods, and delivers a defined scope. A person who works your set hours, uses your database, follows your priorities, and reports to your executive director is an employee, whatever the agreement says. Misclassification here is expensive because it compounds: back overtime, payroll taxes, and penalties across the whole engagement. Many states additionally require professional fundraisers, fundraising counsel, and paid solicitors to register with the state charity regulator and to post a bond before soliciting, with separate registration required of the organization itself. Confirm the rules with your state attorney general or secretary of state before anyone starts asking for money.
Volunteers, board members, and the work you already pay for
Nonprofits may accept genuine volunteer service, including from board members who solicit gifts, and the Department of Labor accepts that individuals who volunteer their time for civic or charitable reasons without expectation of pay are not employees. The line that gets crossed is internal: a paid employee cannot volunteer to perform the same type of work you employ them to do. When your events coordinator stays until midnight at the gala, that is compensable time, not volunteering, and the same applies to the fundraiser who works the phones on a giving day. Track it. Put board solicitation expectations in the board agreement rather than in the employee job description, so the two never blur into unpaid staff hours. This is general information, not legal advice.
Nonprofit pay practice has its own conventions, and how nonprofits pay employees covers the ones that surprise first-time employers. Whatever you decide, write the classification into the posting. It sets expectations about evenings and event weekends before the offer instead of after.
Goals Worth Putting in Writing
A fundraiser job description without numbers is a wish. State the portfolio size, the activity expectation, and the revenue goal, and derive all three from your actual donor file rather than from the hole in your budget. Candidates who understand the work will check whether the math is possible.
What to state
Why it belongs in the posting
How to set it
Portfolio size
Tells the candidate whether this is a relationship job or a campaign job
Count qualified prospects you actually have, not names in the database
Gift range
Separates a major gifts hire from an annual giving hire
Look at your top 50 gifts over three years
Revenue goal
The single number the review will turn on
Build up from retention and average gift, not down from the budget gap
Visits or contacts per month
The leading indicator that predicts the goal
Set from the portfolio size and your travel radius
Share of revenue that is contributed
Shows how much rides on this seat
Take it from your most recent audited or reviewed financials
Whose relationships transfer
The most common unpleasant surprise in month two
List them before posting, then hand them over in writing
Board and ED participation in asks
Determines whether the role is supported or alone
Be honest; candidates verify this in references
Write the first year separately. A first-year goal framed as cleaning the file, stabilizing retention, and building a qualified pipeline attracts better candidates than an unbacked dollar figure, and it gives you a fair basis for the twelve-month review.
What to Pay a Fundraiser
The national median for fundraisers is $72,550 a year, but the spread from the 10th to the 90th percentile is nearly $70,000, so the median alone is a weak benchmark. Organization budget, gift level, and metro area drive the number far more than years of experience do.
National Wage Data for Fundraising Roles
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), fundraisers earned a median of $72,550 per year, or $34.88 per hour. The 10th percentile was $46,630, the 25th $57,480, the 75th $92,180, and the 90th $115,820. Fundraising managers, the classification covering development directors, had a median of $125,470 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates).
Role
Nearest BLS classification
National median (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
Fundraiser, development officer, major gifts officer
Fundraisers
$72,550 per year
Development director, chief development officer
Fundraising managers
$125,470 per year
Fundraising events coordinator
Meeting, convention, and event planners
$61,160 per year
Communications or donor marketing staff
Public relations specialists
$74,750 per year
Entry band for a fundraiser
Fundraisers, 10th percentile
$46,630 per year
Experienced band for a fundraiser
Fundraisers, 75th percentile
$92,180 per year
BLS publishes one occupation for fundraisers and one for fundraising managers, so major gifts officers, annual giving managers, and corporate relations officers all fall inside the fundraiser classification rather than getting a code of their own. Benchmark within that band using organization budget and gift level, and publish a good-faith range where pay transparency laws apply. Saying the range out loud also protects the sector norm against commission offers.
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Three sentences belong in every fundraiser posting: employment is contingent on a background check appropriate to a role with access to donor and financial records, the organization does not pay commission or a percentage of funds raised, and the role requires occasional evening and weekend work for donor events.
The background check line is not boilerplate for this job. A fundraiser sees giving histories, wealth ratings, board contact details, and in small organizations often touches gift processing. Our guides to running a background check and to state background check laws cover the process and the notice requirements you owe candidates.
Gift Records Are a Compliance Obligation, Not Just Good Manners
The acknowledgment your fundraiser sends is what allows a donor to substantiate a deduction. The IRS requires a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the organization for any contribution of $250 or more, stating the amount and whether any goods or services were provided in return (IRS, charitable contributions written acknowledgments). Write the turnaround time and the responsibility into the job description, because when acknowledgments slip, the donor finds out at tax time and the relationship pays for it.
Hiring a Fundraiser Without an HR Department
Small nonprofit fundraising hires fail in three predictable places: the posting describes an institution you are not, the goal is a number nobody tested, and onboarding hands over sensitive access with no paper trail. Each has a fix.
The executive director is also the HR department, and the fundraising department
At a small nonprofit the person writing the fundraiser job description is usually the executive director, between a board meeting and a program crisis, and often while personally carrying the donor relationships the new hire is supposed to take over. There is no HR office to hand the posting to, so it gets copied from a large institution and describes a job your organization cannot offer. Candidates notice: a posting that mentions a prospect research team, a stewardship coordinator, and a database administrator reads as fiction when the whole staff is four people. Write the real job. A strong fundraiser would rather see a small budget described honestly than a large one implied dishonestly, because the first tells them what their first year will actually look like.
The goal in the posting is a number nobody has tested
Small nonprofits routinely post a revenue goal pulled from the budget gap rather than from the donor base. If your file holds 400 lapsed donors averaging $60, no fundraiser is closing $500,000 in year one, and the ones who understand that will not apply. Build the goal from what exists: the number of qualified prospects, the average gift, retention over the last three years, and how much of the current revenue depends on relationships the executive director holds personally. Then state in the posting what the first year is for. A first-year goal framed as building the pipeline and stabilizing retention attracts better candidates than an unbacked dollar figure, and it gives you an honest basis for the review conversation twelve months later.
Onboarding a fundraiser means handing over relationships, access, and confidential records at once
A new fundraiser needs more sensitive access faster than almost any other hire: the donor database, giving histories, board contact information, wealth ratings, and the gift agreements that already carry restrictions. That access has to come with signed confidentiality terms, a documented handover of every relationship the executive director is transferring, and a record of who granted what. FirstHR runs that sequence as one workflow. The onboarding wizard sets the same steps for every hire, built-in e-signature captures the confidentiality and conflict-of-interest acknowledgments before access is granted, document management stores gift policies and restricted fund terms against the employee profile, and training modules cover donor privacy and acknowledgment procedure in the first week. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR. Note that FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll provider.
Once the offer is signed, the work shifts to a repeatable onboarding checklist, and the policies the new fundraiser has to acknowledge should already exist in a current nonprofit employee handbook rather than being written the week they start.
Key Takeaways
A fundraiser is an individual contributor who carries a portfolio and makes asks, while a development director owns the plan, the budget, and the staff, and the two need separate postings and separate pay bands.
State the portfolio size, the gift range, the revenue goal, and the monthly contact expectation, and build all four from your actual donor file rather than from your budget gap.
Classify on duties: strategy and independent judgment may support the administrative exemption above $684 per week, while gift processing, event execution, and part-time schedules generally do not.
Never pay a percentage of funds raised. It breaches the sector’s ethical standards, alarms institutional funders, and can defeat the salary basis the exemption depends on.
National medians (BLS OEWS, May 2025) run $72,550 for fundraisers and $125,470 for fundraising managers, with the fundraiser range spanning $46,630 at the 10th percentile to $115,820 at the 90th.
Put the background check, the no-commission statement, and the evening and weekend expectation in the posting, and complete confidentiality paperwork before granting donor database access.
A new fundraiser needs sensitive access faster than almost any other hire. FirstHR runs the same onboarding sequence every time, with e-signature for confidentiality and conflict-of-interest acknowledgments before database access, document storage for gift policies and restricted fund terms, and training modules for donor privacy in week one. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a fundraiser do?
A fundraiser identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards the donors who fund a nonprofit organization. In practice that means researching and qualifying prospects, building relationships over months rather than days, making direct asks in person or in writing, running mail and email appeals, acknowledging every gift correctly, and keeping the record of it all in a donor database. The job is measured in dollars raised, but it is done in conversations and follow-through. At a large institution the work splits into specialties: major gifts, annual giving, events, and institutional funding. At a small nonprofit one person covers all four, plus the board reporting, which is why the job description matters more there than anywhere else.
What should a fundraiser job description include?
Include seven things: the mission and budget in two sentences, the share of revenue that comes from contributed income, the portfolio size and gift range, the annual revenue goal in dollars, the activity expectation such as visits or contacts per month, the FLSA classification, and the pay. Then add the parts most nonprofits leave out: who currently owns the relationships this person will inherit, how involved the executive director and board are in asking, and an explicit statement that you do not pay commission or a percentage of funds raised. Finish with the equal opportunity statement, a named person to apply to, and a deadline. The six templates on this page follow that structure so you only rewrite the organization-specific parts.
How much does a fundraiser make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), the national median annual wage for fundraisers was $72,550, or $34.88 per hour. The spread is wide: the lowest 10 percent earned $46,630 or less, the 25th percentile was $57,480, the 75th percentile was $92,180, and the top 10 percent earned $115,820 or more. Fundraising managers, the classification covering development directors, had a median of $125,470. That range reflects organization size and gift level more than anything else. A part-time first fundraiser at a small community nonprofit and a major gifts officer at a hospital foundation share a job title and almost nothing else, so benchmark against organizations with a comparable budget and donor base in your metro area.
Are fundraisers exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
It depends on duties and salary, not on the title. A fundraiser who sets strategy, chooses which prospects to pursue, negotiates gift terms, and commits the organization may meet the FLSA administrative exemption, which requires a primary duty of office work directly related to management or general business operations, exercised with discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance, plus pay at or above the federal salary threshold of $684 per week. A fundraiser who processes gifts, pulls lists, and follows a script someone else wrote is non-exempt: track the hours and pay overtime past 40 in a week. Events coordinators are usually non-exempt, and part-time roles rarely clear the salary threshold because it is a weekly figure that is not prorated. Classify honestly before the busy season, not after. This is general information, not legal advice.
Should I pay a fundraiser commission on the money they raise?
No. Percentage-based fundraising compensation is condemned by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Code of Ethical Standards, and it damages you in three separate ways. Donors who discover that a share of their gift paid for the ask tend to stop giving. Foundations and charity watchdogs treat it as a governance warning sign during due diligence. And it creates a wage and hour problem, because the administrative exemption depends on a guaranteed weekly salary, so replacing salary with a share of proceeds can defeat the exemption you were counting on. Several states also regulate paid solicitors separately and require disclosure of how much of each donation actually reaches the cause. Pay a market salary. If you want variable pay, tie a modest bonus to organizational goals rather than to a percentage of individual gifts.
What is the difference between a fundraiser and a development director?
A fundraiser is an individual contributor and a development director manages the function. The fundraiser carries a portfolio, makes asks, writes appeals, and is measured on the relationships and dollars they personally move. The development director owns the fundraising plan and budget, supervises staff or contractors, works with the board development committee, and answers for total contributed revenue across every channel. The pay bands differ accordingly: BLS OEWS (May 2025) puts the fundraiser median at $72,550 and the fundraising manager median at $125,470. Small nonprofits often blur the two by giving a director title to a solo fundraiser with no staff and no budget authority, which sets the wrong expectation in the interview and the wrong salary in the offer.
Can a small nonprofit hire a fundraiser as an independent contractor?
Sometimes, but far less often than nonprofits assume. A genuine fundraising consultant runs an independent practice, serves other clients, controls their own methods and schedule, and delivers a defined scope of work. If you set the hours, provide the database, direct the priorities, and have the person report to your executive director, you have an employee regardless of what the agreement calls them, and misclassification compounds into back overtime, payroll taxes, and penalties across the entire engagement. There is a second layer specific to this field: many states require professional fundraisers, fundraising counsel, and paid solicitors to register with the state charity regulator and post a bond before soliciting, separately from the organization’s own charitable solicitation registration. Check with your state attorney general or secretary of state before anyone starts asking.
How do I hire a fundraiser with no HR department?
Run a short, fixed sequence and be honest at every step. Write the posting from your real donor file rather than from your budget gap: portfolio size, average gift, retention, and what year one is genuinely for. Post the salary range. Screen for evidence of asking, not for years in the sector, and ask every candidate to describe one gift they cultivated from first meeting to close. Include a written exercise, because appeal and proposal writing is half the job. Check references with people who saw the candidate solicit. Then onboard deliberately, because a fundraiser needs sensitive access fast: signed confidentiality terms before database access, a documented handover of every relationship, and a record of who granted what. FirstHR runs that sequence with e-signature, document management, and training modules. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
