Before jumping into a career field, it’s good to do some self-evaluation to make sure you’ll be a good fit for your role, and your industry as a whole. If you’re an organized person, you have good attention to detail, administrative flair and show a demonstrable interest in fundraising and marketing, then you’ll probably be perfect for a job in this field.
If you'd like to learn more about what it takes to become a fundraising administrator, then have a look below; we've put together everything you'll need to get started!
Education Needed to Become a Fundraising Administrator
You'll likely just need to have, or be working towards, a high school diploma (or equivalent). Even though your employer may not require it, taking courses, (or an entire diploma or degree) in the following areas may be particularly helpful to get a job in this field and to advance in your career:
• Accounting
• Business Administration
• Non-Profit administration
• Communications
• Marketing
• Event Planning
General Job Description
As a fundraising administrator, you would be responsible for the effective maintenance and management of a charitable or non-profit organization’s donation process in all formats: from numerical data entry of incoming online/offline donations to preparing outgoing receipts, letters and reports.
Some employers may ask a little more of you, wanting you to help with functions such as marketing and event planning. In general however, your duties would be largely clerical.
Typical Job Duties
Although your specific duties can vary from one job to the next, you could expect to perform the following duties as a fundraising administrator:
• Compile statistical information on donations and prepare periodic reports based on that information
• Maintain and regularly update data using spreadsheets and other computer software
• Respond to internal and external inquiries and provide information, advice and support when necessary
• Ensure stationary levels are maintained and organized
• Accurately maintain and amend donor details, daily statistics and all data related to donations
• Prepare outgoing letters and receipts for donors
Experience Needed
Some employers may only give you a shot if you have previous experience, while others will give you an interview without related experience; it all depends on what kind of candidate they are looking for. Related experience could include working in the non-profit/charity world, or it could involve working in other administrative, customer service, fundraising or administrative roles.
Crucial Skills You’ll Need
To be hired as a fundraising administrator, and to perform your job with competence, you will need to possess certain skills, including:
• Able to compose letters to internal and external customers
• Able to work with numbers, and comfortable with basic arithmetic
• Able to meet deadlines and prioritize tasks experience of
• Competence in using office software such as Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Able to maintain focus and accuracy when imputing data
• Good communication skills in person, on the telephone and in writing
Areas of Specialization
As a fundraising administrator, you can either be a generalist, or your work can be focused within certain areas of fund development, including:
• Annual giving
• Capital campaigns
• Direct mail
• Grant research and preparation
• Major gifts
• Planned giving
• Prospect research
• Special events
• Stewardship and recognition
Salary Level Typical to This Field
The salary or wage you might earn as a fundraising administrator can vary, due to the following factors:
• Your level of education
• Your level of experience
• Your specific level of responsibility
• The size and type of your employer
• The region in which you work
Unfortunately, there is no salary data available for this specific career from reputable sources. We can however, get a good idea of what they earn by looking at the salary figures of workers in closely related occupations.
Fundraising Administrator Salary - United States: According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary level of American workers in the Secretaries and Administrative Assistants occupational group is $35,970 per year.
Salary - Canada: According to the 2019 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans working in the "administrative assistants" occupational group earn an average salary of $52,068 per year. According to WorkBC, the annual provincial median salary of "administrative assistants" is $45,760. No similar statistics were available from reliable sources for other Canadian provinces or territories at the time of writing (July 29, 2019).
Who Employs Fundraising Administrators?
As a fundraising administrator professional, you could be employed by many different types of charitable, not-for-profit and public sector organizations, such as:
• Amateur sports organizations
• Consulting firms (provide fundraising services on a contractual basis)
• Cultural and arts organizations
• Disease related organizations
• Educational institutions
• Health care facilities
• Religious organizations
• Self-employed (providing services on a contractual basis)
• Social service agencies
• Charities
Fundraising Administrator Jobs - Current Opportunities
Our job board below has "fundraising administrator" postings in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, when available:
Work Environment
Setting: Your work would take place in an office setting, or possibly from home. You may be required to travel short distances during your workday to perform various functions, such as bank deposits, or meeting with donors.
Hours: Your working hours would reflect the operating hours of the office that employs you (most likely work normal, weekday business hours). Your schedule could vary to include evenings and weekends, depending on whether or not you need to complete time-sensitive tasks and projects.
Working Conditions: As an administrator your day would involve a mix of standing, sitting, speaking on the phone, composing letters and emails, filing documents, and possibly lifting boxes of documents and office supplies. Your work may be stressful at times, such as when facing tight deadlines, or dealing with frustrated stakeholders, however being involved in fundraising initiatives can be very rewarding.
Career Advancement Possibilities
Displaying competence and a good work ethic can afford you plenty of career advancement options in this field, including:
• Moving into supervisory or management positions within fundraising administration
• Moving into positions of greater responsibility and pay, such as Development Associate, or Fundraiser
• Moving into specialized areas, such as annual giving, major gifts, prospect research, or others
• Becoming self-employed as a fund development or administration consultant
• Taking on a similar role in another organization
Similar Occupations
Listed below are occupations in our database that have similar responsibilities, and/or require similar skills, or be in the same sector of industry, as "fundraising Administrator":
• Customer Service Representative
References
The salary information for this career guide was retrieved from the reputable, government administrated websites listed below. All other information has been compiled from actual job postings from various organizations.
Occupations in Alberta: “Fund Development Professional.” (March 31, 2019). ALIS website - Alberta Learning Information Service. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
Management: “Public Relations and Fundraising Managers.” (September 4, 2019). Occupational Outlook Handbook - United States Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
Career Articles: “Decoding the job description: Fundraising manager.” Harris Hill (October 23, 2019) Third Sector website. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
Please Note: Much of the information for this career guide was gathered from actual job postings, which due to the brief nature of their online presence, are not listed here as sources.
Scholarships for Becoming a Fundraising Administrator
The "Applicable Majors" section below shows fields of study relevant to a career as a fundraising administrator. You can search for scholarships matched to those fields of study on our All Scholarships by Major page.
Success Tip: Be sure to apply for any scholarships that you even barely qualify for, as there are millions of dollars of scholarships that go unused every year due to a lack of applicants!
Applicable Majors
Studying one of the college/university majors listed below can be helpful (or are necessary) for working in this field. Click on the links to find out what else you can do with these majors!
