Post job

Campaign fundraiser education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a campaign fundraiser. Campaign fundraisers usually study political science, business, or communication. 64% of campaign fundraisers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 97 real campaign fundraiser resumes to see exactly what campaign fundraiser education sections show.

The most common colleges for campaign fundraisers are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online campaign fundraiser courses to help get the education required to be a campaign fundraiser.

What education do you need to become a campaign fundraiser?

What degree do you need to be a campaign fundraiser?

The most common degree for campaign fundraisers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of campaign fundraisers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 13% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 64%
  • Master's, 13%
  • Associate, 8%
  • Doctorate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a campaign fundraiser?

You should major in political science to become a campaign fundraiser. 19% of campaign fundraisers major in political science. Other common majors for a campaign fundraiser include business and communication.

Most common colleges for campaign fundraisers

Campaign fundraisers often get their degrees at New York University, Western Washington University, and Regis University. Here are the most common colleges for campaign fundraisers in the US based on their resumes.
Campaign fundraiser common collegePercentages
New York University13.64%
Western Washington University4.55%
Regis University4.55%
University of Florida4.55%
Le Moyne College4.55%

Best majors for campaign fundraisers

RankMajorPercentages
1Political Science18.5%
2Business13.0%
3Communication9.3%
4Theatre5.6%
5Sociology5.6%

Best colleges for campaign fundraisers

The best colleges for campaign fundraisers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

A campaign fundraiser with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for campaign fundraisers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become campaign fundraisers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for campaign fundraisers

Advertising disclosure

1. Choosing an Objective for a Facebook Ad Campaign

coursera

By the end of this project, you will be able to choose the right Facebook Ad Campaign Objective for your brand using the Facebook Business Manager’s “Ads Manager”. Throughout this project, you will be able to identify all 11 types of Facebook Ad Campaign objectives and the difference between them. This will help you easily identify the right objective needed for your brand’s Ad Campaign on Facebook. This guided project is for intermediate level learners who know how to use Facebook’s Ads...

2. How to Set Up a Facebook Ads Campaign

coursera

By the end of this project, you will be able to set up a Facebook Ads campaign. Throughout the project, you will be able to create a Business Manager account and an Ad account. We will also be able to create a new Facebook Ads campaign and to select the right objective for it. Moreover, you will create the Ad Sets and set its elements: the budget, the duration, the audience, and the placement. Finally , you will be able to select an existing Ad to boost or to create an Ad from scratch which is...

3. Facebook Ads 2023: Launch Your Best Advertising Campaign

udemy
4.5
(283)

Move from simple to compelling advertising campaigns with Facebook Ads and increase your value in the business...

4. Marketing Campaign Strategy from A to Z

udemy
4.2
(544)

Learn how to launch a Marketing Campaign from start to finish...

5. Use Mailchimp to Build an E-mail Marketing Campaign

coursera

By the end of this project, you will create a customized email for a business marketing campaign using a free version of Mailchimp. You will be able to create an interactive email complete with a call to action that is professional and engaging to your audience. You’ll set up an email campaign as one of several powerful digital marketing campaign tools available in Mailchimp...

6. Fundraising and Development

coursera

Charitable giving is rebounding as the economy improves. Yet there is a shortage of qualified fundraising professionals to help organizations connect their needs with potential donors. Through four courses, you will gain the knowledge and skills to begin or advance your career in the high demand field of fundraising and development. This Specialization is designed to meet the rising demand for trained fundraising professionals...

7. Email Marketing 2021: Build and Launch Effective Campaigns

udemy
4.7
(617)

Learn How to Create an Effective Email Marketing Campaign That Makes Your Business More Successful...

8. Introduction to Security Awareness Campaigns

udemy
4.5
(10,878)

Understanding how awareness offers tangible results in reducing the likely hood of successful social engineering attacks...

9. From Brand to Image: Creating High Impact Campaigns That Tell Brand Stories

coursera

There are many different ways to approach clients to assess their needs and develop creative campaigns which fulfill your creative desires. Many agencies have established methodology, terminology and processes, and oftentimes, have spent decades or even years developing these processes. However, whether you are a freelancer, designer, illustrator, photographer or marketing director, or perhaps a small business owner, you will be looking to develop a simple process to create campaigns for...

10. Create a fundraising page on KissKissBankBank

coursera

At the end of this project, you will learn how to create a fundraising page on KissKissBankBank for personal or professional purposes. This Guided Project is an introduction to KissKissBankBank and is designed for people who want to have their own fundraising page for a non-profit, charity, social enterprise, community project, or to support someone in need. KissKissBankBank offers an online platform to create fundraising, on a small or large scale, which brings together a large community with...

11. Step by Step CM360 Tutorial (DoubleClick Campaign Manager)

udemy
4.6
(306)

Learn Programmatic Advertising with complete step by step tutorial for Double Click campaign manager...

12. Generate Leads With Facebook Ads For Local Business [2017]

udemy
4.3
(443)

Learn How To Generate 92 Leads in 7 days! The Step-By-Step Facebook Advertising System For Local Businesses 2017...

13. How to setup a followers campaign on Twitter

coursera

In this guided tutorial, you will learn how to setup a followers campaign on Twitter. Note: This tutorial works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We're currently working on providing the same experience in other regions...

14. Public Speaking: Be a Professional Speaker

udemy
4.3
(540)

Public Speaking: Learn how to position yourself as a professional speaker and market yourself...

15. How to Throw Events and Attract Corporate Sponsors

udemy
4.8
(334)

48 Industry Secrets that Make You More Money and Get More People to Your Events...

16. Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking

udemy
4.3
(293)

Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking - Presentation Skills - Communication Skills and Storytelling...

17. ChatGPT Marketing: Create Complete Campaigns w/ Chat GPT AI

udemy
4.7
(841)

Leverage AI & Chat GPT: Supercharge Your Marketing with Prompt Engineering & Drive Results with Artificial Intelligence!...

18. Facebook Ads & Facebook Marketing For Beginners 2023

udemy
4.6
(1,058)

Learn how to set up profitable Facebook Ads campaigns following a proven step by step process. Go From Zero to Hero!...

19. Digital Marketing For Non-Profits & Charities

udemy
4.3
(449)

Getting Started & Setting Priorities With Digital Marketing: Building An Audience, Communicating and Fundraising Online...

20. Investment Banking and Finance: Venture Capital Fundraising

udemy
4.6
(588)

Investment Banking and Finance; Venture Capital Fundraising Pitching to Investors Angels, Venture Capital, Crowdfunding...

Top 10 most affordable universities for campaign fundraisers

The most affordable schools for campaign fundraisers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for campaign fundraisers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for campaign fundraisers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for campaign fundraisers

The hardest universities for campaign fundraisers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California.

Some great schools for campaign fundraisers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for campaign fundraisers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for campaign fundraisers

The easiest schools for campaign fundraisers to get into are Barry University, holy names university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a campaign fundraiser without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for campaign fundraisers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

8. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

9. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

10. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

Average campaign fundraiser salary by education level

According to our data, campaign fundraisers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $48,240 annually. Campaign fundraisers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $45,343.
Campaign fundraiser education levelCampaign fundraiser salary
Master's Degree$48,240
Bachelor's Degree$45,343

Campaign fundraiser education FAQs

Search for campaign fundraiser jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse business and financial jobs