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Fundraising director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a fundraising director. Fundraising directors usually study business, communication, or political science. 77% of fundraising directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 963 real fundraising director resumes to see exactly what fundraising director education sections show.
The most common colleges for fundraising directors are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.
There are also many online fundraising director courses to help get the education required to be a fundraising director.
What education do you need to become a fundraising director?
What degree do you need to be a fundraising director?
- Bachelor's, 77%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 8%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a fundraising director?
- Business, 22%
- Communication, 12%
- Marketing, 6%
- Other Majors, 51%
Most common colleges for fundraising directors
| Fundraising director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Florida | 10.66% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 7.38% |
| University of California - Davis | 7.38% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.38% |
| Cornell University | 5.74% |
Best majors for fundraising directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 21.8% |
| 2 | Communication | 12.3% |
| 3 | Political Science | 9.1% |
| 4 | Marketing | 5.9% |
| 5 | Management | 5.5% |
Best colleges for fundraising directors
The best colleges for fundraising directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A fundraising director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for fundraising directors. 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 fundraising directors.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819
7. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for fundraising directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for fundraising directors
The most affordable schools for fundraising directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for fundraising directors 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 fundraising directors.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for fundraising directors
The hardest universities for fundraising directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for fundraising directors 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 fundraising directors 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for fundraising directors
The easiest schools for fundraising directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, holy names university, and wayland baptist university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a fundraising director 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 fundraising directors.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average fundraising director salary by education level
| Fundraising director education level | Fundraising director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $106,828 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $93,666 |
Fundraising director education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025