How to hire a fundraising officer

How to hire a fundraising officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step fundraising officer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a fundraising officer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new fundraising officer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your fundraising officer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a fundraising officer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A fundraising officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, fundraising officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents fundraising officer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Fundraising Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Fundraising Officer	Fundraisers organize events and campaigns to raise money and other donations for an organization. They may design promotional materials and increase awareness of an organization’s work, goals, and financial needs.	$19-95
   Major Donor Coordinator	The major function of a donor coordinator is to oversee the full implementation of activities such as fundraising or gift-giving. They manage all the transactions of the clients, donors, and volunteers, depending on the organization... Show more	$16-32
   Director Of Capital Giving	A director of capital giving oversees program operations to ensure they run smoothly and efficiently according to company standards and regulations. They primarily set goals and protocols, establish timelines and budgets, perform market research and analyses, review and assess applications, and make decisions... Show more	$32-71

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Fundraising Strategy
   • Alumni
   • Press Releases

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage monthly progress meetings and promote education and leadership opportunities through skill-building activities.
   • Contact alumni students to secure benefactors for the university.
   • Develop and implement grassroots marketing to increase awareness, including developing the annual marketing plan.
   • Work with both candidates on successful major-gift solicitation practices, high-dollar events, and PAC solicitations.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your fundraising officer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A fundraising officer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, fundraising officers' average salary in hawaii is 65% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level fundraising officers earn 79% less than senior-level fundraising officers.
   • Certifications. A fundraising officer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a fundraising officer's salary.

   Average fundraising officer salary

   $91,119yearly

   $43.81 hourly rate

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   Entry-level fundraising officer salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

4. Writing a fundraising officer job description

   A good fundraising officer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a fundraising officer job description:

   Fundraising officer job description example

   The Senior Gifts Officer will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects and donors in support of the overall annual and long-term fundraising goals of the organization. The major gifts officer will be well organized and have exceptional writing and inter-personal skills.
   
   ? Conduct all foundation business in an ethical and respectful manner in adherence with the Compliance and Ethics Program.
   ? Manage a portfolio of approximately 120 major gift prospects.
   
   ? Implement a comprehensive donor development plan for assigned constituents.
   
   ? Identify major gift prospects, identify areas of interest and prepare proposals to secure funding.
   
   ? Review prospect research (including private foundation 990 tax returns) and develop prospecting strategies, matching prospects to funding opportunities.
   
   ? Cultivate, solicit, and steward assigned constituents.
   
   ? Document constituent activities in Raiser's Edge NXT, monitor timeliness of gift entry and donor acknowledgement.
   
   ? Support strategic planning efforts, events, and giving initiatives of the team.
   
   ? Participate in budget planning, review, and accounting.
   
   ? Contribute content to newsletters, electronic correspondence and other mass communications as requested.
   
   ? Participate in continuing education opportunities and industry associations that will promote the Avow brand and/or develop fundraising expertise.
   
   ? Perform other duties as assigned.
   
   Computer Skills:
   
   Knowledge of basic typing skills, data entry and word processing software.
   
   Familiarity in database software (preference given to Raiser's Edge NXT) and general knowledge of Outlook and Microsoft office products is required.
   
   Education/Experience:
   
   Bachelor's degree required.
   
   Minimum of 5 years fundraising/development experience.
   
   CFRE preferred.
   
   Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
   
   Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
   
   Ability to effectively present information to management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
   
   Strong written and personal communication skills required.
   
   Mathematical Skills: Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.
   
   Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
   
   Reasoning Ability:
   
   Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Valid Florida driver's license.
   
   CFRE preferred.
   
   Physical Demands: (The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.) While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
   
   The employee must be willing to provide own transportation to travel/drive to any location in Collier County.
   
   Work Environment: (The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.) While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

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5. Post your job

   To find fundraising officers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any fundraising officers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level fundraising officers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your fundraising officer job on Zippia to find and recruit fundraising officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with fundraising officer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new fundraising officer

   Once you've found the fundraising officer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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