Professional fundraiser vs special events fundraiser

The differences between professional fundraisers and special events fundraisers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a professional fundraiser and a special events fundraiser. Additionally, a special events fundraiser has an average salary of $52,039, which is higher than the $43,692 average annual salary of a professional fundraiser.

Professional fundraiser vs special events fundraiser overview

	Professional Fundraiser	Special Events Fundraiser
Yearly salary	$43,692	$52,039
Hourly rate	$21.01	$25.02
Growth rate	11%	11%
Number of jobs	43,441	12,637
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Professional fundraiser vs special events fundraiser salary

Professional fundraisers and special events fundraisers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Professional Fundraiser	Special Events Fundraiser
Average salary	$43,692	$52,039
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $74,000	Between $28,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between professional fundraiser and special events fundraiser education

There are a few differences between a professional fundraiser and a special events fundraiser in terms of educational background:

	Professional Fundraiser	Special Events Fundraiser
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Business	Management
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Texas at Austin

Professional fundraiser vs special events fundraiser demographics

Here are the differences between professional fundraisers' and special events fundraisers' demographics:

	Professional Fundraiser	Special Events Fundraiser
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 46.0% Female, 54.0%	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 5.2% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 6.0% Asian, 4.4% White, 82.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between professional fundraiser and special events fundraiser duties and responsibilities

Professional fundraiser example responsibilities.

Mentore new and struggling CSP's to help them reach and achieve their goals.
Contact alumni to update/verify their personal information and raise money for the university through gifts from alumni and friends of the university
Monitor complaint database assign customers grievances to designate department or CSR for further investigation and resolution.

Special events fundraiser example responsibilities.

Manage reservations and priority seating for VIP diners to ensure customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business.
Manage reservations and priority seating for VIP diners to ensure customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business.
Utilize negotiation techniques as a student ambassador to acquire monetary gifts and increase awareness.

Professional fundraiser vs special events fundraiser skills

Common professional fundraiser skills

Alumni, 22%
Non-Profit Organization, 14%
Telephone Calls, 11%
Customer Service, 11%
Outbound Calls, 9%
Charitable Donations, 9%

Common special events fundraiser skills

Professional Fundraiser vs. similar jobs

Professional Fundraiser related careers

Professional Fundraiser related jobs

What similar roles do

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Business and Financial Industry
Professional Fundraiser
Professional Fundraiser vs Special Events Fundraiser

Updated January 8, 2025

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