How To Become A Special Events Fundraiser: What It Is and Career Path

What is a special events fundraiser and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a special events fundraiser. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.02 an hour? That's $52,039 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 11% and produce 11,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSpecial Events FundraiserUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,039

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 4.39%

Black or African American 3.24%

Hispanic or Latino 6.01%

Unknown 3.63%

White 82.44%

Gender

female 75.68%

male 24.32%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a special events fundraiser

Explore special events fundraiser education requirements

Most common special events fundraiser degrees

Bachelor's

74.1 %

Associate

11.1 %

High School Diploma

7.4 %

Complete relevant special events fundraiser training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New special events fundraisers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a special events fundraiser based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real special events fundraiser resumes.

Research special events fundraiser duties and 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.

Prepare your special events fundraiser resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your special events fundraiser resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a special events fundraiser resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable special events fundraiser resume templates

Build a professional special events fundraiser resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your special events fundraiser resume.