What Do Fundraisers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Fundraisers organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. May design and produce promotional materials. May also raise awareness of the organization’s work, goals, and financial needs. They also identify and build relationships with potential donors.

Other tasks include:

• Write and send letters of thanks to donors.
• Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.
• Develop fundraising activity plans that maximize participation or contributions and minimize costs.
• Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
• Create or update donor databases.
• Direct or supervise fundraising staff, including volunteer staff members.

We asked Fundraisers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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70% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 47% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Fundraisers direct or supervise fundraising staff, including volunteer staff members. They identify and build relationships with potential donors.

A typical day for a Fundraiser will also include:

• Write and send letters of thanks to donors.
• Create or update donor databases.
• Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.
• Monitor progress of fundraising drives.
• Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors.

We asked some Fundraisers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	100% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	29% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	87% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	72% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	34% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Fundraisers also conduct research to identify the goals, net worth, charitable donation history, or other data related to potential donors, potential investors, or general donor markets. They may also compile or develop materials to submit to granting or other funding organizations.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Fundraisers Monitor budgets, expense reports, or other financial data for fundraising organizations. They might also Write reports or prepare presentations to communicate fundraising program data.

In addition, they Explain the tax advantages of contributions to potential donors.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Recruit sponsors, participants, or volunteers for fundraising events.

To some Fundraisers, it is also their responsibility to Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Fundraiser, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/business-and-financial/fundraisers.htm

http://cfre.org/