Fundraising Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a fundraising manager job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a fundraising manager. Feel free to use our fundraising manager job description template to produce your own fundraising manager job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a fundraising manager.
Who is a Fundraising Manager?
A fundraising manager is a member of a nonprofit organization’s executive team in the fundraising or development division. Fundraising is the process of requesting and amassing voluntarily provided financial donations from individuals, corporations, nonprofit organizations, or governmental bodies. Even though efforts to raise money for nonprofit organizations are commonly referred to as fundraising, the term is occasionally used to describe the process of finding and approaching investors or other potential sources of funding for for-profit businesses. Non-profit organizations can raise money for their activities in a big way through fundraising. These operations might cover a huge variety of subjects, including charity or religious organizations, public broadcasting stations, research organizations, political campaigns, and environmental concerns. Therefore, fundraisers are professionals with a focus on generating money for a business or a particular cause.
The responsibility of a fundraising manager is to create and carry out the organization’s fundraising plans. This strategic planning and execution might include a range of fundraising activities, from holding gala events and submitting grant proposals to asking for large gifts from potential contributors and promoting donor community engagement. Another essential aspect of a fundraising manager’s job is organizing and managing fundraising initiatives. They could, for instance, employ a capital campaign to quickly raise a significant sum of money — frequently for a particular project. Or, they can manage a yearly campaign with a focus on reactivating past donors. Communicating with supporters who promise to match other contributions is another crucial duty. As a means of raising money, these experts might also seek planned giving. In this situation, a fundraising manager will need to be knowledgeable about the tax repercussions of various philanthropic endeavours one might include in estate planning. Many learnable skills and competencies are necessary for the job of fundraising manager, but some innate abilities and character traits can also make someone like and succeed in this position. A competent fundraiser will be an attentive listener who pays close attention to the requirements of the organization as well as what potential donors have to say. In addition, they will be a good team builder whose inspirational energy propels all employees, volunteers, and even funders toward a common goal and mission. When an organization needs assistance, charisma and excitement can effectively energize the community.
Depending on the type of fundraising they do, a fundraising manager’s daily tasks can change. Researching a person’s or an organization’s net worth, philanthropic objectives, and gift history, for instance, is part of discovering and interacting with potential donors. A fundraising manager, however, might spend time supervising the creation of videos and other types of content if their organization finds new donors through social media. Writing press releases, speaking with journalists, or creating and disseminating promotional materials are some of the methods employed by someone whose goal is to increase awareness. While performing these tasks, the fundraising manager will keep track of each initiative’s development as well as how far the organization is getting closer to its fundraising objectives. Additionally, they will ensure that all fundraising initiatives are in line with the departmental budget of the organization and any fundraising guidelines they may have helped to create. Organizations generally rely on more than one person to support these crucial efforts because generating money is such a large task. In addition to managing volunteers, fundraising managers may also oversee other staff personnel. They will converse with donors, partners from the community, and other stakeholders in addition to organizational executives. As a fundraising manager, there may be opportunities for you to learn from and receive mentoring from the head of fundraising or other more senior staff members of your organization. You may also be able to attend training sessions and industry-specific events to keep your skills sharp and stay abreast of the most recent fundraising trends.
Fundraising Manager Job Description
What is a fundraising manager job description? A fundraising manager job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a fundraising manager in an organization. Below are the fundraising manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a fundraising manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a fundraising manager include the following:
- Build trusting relationships with customers in every industry, including journalists and governmental officials.
- Make sure to always post press releases on the firm’s website and social media accounts in addition to preparing them for submission to the neighbourhood newspaper.
- Assign responsibilities to each member of the fundraising team, and occasionally evaluate those responsibilities to make sure everyone is making progress as expected.
- Promote events frequently to maintain the non-excellent profit’s public image.
- Determine which events and marketing initiatives are successful and which ones should be scrapped by evaluating their effectiveness.
- Attend special events hosted by the non-profit, such as parties or charitable events, and discuss the benefits of the group with attendees.
- Prepare budgets each quarter to ascertain the requirements of the fundraising department.
- Create policies with the board of directors and participate in meetings to decide the non-overall profit’s course.
- Utilize the company’s established connections with media outlets, governmental organizations, and private companies to manage continuing fundraising efforts among donors.
- Direct and put into practice innovative fundraising methods based on best practices and digital market research.
- Ensure compliance with business policy and mission by supervising the creation of all campaign promotional materials.
- Create fresh PR campaigns to raise awareness of campaign requirements.
- Budget for fundraising; manage.
- Concentrate on planned giving, annual giving initiatives, and philanthropy operations.
- Cooperate with the copywriter, printer, etc. to create promotional materials for fundraising.
- Organize and manage the work and schedules of the public relations team.
- Offer timely and helpful performance reviews.
- Create a database with your strategy plan, notes, and next steps.
- Manage employee reprimands and terminations in compliance with corporate policy.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in public relations, fundraising, or a similar profession.
- A Master’s degree is an advantage.
- 3–5 years of experience in fundraising
- Prior sales or marketing expertise is required.
- Extensive understanding of public relations concepts and techniques.
- Solid understanding of the nonprofit industry.
- Knowledge of team leadership.
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent communication abilities in writing, speaking, and on the phone.
- Creativity and the ability to consider fresh awareness-raising strategies
- The capacity to carry out a variety of marketing plans and advertising campaigns.
- Excellent attention to detail and organization.
- Excellent time management abilities and a track record of meeting deadlines
Essential Skills
- Organizational skills: Campaigns must be organized because a fundraising manager supervises several at once. To guarantee that all campaigns are running properly, they must be able to assign tasks based on importance and assign responsibility. Their ability to stay organized will also help them keep track of data related to fundraising, such as donor information, campaign objectives, and campaign costs. A skilled fundraiser may have to accomplish certain objectives or milestones, move along a fundraising calendar, or complete smaller tasks like events to achieve larger objectives. Their completion and success depend on your ability to plan and manage these milestones.
- Time management skills: Time management is the capacity to organize and complete things within a predetermined window of time. You can have more than one campaign to plan and carry out simultaneously as a fundraising manager. To ensure that you can do all of your tasks on time, you will need to have great time management abilities.
- Interpersonal skills: Fundraisers will probably meet in person with major donors or loyal supporters to express their gratitude, respond to their inquiries, and sustain continued support.
- Communication skills: Information transfer to others is referred to as communication. You could be in charge of interacting with contributors, volunteers, board members, and other stakeholders as a fundraising manager. Maintaining relationships, fostering teamwork, and informing everyone about the organization’s fundraising objectives may all be accomplished with effective communication. The project, cause, or organization should be made worthwhile clearly and concisely by the fundraising management. Inquiries on the usage of the money raised may also need to be answered. Additionally, writing abilities are necessary for composing grant proposals or communicating with benefactors.
- Leadership skills: A fundraising manager’s leadership abilities are of valuable advantage. You can have managerial responsibilities for a group of volunteers or staff members engaged in a fundraising effort. You may inspire your team to work hard by using leadership abilities. You can utilize your leadership abilities to give your team members jobs and duties. The fundraising manager may supervise groups of workers, which entails the use of leadership skills such as task delegation, administration, and vision casting.
- Financial literacy: Fundraising managers who want to effectively track their fundraising efforts must have a basic awareness of financial ideas and terminology because they also perform bookkeeping, accounting, and other fundamental financial management activities. This includes understanding how to read and write a budget as well as how to construct and comprehend financial statements. Fundraising managers must have a fundamental knowledge of both fund-raising and resource allocation. Knowing how to set fundraising objectives, monitor fundraising progress, and assess fundraising efforts are all part of this.
How to Become a Fundraising Manager
Step 1. Education
The standard educational requirement for fundraising managers is a bachelor’s degree in a related discipline, such as business, communications, or public relations. Marketing, communications, and nonprofit management are some of the most popular degrees for fundraising managers. Most aspiring fundraising managers hold a bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, communications, or a related field. English may be another fundraiser’s major. Additionally, a lot of colleges offer courses on fundraising that cover the rules and legislation governing fund-raising, tactics for organizing successful events, and efficient ways to find and apply for foundation and governmental funding. To ensure that donors receive the most possible tax benefits from their contributions, fundraisers who plan to handle significant donations may pursue advanced legal or financial degrees.
Step 2. Training & Experience
In their new positions, fundraising managers generally undergo on-the-job training. The mission, objectives, and goals of the organization, as well as its fundraising strategies and tactics, may be covered in this training. Learning about the computer systems and software used by the organization may also be part of the training. For fundraisers, developing a track record of achievement is crucial. In nonprofit organizations, the development division is frequently where aspiring fundraising managers begin their careers. Here, they can manage donor databases, create grant applications, and plan fundraising events. Future professionals can gain communication skills by assisting in the planning and management of fundraising campaigns that target diverse contributor categories in these lower-level positions. In their prior positions, fundraising managers might also obtain training. For instance, a fundraiser might start as a fundraising assistant before moving up to a fundraising manager position.
Step 3. Certifications & Licenses
Professionals can demonstrate their qualifications to potential employers by obtaining certifications. Certifications are available for fundraising managers, allowing them to demonstrate their professional competence, learn more about the specifics of their daily tasks, and progress their careers. The Public Relations Society offers accreditation for Fundraising Managers, while it is not required. Candidates that meet the requirements must pass an exam to be certified, which is based on years of experience. It is also possible to obtain the Accredited Business Communicator accreditation from the International Association of Business Communicators.
Where to Work as a Fundraising Manager
Universities and museums, as well as social welfare, religious, and scientific institutions, are among the organizations that employ fundraising managers. Even though many of these organizations are huge ones, competent fundraising managers can also be an asset to smaller nonprofit organizations. Occasionally, fundraising managers must travel for meetings and events, but most of the time they are employed by nonprofit organizations and operate from offices. Managers of fundraising initiatives may travel locally, nationally, or even globally to meet with contributors or potential donors or to attend conferences. Many fundraising managers, particularly those who are independent contractors or consultants, operate from home.
What essential fundraising objectives and initiatives these managers will undertake can depend on the sort of industry. You will gain more experience with the types of donors, fundraising initiatives, and difficulties that you may encounter in a leadership post if you develop professional competence in a particular area. Over the following ten years, a faster-than-average increase in the number of fundraising managers is anticipated. Fundraising managers are necessary for organizations that rely on contributions from private citizens, foundations, and businesses to maintain their operational funding. Additionally, managers of fundraising efforts will be required to assist NGOs in boosting their endowments and other permanent resources.
Fundraising Manager Salary Scale
Salary ranges for fundraising managers depend on their level of education, years of experience, and the size and sector of the company. Additionally, they might be paid in the form of commissions or bonuses. When you initially start fundraising in the UK, you may expect to make between £15,000 and £20,000 per year. Then, if you choose to work as a manager, you may anticipate making between £25,000 and £28,000 a year. You could make anything between £20,000 and £55,000 depending on your expertise, your function, your area, and the organization you work for, as described above. In the US, a fundraising manager has an average salary of $104,725. Usually, the range is between $84,653 and $119,110. In Nigeria, the average monthly salary for a fundraising manager is about 481,000 NGN. From 236,000 to 751,000 NGN is the salary range.
