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Hiring a fundraiser in Rochester, NY

Employers in the Rochester, NY area pay fundraisers a median of $75,000, with the middle half of the market between $60,790 and $94,570. Rochester residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $54,592, which is 27% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does a fundraiser earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Rochester, NY area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$60,790
Median$75,000
75th percentile$94,570

Half of fundraisers in this area earn between $60,790 and $94,570. A band set below $60,790 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Rochester residents earn

$54,592

Median earnings of Rochester residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 3,941 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 27% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Rochester rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
  • Secure commitments of participation or donation from individuals or corporate donors.
  • Write and send letters of thanks to donors.
  • Solicit cash or in-kind donations or sponsorships from individual, business, or government donors.
  • Create or update donor databases.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 13-1131.

Tools and technologies in demand

Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Salesforce software, Facebook.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Rochester?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 29.9% of Rochester adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Rochester commute runs 18.9 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 10.8% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Monroe County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 3,176 and turns over 9.7% a quarter, with 528 hires against 233 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,415 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about fundraisers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $15,000 to $22,500 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a fundraiser somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in Rochester

Related

Rochester is the 4th largest of 4 New York cities in this dataset.