Hiring a fundraiser in Washington, DC

Employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area pay fundraisers a median of $80,610, with the middle half of the market between $62,490 and $102,110. Washington residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $106,093, which is 32% above what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a fundraiser earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$62,490
Median	$80,610
75th percentile	$102,110

Half of fundraisers in this area earn between $62,490 and $102,110. A band set below $62,490 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Washington residents earn

$106,093

Median earnings of Washington residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 47,727 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 32% 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.

Residents here already earn more than this role pays, so your offer is competing with whatever they currently commute to.

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 Washington?

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 63.6% of Washington adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Washington commute runs 30.3 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 29.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In District of Columbia, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 5,340 and turns over 8.7% a quarter, with 705 hires against 702 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $13,392 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 $16,122 to $24,183 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.