How to Become a Fundraising Manager?
If you are interested in becoming a fundraising manager this profession comes with great responsibilities. The responsibility of fundraising managers is to supervise all the fundraising functions for the company or organizations they work for. We can say that behind a successful company, there is the expert hand of the fundraising manager. With their advice, the company earns a profit. So, how to become a Fundraising Manager?
Quick Takeaways
- To become a fundraiser manager, you need to have a bachelor’s degree.
- After completing your bachelor’s degree you need to have related experience.
- Once you gain related experience you need to gain the related certifications.
However, you must read till the end so that you get a great understanding of how to become a fundraiser manager.
Who is a fundraising manager?
A fundraising manager is a person who has leadership qualities and who holds a leadership position in a company in fundraising or development. Fundraising and fund development has a small difference. A fund development manager has the role of strategically directing fundraisers whereas fundraising means raising money for the company.
The job of the manager is to develop and perform strategies for the organization the manager is working for. they also involve the strategic planning varieties of fundraising actions. Planning and proper viewing of fundraising campaigns are also handled by the fundraising manager. The work of a manager varies from day to day as to what type of fundraising they are involved in. When a person is successful in a fundraising manager profile who is focused on the awareness of fundraising might speak with journalists, write press releases, and so on.
What does a fundraising manager do?
The job of the manager is to organize the programs and the campaigns to raise money. They also manage the document that is meant for promoting a business by the company’s name and promoting the logo of the company. They also design promotional materials for increasing awareness of the company or the organization’s work, experience, goals, and financial needs of the organization.
How to become a fundraising manager?
The fundraiser mainly needs a bachelor’s degree and includes strong communication and organizational skills. The organization mostly prefers candidates who know and studied public relations, journalism, communications, English, and business.
1. Education needed to become a fundraising manager:
The variety of academic backgrounds may have a fundraiser. But the preference is given to the candidates who are having a bachelor’s degree in public relations, journalism, communication, and English. However, a degree in a different subject may be acceptable. You can also get an MBA degree to become a fundraiser manager.
2. Other experiences for fundraisers:
The work experience and the internships are important in the case of getting a highly-paid position as a fundraiser. The fundraising campaign for awareness can be done face-to-face or over the phone. The fundraiser should have experience with this type of work of organizing the campaign.
3. The certification, license, and registration:
CFRE International offers the certified fundraising executive designation for fundraisers. As a certification is an additional option for fundraisers but it can demonstrate the level of the ability to do something. For keeping the certification valid the fundraisers have to apply for renewal every 3 years. Advancing the fundraiser manager position required a master’s degree, including work experience as a fundraiser.
Skills needed in a fundraising manager:
The following are the skills needed to be a fundraising manager-
1. Writing and speaking skills:
The fundraiser manager should have the skill to explain the project, what the project consists of, about the organization, and also the writing skills of the preliminary version of a piece of writing for the organization or company.
2. Organizational skills:
The candidate should have the skills to organize the work with planning so that there is no mess of work. By organizing the work the team doesn’t feel the workload and all the projects, and campaigns are done more effectively, and in an organized manner which attracts the new financial donor more. With this skill, you can also become the CLO of a company.
3. Creative problem-solving skills:
The fundraiser has problem-solving skills. They should know what to speak and when to speak and attract the new financial donor. and deal with critical situations easily.
4. Interpersonal skills:
The fundraiser has to meet face-to-face with the people they should have the quality to express gratitude, and also answer their questions and any query is there.
5. Leadership skill:
The fundraiser is leading a team with the other employees. The person must have leadership skills, how manage the team, and how to direct them about the work.
Salary of a fundraising manager by seniority:
- Starting level fundraising manager earnings:
$30.89 per hour | $64250 per year |
- Junior-level fundraising manager earnings
$40.44 per hour | $84120 per year |
- Mid-level fundraising manager earnings
$55.19 per hour | $114800 |
- Senior-level fundraising manager earnings
$57.15 per hour | $118862 per year |
The Fundraising Manager’s salary depends on these factors:
1. Year of experience:
The main factor in a high-range salary is the year of experience. The candidate who has more working experience will be paid more as compared to the other with less working experience or no working experience.
2. Education level:
A fundraiser with an advanced academic background will pay more. For example, a person with a master’s degree will have a high-range of salary as compared to a person with a bachelor’s degree.
3. Geographic location:
The geographic location is also a factor in having a salary range high. It varies from state to state or district to district.
Conclusion:
One of the reasons behind the progression of a company or organization is the fundraising manager. Their dedication to the organization leads it to the top. the manager should possess all the skills mentioned above and should love his/her job. The fundraiser should be a good listener and ambitious toward the work.