Fundraisers build persuasion, negotiation and coordination skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Fundraising Managers (95%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fundraising Managers | 95% | $125,470 | +73% | None |
| 2 | Public Relations Specialists | 93% | $74,750 | +3% | None |
| 3 | Public Relations Managers | 93% | $146,910 | +102% | None |
| 4 | Advertising and Promotions Managers | 92% | $133,660 | +84% | None |
| 5 | Sales Managers | 91% | $148,270 | +104% | None |
| 6 | Marketing Managers | 89% | $166,790 | +130% | None |
| 7 | Personal Financial Advisors | 88% | $105,070 | +45% | None |
| 8 | Social and Community Service Managers | 88% | $80,390 | +11% | None |
| 9 | Financial Managers | 85% | $166,570 | +130% | None |
| 10 | Advertising Sales Agents | 85% | $64,820 | −11% | None |
Compared with Fundraisers, median $72,550. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as fundraisers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
95% skill match · $125,470 · +73% pay
Management of Material Resources · Time Management · Programming
93% skill match · $74,750 · +3% pay
Time Management · Operations Analysis · Social Perceptiveness
93% skill match · $146,910 · +102% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Time Management · Management of Material Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Fundraising Managers (95% skill match, median $125,470), Public Relations Specialists (93% skill match, median $74,750) and Public Relations Managers (93% skill match, median $146,910), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 18 pay more than fundraisers at the median. The biggest increases: Chief Executives (+195%, $213,990), Marketing Managers (+130%, $166,790) and Financial Managers (+130%, $166,570).
22 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 3 usually need a graduate degree: Education Administrators, Postsecondary, Chief Executives and Investment Fund Managers.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.