Question: Who is the typical fundraiser?

Answer: Yes.

As in just about any area of life, fundraisers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with a variety of strengths and interests.

During the recent Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Fundraising Conference, Drs. Sarah K. Nathan and Eugene Tempel of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy offered a look at fundraisers as people, based on surveys of 1,826 respondents taken in 2015, and compared with similar surveys taken in 1996.

The surveys show that there are similarities among people who fundraise.

* The typical female fundraiser is 45 years old, works in an education organization, has an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, holds a director level position, first entered fundraising at age 27 and makes $70,000.

* The typical male fundraiser is 49 years old, works in an education organization, has a master’s degree, holds a director position, first entered fundraising at age 28 and makes $90,000.

In addition, they learned fundraising the following ways:

* Formal education: 21.1 percent in 2015, 10 percent in 1996;

* Certificate training (such as CFRE): 24.4 percent in 2015; NA for 1996;

* Professional education (such as conferences and workshops): 70.8 percent in 2015, 43 percent in 1996;

* Mentor: 57.8 percent in 2015, NA for 1996;

* On the job: 92.8 percent in 2015, 74 percent in 1996; and,

* Self-taught: 55.6 in 2015, NA for 1996.