Fundraisers vs Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners: $73K vs $61K Median Pay

Fundraisers vs Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners: what changes?

Consider Fundraisers if you want to organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. Consider Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners if you would rather coordinate activities of staff, convention personnel, or clients to make arrangements for group meetings, events, or conventions. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Fundraisers and Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Fundraisers

National median pay (2025): $72,550
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 10,000

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Fundraisers brief

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

National median pay (2025): $61,160
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Consult with customers to determine objectives and requirements for events, such as meetings, conferences, and conventions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 16,800

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners brief

How the national numbers differ

Fundraisers has the edge on median pay

Fundraisers is at $72,550, compared with $61,160 for Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners.

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners has the edge on annual openings

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners is at 16,800 annual openings, compared with 10,000 annual openings for Fundraisers.

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners has the edge on projected growth

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners is at 5.8% projected growth, compared with 5.5% projected growth for Fundraisers.

60.9/ 100

Fundraisers

60.6/ 100

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence