Short answer
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Fundraisers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places fundraisers in its high AI exposure category, above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do. BLS projects employment to change by +5.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 10,000 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- HighBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 37/100Higher than 34% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +5.5%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 10,000BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed fundraisers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Fundraisers land in the high category: above the middle of the pack: a substantial share of the work overlaps with what AI can do.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High · this job190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions5.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Dealing with the public4.7/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Performing for or working directly with the public3.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Working with computers4.4/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Processing information3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Email5.0/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for fundraisers
- Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
- Write and send letters of thanks to donors.
- Develop strategies to encourage new or increased contributions.
- Direct or supervise fundraising staff, including volunteer staff members.
- Explain the tax advantages of contributions to potential donors.
- Write speeches, press releases, or other promotional materials to increase awareness of the causes, missions, or goals of organizations seeking funds.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +5.5% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 10,000 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 111,040 people work in the job today, at a median of $72,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full fundraiser profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers less exposed to AI than fundraisers
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a lower exposure category.
Farm Labor Contractor
Business and Financial Operations
- Median pay
- $58,460median a year
- Growth
- +7.4%
- Openings / yr
- 100
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 52/100
- resilience
Recruit and hire seasonal or temporary agricultural laborers.
Questions
Will AI Replace Fundraisers? FAQ
Will AI replace fundraisers?
Not replaced, but changed. BLS rates the exposure as high, so AI can help with a real share of the work, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +5.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 10,000 openings a year.
How exposed are fundraisers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Fundraisers are in the high category, alongside 189 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a fundraiser's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are working with computers, processing information and email. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships and dealing with the public. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a fundraiser a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, fundraisers score 37 out of 100, higher than 34% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $72,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to fundraisers are less exposed to AI?
Farm Labor Contractor (low exposure, $58,460 median). Each is in a lower BLS exposure category than fundraisers, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.