What does a senior fundraising leader earn in 2026?
What should a charity pay its most senior fundraising leader?
It’s a question we hear regularly from charity leaders and Boards. But finding a useful benchmark for these roles can be surprisingly difficult.
That’s why AAW has published its second annual Fundraising Leadership Salary Benchmark Report, looking at salaries for the most senior fundraising leaders across the UK’s top 100 charities by voluntary income.
We’ve kept the same panel of charities as last year, giving us a useful like-for-like view of how salaries have changed over the past 12 months. We’ve also looked at the scope of these roles, including the growing number that combine fundraising with marketing and communications.
The headline figure is £122,778. That’s the average salary for the most senior fundraising leader, up around 4% from last year’s benchmark.
But there’s plenty more to the story. Here are five findings that stood out to us.
1. Senior fundraising salaries have risen by around 4%
The average salary is now £122,778, compared with £116,774 in our 2025 benchmark.
The median is £122,953, with half of post-holders earning between £108,570 and £139,440.
That gives charities a useful starting point when thinking about their own senior fundraising roles, particularly when setting a recruitment budget or reviewing an existing package.
2. Fundraising leadership is becoming more integrated
This is one of the clearest changes in the data.
64% of the roles in our analysis now combine fundraising with marketing and communications, up from 56% last year.
There is also a clear salary difference. Leaders with integrated portfolios earn an average of £128,942, compared with £115,233 for standalone fundraising roles.
That’s a premium of around 12%, and it has widened from around 10% last year.
As senior fundraising roles continue to expand, it’s worth asking whether salary, grade and expectations have kept pace with the scope of the role.
3. Bigger charities pay more, but the gap is relatively modest
It would be reasonable to expect salaries to rise significantly with the size of the charity.
They do rise, but the difference is smaller than you might expect.
Fundraising leaders at charities with more than £100m in voluntary income earn an average of £152,321. At charities raising £16–25m, the average is £110,533.
That’s a difference of around 38%.
The organisations themselves are operating at a very different scale, but senior fundraising salaries remain relatively tightly grouped. It’s an interesting feature of the charity leadership market and one that Boards should consider when benchmarking their own roles.
4. Cause area makes a difference
Where you work also has an influence on salary.
Cultural institutions sit at the top of the table, with an average senior fundraising salary of £148,230, followed by:
Disability: £144,460
Social Welfare: £141,313
Health: £133,709
Conservation: £130,542
Animals: £127,596
International charities have an average of £103,972, with faith-based organisations within this group influencing the figure.
These differences don't tell the whole story, of course. Charity size, role scope and organisational structure all play a part. But cause area remains a noticeable feature of the senior fundraising pay market.
5. Salary movement isn’t all one way
Perhaps the most interesting finding is that salary growth isn't universal.
Of the 98 charities in our analysis:
41 recorded a higher salary than last year.
37 were unchanged.
20 recorded a lower salary.
That reflects a market where restructures, re-grading and changes in role scope are happening alongside salary increases.
It’s a useful reminder that benchmarking isn't simply about asking whether salaries have gone up. Changes to the role itself matter too.
What does this mean for charities?
For charities recruiting senior fundraising leaders, the data provides a useful indication of where the market is sitting. It can help inform salary budgets, role design and conversations with Boards.
For those looking to retain strong leaders, salary is only part of the picture. The scope of the role, opportunities for progression, flexibility and the support provided by the CEO and wider leadership team all matter.
And as more fundraising leaders take responsibility for marketing and communications, charities need to think carefully about how those broader expectations are reflected in the role. If you're reviewing your senior fundraising structure or planning your next appointment, the benchmark is a useful starting point for understanding the market.
The full Fundraising Leadership Salary Benchmark 2026 is available to download for free.