This study was conducted to examine career development and professionalization in the fund-raising vocation in colleges and universities. A sample of 500 fund raisers was drawn from over 5,000 members of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education who say their primary responsibilities and interests are in fund-raising. A two-page questionnaire was sent to each, and 206 (a response rate of just over 40%) responded. The results included the following: (1) academic fund-raisers are predominantly middle-aged white men with a high level of educational attainment (a mean age of 40.5 years with 61% holding master's degrees and 23% doctoral degrees); (2) they are employed by relatively large institutions that offer both undergraduate and graduate study; (3) of the 204 reporting the number of years in their current position, only 16% have been in their current jobs for more than 5 years; (4) volunteer experiences were the major influence on the choice of fund raising as a career; (5) working in a development office was the single most important source of training in fund raising; and (6) upward mobility is more likely by moving to another institution. Suggestions are offered for the professionalization of the fund-raising field, and the meaning and implications of the results are discussed. (KM)