What does an assistant director of development do?
An assistant director of development is responsible for organizing programs and fundraising projects to support business operations and activities for community purposes. Assistant directors of development coordinate with the marketing team to develop media campaigns and enhance the market's brand awareness. They also coordinate with potential donors, negotiate contracts, and manage business transactions according to the terms and agreements. An assistant director of development must be highly organizational and communicative to support groups and solicit approvals for the project implementation.
Assistant director of development responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant director of development resumes:
- Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
- Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
- Direct professional staff responsible for the implementation of HUD programs for the construction and rehabilitation of multi-family housing projects.
Assistant director of development skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Assistant Directors Of Development are proficient in Professional Development, Alumni Relations, and PowerPoint. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Problem-solving skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Assistant Directors Of Development that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Professional Development, 10%
Developed nationally recognized and award-winning professional development/life skills/welfare/leadership programs.
- Alumni Relations, 10%
Collaborated with College leadership, external partners, University Foundation, and Alumni Relations on joint philanthropic activities.
- PowerPoint, 6%
Prepare scripts, talking points, and PowerPoint presentations for board and staff presentations.
- Project Management, 5%
Job duties included managing purchasing, voice/data/utility contracts, invoice coding and project management of numerous special projects.
- Donor Relations, 5%
Provided administrative, event and donor relations support.
- Event Planning, 4%
Developed and managed a wide range of alumni development tools, including promotional materials, direct-mail pieces, and event planning.
Most assistant directors of development use their skills in "professional development," "alumni relations," and "powerpoint" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential assistant director of development responsibilities here:
Leadership skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an assistant director of development to have is leadership skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." Assistant directors of development often use leadership skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "delivered monthly financial analysis to agency and advisory board leadership; developed annual projections. "
Problem-solving skills. Another essential skill to perform assistant director of development duties is problem-solving skills. Assistant directors of development responsibilities require that "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." Assistant directors of development also use problem-solving skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "key accomplishments: led a cross-functional team in implementing new global product lifecycle management solution - flexplm. "
Speaking skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of assistant directors of development is speaking skills. This skill is critical to many everyday assistant director of development duties, as "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "represented student affairs on all university wide service event planning committees. "
Writing skills. A big part of what assistant directors of development do relies on "writing skills." You can see how essential it is to assistant director of development responsibilities because "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical assistant director of development tasks: "assisted with membership recruitment, grant writing, volunteer development, fundraising, event planning, and corporate sponsorship solicitations. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for an assistant director of development to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what assistant directors of development relies on this skill, since "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." How this skill relates to assistant director of development duties can be seen in an example from an assistant director of development resume snippet: "develop print and electronic communications to support the university's fundraising and development efforts. "
Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on assistant director of development job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in assistant director of development duties, since "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day assistant director of development responsibilities: "developed organizational policies and procedures as they relate to functions of student organizations. "
See the full list of assistant director of development skills
The three companies that hire the most assistant director of developments are:
- Brigham and Women's Hospital3 assistant directors of development jobs
- ADL SERVICES3 assistant directors of development jobs
- College Success Foundation
3 assistant directors of development jobs
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Assistant director of development vs. Public relations manager
A public relations manager is responsible for monitoring the public relations department to boost its brand image and attract potential clients through press releases and media coverage. They work closely with the marketing team, developing marketing campaigns and promotional strategies for creating brand awareness. Public relations managers maintain the company's presence on various social media platforms, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's goods and services. A public relations manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, assistant director of development responsibilities require skills like "professional development," "alumni relations," "project management," and "donor relations." Meanwhile a typical public relations manager has skills in areas such as "web content," "pr campaigns," "marketing campaigns," and "digital marketing." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Public relations managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $114,540. In contrast, assistant directors of development make the biggest average salary, $74,658, in the professional industry.The education levels that public relations managers earn slightly differ from assistant directors of development. In particular, public relations managers are 10.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an assistant director of development. Additionally, they're 2.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant director of development vs. Grant manager
A grant manager is responsible for granting financial assistance and support to various sector programs, evaluating grant applications, and implementing policies from its conceptualization to utilization. Grant managers review the grant documents, ensuring its adherence to internal guidelines and state regulations. They coordinate with clients and project management team to inform them of requirements and processes for approval, including the implementation of strategies to identify grant opportunities and policies. A grant manager handles the grant team for efficient coordination to make sure the efficient execution and analysis of grant programs.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, assistant director of development responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "professional development," "alumni relations," "donor relations," and "event planning." Meanwhile, a grant manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "oversight," "principal investigators," "payroll," and "research administration." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, grant managers earn a lower salary than assistant directors of development. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, grant managers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $64,389. Whereas assistant directors of development have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $74,658.grant managers earn similar levels of education than assistant directors of development in general. They're 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant director of development vs. Chief of staff
A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, assistant directors of development are more likely to have skills like "alumni relations," "donor relations," "alumni engagement," and "hr." But a chief of staff is more likely to have skills like "pet," "team support," "good judgment," and "oversight."
Chiefs of staff earn the highest salary when working in the start-up industry, where they receive an average salary of $135,040. Comparatively, assistant directors of development have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $74,658.chiefs of staff typically earn similar educational levels compared to assistant directors of development. Specifically, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Assistant director of development vs. Communications director
A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.
Types of assistant director of development
Updated January 8, 2025











