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What is an associate director of development and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

As an associate director of development, you'll be responsible for developing a comprehensive knowledge of the organization's research, teaching, and funding priorities. You'll present the case of the organization for support to individuals, and foundation leaders, and corporate representatives. You'll participate in the planning of major development events. Also, you'll maintain a database system to record progress with donors and prospect management.

Additionally, you'll work with development staff members, stakeholders, and administrators to manage a portfolio of prospects. Besides that, you'll identify and create strategies for outreach, approach, and stewardship.

Employers require at least a bachelor's degree and a minimum of three years of related experience. The skillset for this job includes communication, organization, interpersonal, problem-solving, and analytical skills. You must be familiar with using data analytics tools. The associate director of development earns an average salary of $80,331 yearly. It ranges from $55,000 to $118,000.

ScoreAssociate Director Of DevelopmentUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $108,570

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.12%

Black or African American 5.96%

Hispanic or Latino 9.12%

Unknown 4.66%

White 74.72%

Gender

female 54.28%

male 45.72%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Associate director of development career paths

Key steps to become an associate director of development

  1. Explore associate director of development education requirements

    Most common associate director of development degrees

    Bachelor's

    69.1 %

    Master's

    22.2 %

    Doctorate

    5.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific associate director of development skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Project Management9.27%
    Oversight7.13%
    CMC4.86%
    Business Development4.66%
    GMP4.46%
  3. Complete relevant associate director of development training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate directors of development learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate director of development based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate director of development resumes.
  4. Research associate director of development duties and responsibilities

    • Increase department FTE and manage other CFR staff.
    • Manage and update the school's alumni website, Facebook group, and LinkedIn page.
    • Direct launch of website, facilitate relationship with web vendor, and manage content via content management system and HTML.
    • Support documentation activities for FDA audits & manage integration activities for acquisitions.
  5. Prepare your associate director of development resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your associate director of development resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an associate director of development resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable associate director of development resume templates

    Build a professional associate director of development resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your associate director of development resume.
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    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
    Associate Director Of Development Resume
  6. Apply for associate director of development jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an associate director of development job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first associate director of development job

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Average associate director of development salary

The average associate director of development salary in the United States is $108,570 per year or $52 per hour. Associate director of development salaries range between $71,000 and $164,000 per year.

Average associate director of development salary
$108,570 Yearly
$52.20 hourly

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Associate director of development reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Cons

When employees not vested with their patients to give quality care.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

The impact that this role can have in the organization, and the high responsabilities

Cons

People under you might not like you


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019
Pros

Attending and meeting people at events

Cons

- The pressure of securing funds. - comparing the role with sales and/or fundraising - lack of response from donors you are reaching out to. It made me feel as if I wasn't doing my job of connecting with them.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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