What does an associate director of development do?
An associate director of development performs a wide variety of duties and responsibilities related to an organization's donor relations and fundraising activities. These include supervising employees who are responsible for donation and fundraising, collaborating with the director in the development of strategies, and working closely with other departments to coordinate and meet clients' needs. Additionally, as an associate director of development, you are expected to oversee communications and marketing initiatives and supervise and monitor budgets. You are also expected to solicit donors personally and enhance existing client relationships.
Associate director of development responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real associate director of development resumes:
- 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.
- Publish monthly e-newsletter for alumni; manage alumni website content and maintain alumni Facebook presence.
- Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
- Leverage CRM tools to prospect new business.
- Establish a social media presence for the university on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Design first-ever CFR rating worksheet and system for use to analyze prospective grantmakers.
- Track relevant development activity in database (Blackbaud CRM) and ROI of development relate events.
- Support each college's director of development and collaborate with the divisions offices of alumni and public affairs.
- Leverage SEO, article distribution, press release syndication and target social media marketing to ensure site efficiency.
- Develop RFQ or RFP responses, including writing, editing, visual communication, graphics and interactive media.
- Strategize and work directly with development officers, faculty and deans at all colleges and units across the university.
- Execute digital campaigns including interactive digital display, email, SEO, PPC, text messaging, and social media.
Associate director of development skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Associate Directors Of Development are proficient in Project Management, Oversight, and CMC. They’re also known for soft skills such as Problem-solving skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Associate Directors Of Development that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 9%
Integrated project management methodologies of two acquired companies into corporate R&D coordinated and normalized knowledge management.
- Oversight, 7%
Provided oversight to five leadership development programs targeted at emergent leaders, new national directors and other senior executives.
- CMC, 5%
Secured multiple FDA approvals by providing CMC documentation to Regulatory Affairs to support IND, IND annual reports and NDA filing.
- Business Development, 5%
Participated in business development initiatives to generate and transition opportunities across pharmaceutical development, exploratory development and late stage business units.
- GMP, 4%
Developed and authorized site procedures and policies to assure safety, quality and compliance with corporate policies GMP regulations.
- Clinical Trials, 4%
Identified and assigned staff to clinical trials across all therapeutic areas and process improvement initiatives.
Most associate directors of development use their skills in "project management," "oversight," and "cmc" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential associate director of development responsibilities here:
Problem-solving skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an associate director of development to have is problem-solving skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." Associate directors of development often use problem-solving skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "partnered with director of workplace solutions and director of leadership development to develop and launch the stacy lewis rising stars program. "
Speaking skills. Many associate director of development duties rely on speaking skills. "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization," so an associate director of development will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways associate director of development responsibilities rely on speaking skills: "represented product development during 1 dea and 3 fda inspections. "
Writing skills. associate directors of development are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to associate director of development responsibilities, because "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." An associate director of development resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "grant writing/research and strategic planning to achieve systemic change at the community college level. "
Leadership skills. associate director of development responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." This resume example shows what associate directors of development do with leadership skills on a typical day: "provided leadership to the hr managers and store leaders for the associate talent assessment process and performance management process. "
Organizational skills. Another crucial skill for an associate director of development to carry out their responsibilities is "organizational skills." A big part of what associate directors of development relies on this skill, since "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." How this skill relates to associate director of development duties can be seen in an example from an associate director of development resume snippet: "managed five associates providing training, promoting career development and guiding them through organizational change. "
Communication skills. While "communication skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to associate director of development responsibilities. Much of what an associate director of development does relies on this skill, seeing as "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." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of associate directors of development: "managed board and advisory board communications, including meeting notices andfollow-up. "
The three companies that hire the most associate director of developments are:
- KPMG LLP346 associate directors of development jobs
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.185 associate directors of development jobs
- Bristol-Myers Squibb62 associate directors of development jobs
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Associate 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, associate director of development responsibilities require skills like "cmc," "business development," "gmp," and "clinical trials." Meanwhile a typical grant manager has skills in areas such as "principal investigators," "payroll," "research administration," and "nih." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Grant managers earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $64,389. On the other hand, associate directors of development are paid more in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $141,713.grant managers tend to reach similar levels of education than associate directors of development. In fact, grant managers are 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Associate 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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, associate director of development responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cmc," "gmp," "clinical trials," and "customer service." Meanwhile, a chief of staff has duties that require skills in areas such as "pet," "team support," "good judgment," and "marketing campaigns." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Chiefs of staff earn a higher average salary than associate directors of development. But chiefs of staff earn the highest pay in the start-up industry, with an average salary of $135,040. Additionally, associate directors of development earn the highest salaries in the pharmaceutical with average pay of $141,713 annually.chiefs of staff earn similar levels of education than associate directors of development in general. They're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Associate director of development vs. Development vice president
A development vice president is in charge of overseeing the operations in a company, ensuring a smooth workflow and efficient workforce. Their responsibilities revolve around creating strategies to develop optimal procedures and services, setting goals and sales targets, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of operations to spearhead improvements, coordinating with analysts and marketing experts to assess the market and consumer needs, and monitoring the progress of different projects. Furthermore, as a development vice president, it is essential to implement the policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an associate director of development is likely to be skilled in "cmc," "gmp," "clinical trials," and "customer service," while a typical development vice president is skilled in "development finance," "c++," "c #," and "real estate."
Development vice presidents earn the highest salary when working in the hospitality industry, where they receive an average salary of $151,199. Comparatively, associate directors of development have the highest earning potential in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $141,713.development vice presidents typically earn similar educational levels compared to associate directors of development. Specifically, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Associate director of development vs. Director
Directors work in show business, whether in a film, a television show, or a theatre production. They are responsible for bringing the material to life. They work with the writers to get a clear vision of how the production should look. They lead the production team in planning for the production, identifying filming or rehearsing schedules, casting for roles, and other aspects that need to be decided upon. Directors provide direction to the actors to ensure that the actors understand their role and will be able to effectively convey emotions to the audience. They also manage all other crew members and communicate their expectations clearly so that everyone on the set is working towards one vision.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between associate directors of development and directors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an associate director of development might have more use for skills like "cmc," "gmp," "clinical trials," and "pharmaceutical industry." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors require skills like "healthcare," "human resources," "financial management," and "payroll. "
Directors enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $155,819. For comparison, associate directors of development earn the highest salary in the pharmaceutical industry.directors reach similar levels of education compared to associate directors of development, in general. The difference is that they're 4.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of associate director of development
Updated January 8, 2025











