Chief development officer vs executive director

The differences between chief development officers and executive directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief development officer and an executive director. Additionally, an executive director has an average salary of $127,956, which is higher than the $116,047 average annual salary of a chief development officer.

The top three skills for a chief development officer include kids, oversight and CDO. The most important skills for an executive director are oversight, patients, and customer service.

Chief development officer vs executive director overview

	Chief Development Officer	Executive Director
Yearly salary	$116,047	$127,956
Hourly rate	$55.79	$61.52
Growth rate	8%	-8%
Number of jobs	135,511	97,471
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	42	49
Years of experience	4	4

What does a chief development officer do?

A chief development officer is responsible for joining the senior management team in incorporating business decisions that would benefit the organization in achieving long-term goals and objectives. Chief development officers lead the growth planning and strategizing techniques to improve operations and ensure customer satisfaction. They approve budgets and resources allocation across the organization to serve business functions and address issues. A chief development officer must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in raising funds and maintaining healthy relationships with business partners.

What does an executive director do?

Executive directors are top management employees who usually function as a chief executive officer. This role is usually seen in non-profit organizations. Executive directors provide strategic direction to the organization, and they ensure that the organization's goals are actualized. They provide guidance to the employees and ensure that the employees have the organization's advocacies at the center of every project or program. They oversee the policies of the organization and create strategies that will bring the organization's programs forward. Executive directors are also responsible for making crucial decisions for the betterment of the organization.

Chief development officer vs executive director salary

Chief development officers and executive directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Development Officer	Executive Director
Average salary	$116,047	$127,956
Salary range	Between $67,000 And $199,000	Between $76,000 And $213,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Genentech
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between chief development officer and executive director education

There are a few differences between a chief development officer and an executive director in terms of educational background:

	Chief Development Officer	Executive Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Chief development officer vs executive director demographics

Here are the differences between chief development officers' and executive directors' demographics:

	Chief Development Officer	Executive Director
Average age	42	49
Gender ratio	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	10%

Differences between chief development officer and executive director duties and responsibilities

Chief development officer example responsibilities.

Manage SDLC process, while participating in requirements gathering, functional documentation, data analysis, and implementation plans.
Collaborate with, and provide oversight for, community providers, vendors, and contractors.
Partner with architects and provide weekly construction oversight.
Serve as back-up for payroll processing and benefits administrator.
Coordinate alumni benefits program, including travel and marketing services.
Thank and recognize donors in an appropriate and timely manner and manage and maintain donor database including updating and managing files.

Executive director example responsibilities.

Manage 10 department heads who supervise a staff of 350 FTE's.
Develop and manage sales teams to assure the highest ROI on the client's investment.
Create and manage a call center for lead programs to support the prospecting activity needs of the FSR.
Freelance blogging to increase website views and ultimately to turn organic content into leads and ROI for small businesses.
Market and manage group and individual insurance programs including health, life, disability, long term care and annuities.
Major accomplishment are to achieve initial NAEYC accreditation.

Chief development officer vs executive director skills

Common chief development officer skills

Kids, 13%
Oversight, 9%
CDO, 7%
Strategic Plan, 7%
Relationship Building, 6%
Fundraising Strategy, 6%

Common executive director skills

Oversight, 10%
Patients, 9%
Customer Service, 5%
Financial Management, 5%
Business Development, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Chief Development Officer vs Executive Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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