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Community development director skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Community development director example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical community development director skills. We ranked the top skills for community development directors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 6.2% of community development director resumes contained economic development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a community development director needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 community development director skills for your resume and career

1. Economic Development

Economic development refers to an increase of creation of wealth that overall benefits a community. This may occur when a community, city, or country produces more goods to sell or when a job program is developed. By increasing the wealth of a community, the economy is stimulated and the quality of life for that population also increases.

Here's how community development directors use economic development:
  • Coordinated community and economic development activities
  • Established a broadly representative community economic development organization and worked with local government and other partners to build community and economy.

2. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how community development directors use oversight:
  • Provided oversight and leadership to HUD funded rehab lending and grant programs, housing counseling and financial fitness training.
  • Provided editorial direction and oversight of the alumni section of NYU Alumni Magazine.

3. Project Management

Here's how community development directors use project management:
  • Direct project development, implementation, and assessment of Erie-GAINS projects and initiatives, and provide higher-level administration and project management.
  • Project management of multiple agencies to promote entrepreneurial ventures.

4. Press Releases

Here's how community development directors use press releases:
  • Developed public relations background materials and attention-grabbing press releases.
  • Authored and distributed press releases both locally and internationally.

5. Community Outreach

Here's how community development directors use community outreach:
  • Coordinated the organization's annual community outreach and education efforts.
  • Conceived and executed 75+ successful community outreach and donor events.

6. Program Development

Program development refers to a road for developers to guide them on creating and developing viable community programs. Since it provides an action plan for the project, it is a continuous process that only ends with the program's full implementation.

Here's how community development directors use program development:
  • Facilitated regional projects and program development that addresses common challenges in our undeserved communities.
  • Participated in strategic planning and program development for the agency.

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7. Web Site

Here's how community development directors use web site:
  • Participated in the development of a new web site, television show, and general social media presence for the organization.
  • Pioneered ADEC's electronic presence by leading the creation of the agency's web site and all online copy.

8. Community Relations

Community Relations refers to the relationship-building strategies companies use with surrounding communities. These relationships are often mutually-beneficial, where a company will support local organizations and communities and receive a stronger customer basis. This differs from public relations, as the focus of community relations is building relationships and goodwill within a community rather than presenting a company's work to the public.

Here's how community development directors use community relations:
  • Developed and implemented signature community relations programs focused on literacy and hunger that had a positive impact on thousands of youth.
  • Worked with Department Directors, outreach facilities and specialists to develop and implement community relations plans.

9. Strategic Plan

Here's how community development directors use strategic plan:
  • Implemented a strategic plan including the creation and adoption of new organizational identity and management of development and communications initiatives.
  • Facilitate group processes for strategic planning and new project development related to economic growth within the community.

10. Alumni

Alumni is a term used for graduate students of a school, college, university, or any other educational institution. The term is also used for employees of a company or a previous member of a group or an organization that has been retired. Alumni represent the institutions or organizations that they were previously associated with.

Here's how community development directors use alumni:
  • Assisted in identifying and establishing community partnerships to promote volunteer recruitment including Alumni events.
  • Led significant improvements in internal communication for division of Development and Alumni Relations.

11. Financial Support

Financial support is the financial resource or money provided to an organization to support its operations. Financial support is generally provided by the government, or private institutes such as non-profits, or aid institutes. Financial support usually does not have any interests or benefits to be returned.

Here's how community development directors use financial support:
  • Secured financial support from individuals, foundations and corporations.
  • Created major gift plans with specific goals in increasing financial support and in deepening donor involvement in all areas.

12. Code Enforcement

Here's how community development directors use code enforcement:
  • Supervised eight staff and directed all planning, building, and code enforcement activities.
  • Manage land use, building plan review, inspection services and code enforcement.

13. Planning Commission

Planning Commission is a panel comprising of five individuals or more that is chosen by the City Council to coordinate on actions related to development and planning. They help to evaluate development applications, counsel on development issues, provide directions in planning proposals and assist in allocating capital for public projects.

Here's how community development directors use planning commission:
  • Managed Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Commission.
  • Coordinated Planning & Zoning Commission hearings and prepared meeting agendas, packets, minutes, and serving as Planning Commission Secretary.

14. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how community development directors use business development:
  • Establish and deliver business development services for territory encompassing 3 counties and Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana.
  • Leveraged relationships with corporate sponsors to grant more exposure to the organization and create business development opportunities.

15. Direct Reports

Here's how community development directors use direct reports:
  • Managed and motivated direct and indirect reports including departments of more than 150 employees.
  • Managed four direct reports in the department all of which interfaced with grants, funders, donors,volunteers and participants.
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List of community development director skills to add to your resume

Community development director skills

The most important skills for a community development director resume and required skills for a community development director to have include:

  • Economic Development
  • Oversight
  • Project Management
  • Press Releases
  • Community Outreach
  • Program Development
  • Web Site
  • Community Relations
  • Strategic Plan
  • Alumni
  • Financial Support
  • Code Enforcement
  • Planning Commission
  • Business Development
  • Direct Reports
  • Community Events
  • Capital Campaign
  • Donor Cultivation
  • Regional Planning
  • Community Engagement
  • Communications Plan
  • Local Government
  • Fund Development
  • Donor Relations
  • External Communications
  • Event Planning
  • Community Organizations
  • Donor Database
  • Development Committee
  • Fund Raising
  • Government Agencies
  • Development Efforts
  • General Plan
  • Communications Strategy
  • Facebook
  • Corporate Sponsors
  • Individual Donors
  • Development Plan
  • Twitter
  • Web Content
  • Social Justice
  • Community Awareness
  • Fundraising Campaigns
  • CDBG
  • Promotional Materials
  • Collateral Materials
  • Volunteer Recruitment
  • Board Development
  • HUD
  • Fundraising Strategy

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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