Development director vs director of advancement

The differences between development directors and directors of advancement can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a development director and a director of advancement. Additionally, a director of advancement has an average salary of $117,155, which is higher than the $107,044 average annual salary of a development director.

The top three skills for a development director include digital marketing, oversight and patients. The most important skills for a director of advancement are analytics, professional development, and project management.

Development director vs director of advancement overview

	Development Director	Director Of Advancement
Yearly salary	$107,044	$117,155
Hourly rate	$51.46	$56.32
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	63,008	11,473
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a development director do?

A development director is an individual who is responsible for securing funds and sponsors for non-profit organizations. Development directors must actively seek new business partners and develop relationships with volunteers and donors. They meet with members of the development team to help advertise and promote brand awareness and funding. Development directors must possess skills and experience in managing human resources, marketing, and budgeting functions. They must also obtain a bachelor's degree in business management, public relations, or related field.

What does a director of advancement do?

The director of advancement plays an important role in the management of a development program that has the potential to advance a company's goals and mission. The typical duties for this role include leading employee communication functions, establishing asset level budget across the portfolio, and working closely with other departments, including compliance, investor relations, and tax/accounting. Additionally, you will be responsible for implementing an online solution for event management and email communication. As the director of the advancement, you should be understanding of employee needs and operational goals.

Development director vs director of advancement salary

Development directors and directors of advancement have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Development Director	Director Of Advancement
Average salary	$107,044	$117,155
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $177,000	Between $74,000 And $184,000
Highest paying City	Jersey City, NJ	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Nevada
Best paying company	Cornerstone Research	First Republic Bank
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between development director and director of advancement education

There are a few differences between a development director and a director of advancement in terms of educational background:

	Development Director	Director Of Advancement
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Development director vs director of advancement demographics

Here are the differences between development directors' and directors of advancement' demographics:

	Development Director	Director Of Advancement
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between development director and director of advancement duties and responsibilities

Development director example responsibilities.

Manage CRM program for coordination and partnerships with marketing resources.
Manage website re-launch, create communications plan, co-le rebranding taskforce.
Manage clients and internal production team to meet budget and scope of contract eLearning solutions.
Help manage the CRM system with input and output for the resource development department and the entire organization.
Manage analytical method validation and method transfer to QC and CMOs for APIs, excipients, and finish products.
Hire, manage and train a team of six sourcing professionals as well as a team of 3 QA managers.

Director of advancement example responsibilities.

Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
Raise millions of dollars for ACS through tax-advantage charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities, and bequests.
Generate major gifts, including bequests and charitable gift annuities, by cultivating relationships with Eskaton residents.
Coordinate among cross-functional business departments including investor relations, risk, trading desk, compliance, tax/accounting, and portfolio administration.
Work with administrative leadership with community relations, including promotional events and media communication.

Development director vs director of advancement skills

Common development director skills

Digital Marketing, 8%
Oversight, 6%
Patients, 6%
Lead Generation, 5%
ROI, 4%
Project Management, 4%

Common director of advancement skills

Analytics, 22%
Professional Development, 12%
Project Management, 7%
Alumni Relations, 5%
Strategic Plan, 4%
Donor Relations, 4%

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Development Director
Development Director vs Director Of Advancement

Updated January 8, 2025

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