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Director of advancement vs communications director

The differences between directors of advancement and communications 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 director of advancement and a communications director. Additionally, a director of advancement has an average salary of $117,155, which is higher than the $107,700 average annual salary of a communications director.

The top three skills for a director of advancement include analytics, professional development and project management. The most important skills for a communications director are web content, press releases, and customer service.

Director of advancement vs communications director overview

Director Of AdvancementCommunications Director
Yearly salary$117,155$107,700
Hourly rate$56.32$51.78
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs11,47327,939
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

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.

What does a communications director do?

A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.

Director of advancement vs communications director salary

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

Director Of AdvancementCommunications Director
Average salary$117,155$107,700
Salary rangeBetween $74,000 And $184,000Between $61,000 And $188,000
Highest paying CityMenlo Park, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyFirst Republic BankMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryTechnologyHealth Care

Differences between director of advancement and communications director education

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

Director Of AdvancementCommunications Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorBusinessCommunication
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Director of advancement vs communications director demographics

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

Director Of AdvancementCommunications Director
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 54.6% Female, 45.4%Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between director of advancement and communications director duties and responsibilities

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.

Communications director example responsibilities.

  • Assist in managing the Facebook and Instagram pages.
  • Develop and manage c-level strategic client relationships to grow revenue base.
  • Create and manage corporate website, online demand gen through SEO and SEM.
  • Manage editorial content of the organization website, build and upload web pages via HTML.
  • Manage the marketing strategy and budget, including B2C acquisition campaigns focuse on out of home and DRTV.
  • Manage media relations, announcements, editorial placement, and speaking opportunities the organizations.
  • Show more

Director of advancement vs communications director skills

Common director of advancement skills
  • Analytics, 22%
  • Professional Development, 12%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Alumni Relations, 5%
  • Strategic Plan, 4%
  • Donor Relations, 4%
Common communications director skills
  • Web Content, 8%
  • Press Releases, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • External Communications, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Employee Engagement, 4%

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