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Director of advancement vs director of public affairs

The differences between directors of advancement and directors of public affairs 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 director of public affairs. Additionally, a director of advancement has an average salary of $117,155, which is higher than the $114,639 average annual salary of a director of public affairs.

The top three skills for a director of advancement include analytics, professional development and project management. The most important skills for a director of public affairs are government affairs, public policy, and external stakeholders.

Director of advancement vs director of public affairs overview

Director Of AdvancementDirector Of Public Affairs
Yearly salary$117,155$114,639
Hourly rate$56.32$55.11
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs11,47326,290
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
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 director of public affairs do?

Directors of Public Affairs are executives who manage the public relations and communications initiatives of the company. They oversee all external communications that are intended for broadcast. They create guidelines on the proper crafting of communication materials that will be published or broadcasted. They also lead the public affairs department in networking activities and industry events. Directors of Public Affairs must be level-headed, calm, and creative. They should know how to communicate with the public, handle crises, and create successful brands.

Director of advancement vs director of public affairs salary

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

Director Of AdvancementDirector Of Public Affairs
Average salary$117,155$114,639
Salary rangeBetween $74,000 And $184,000Between $70,000 And $187,000
Highest paying CityMenlo Park, CALas Vegas, NV
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyFirst Republic BankKaiser Permanente
Best paying industryTechnologyPharmaceutical

Differences between director of advancement and director of public affairs education

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

Director Of AdvancementDirector Of Public Affairs
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorBusinessPolitical Science
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Director of advancement vs director of public affairs demographics

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

Director Of AdvancementDirector Of Public Affairs
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 54.6% Female, 45.4%Male, 57.6% Female, 42.4%
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, 8.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between director of advancement and director of public affairs 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.

Director of public affairs example responsibilities.

  • Manage crisis communications, securing any media articles and editorials in support of the company.
  • Manage communications with students, alumni and faculty, including distribution of all social media
  • Prepare testimonies for city and state oversight hearings.
  • Revise and place opinion editorials on behalf of the museum's executive director.
  • Produce, edit, and publish issue orient videos for YouTube and internet.
  • Execute Marketing/PR campaigns, events/exhibits, copywriting, and print, broadcast and outdoor advertising.
  • Show more

Director of advancement vs director of public affairs skills

Common director of advancement skills
  • Analytics, 22%
  • Professional Development, 12%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Alumni Relations, 5%
  • Strategic Plan, 4%
  • Donor Relations, 4%
Common director of public affairs skills
  • Government Affairs, 12%
  • Public Policy, 11%
  • External Stakeholders, 7%
  • Policy Issues, 6%
  • Government Relations, 5%
  • Press Releases, 4%

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