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.
Director of advancement responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of advancement resumes:
- 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 advancement skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Directors Of Advancement are proficient in Analytics, Professional Development, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Problem-solving skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Advancement that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Analytics, 22%
Refocused the analytic competency from pivot table producers to producing analytics that are driving the business.
- Professional Development, 12%
Managed the online facilitation of state-of-the-art online professional development course that impacts over 13,000 students annually world-wide.
- Project Management, 7%
Established framework and environment for organization to deliver project management services.
- Alumni Relations, 5%
Prepare quarterly fund reconciliations, provide support to Development Operations, gift officers and Alumni Relations department.
- Strategic Plan, 4%
Prepare strategic plans including SWOT analysis, determining objectives and critical success factors, and procedures for monitoring program performance.
- Donor Relations, 4%
Developed new donor database operations through Raiser's Edge that promoted better donor relations.
Most directors of advancement use their skills in "analytics," "professional development," and "project management" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of advancement responsibilities here:
Leadership skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a director of advancement to have is leadership skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." Directors of advancement often use leadership skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided leadership for database management, prospective donor research, gift processing/recording, and fundraising reporting systems. "
Problem-solving skills. Many director of advancement duties rely on problem-solving skills. "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues," so a director of advancement will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways director of advancement responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "established project management methodology, templates, and tools to enable the organization to successfully deliver solutions. "
Speaking skills. directors of advancement are also known for speaking skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to director of advancement responsibilities, because "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." A director of advancement resume example shows how speaking skills is used in the workplace: "represented the fraternity with universities and other various publics when necessary through meetings, statements and press releases. "
Writing skills. director of advancement responsibilities often require "writing skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." This resume example shows what directors of advancement do with writing skills on a typical day: "work with outside organizations to obtain financial support through grant writing, letter asks, and one-on-one meetings. "
Communication skills. Another crucial skill for a director of advancement to carry out their responsibilities is "communication skills." A big part of what directors of advancement relies on this skill, since "managers deal with the public regularly; therefore, they must be friendly enough to build a rapport with, and receive cooperation from, their media contacts and donors." How this skill relates to director of advancement duties can be seen in an example from a director of advancement resume snippet: "supervised the departments of annual giving, communications and marketing, alumni and parent relations, and gift processing. "
Organizational skills. Lastly, "organizational skills" is an important element of what a director of advancement does. Director of advancement responsibilities require this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." This resume example highlights how director of advancement duties rely on this skill: "developed and managed human resources, organizational development, strategic planning and communications to ensure effective and diverse workforce. "
The three companies that hire the most director of advancements are:
- Johnson & Johnson8 directors of advancement jobs
- Danaher6 directors of advancement jobs
- Emory Healthcare4 directors of advancement jobs
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Compare different directors of advancement
Director of advancement vs. Dean
A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, director of advancement responsibilities require skills like "analytics," "professional development," "project management," and "alumni relations." Meanwhile a typical dean has skills in areas such as "curriculum development," "oversight," "scholarship," and "human resources." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Deans tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $78,533. In contrast, directors of advancement make the biggest average salary, $144,014, in the technology industry.deans tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of advancement. In fact, deans are 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Director of advancement vs. Community development director
The job of a community development director is to manage and direct the management and planning initiatives for a community or city organization. Your duties will include collaborating with community partners in developing strategies to improve the community, architectural and economic initiatives, monitoring budgets for department initiatives, and participating in business development efforts. As a community development director, it is your responsibility to develop and maintain the community development department's short- and long-term developmental goals. It is also your duty to develop and coordinate marketing strategies for economic development.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, director of advancement responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "analytics," "professional development," "alumni relations," and "visualization." Meanwhile, a community development director has duties that require skills in areas such as "economic development," "oversight," "program development," and "web site." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Community development directors may earn a lower salary than directors of advancement, but community development directors earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $92,043. On the other hand, directors of advancement receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $144,014.community development directors earn similar levels of education than directors of advancement in general. They're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of advancement vs. Public relations manager
A public relations manager is responsible for monitoring the public relations department to boost its brand image and attract potential clients through press releases and media coverage. They work closely with the marketing team, developing marketing campaigns and promotional strategies for creating brand awareness. Public relations managers maintain the company's presence on various social media platforms, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns regarding the company's goods and services. A public relations manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in identifying business opportunities to increase revenues and profitability.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a director of advancement is likely to be skilled in "analytics," "professional development," "project management," and "alumni relations," while a typical public relations manager is skilled in "web content," "pr campaigns," "marketing campaigns," and "fact sheets."
Public relations managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $114,540. Comparatively, directors of advancement have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $144,014.When it comes to education, public relations managers tend to earn lower degree levels compared to directors of advancement. In fact, they're 11.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Director of advancement vs. Communications director
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.
Types of director of advancement
Updated January 8, 2025
