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What is a director of alumni relations and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

The director of alumni relations is responsible for managing the relationship between a university and its alumni. He/She plans and implements programs and projects that engage alumni in strengthening and providing tangible benefits to alumni, the institution, and current students. This can include homecoming weekends, reunions, and dinner parties. He/She organizes and supports the alumni association. Additionally, he/she develops and integrates relationships and programs with campus partners. Also, he/she maintains alumni information in a database.

To get the job, you need at least a bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years of experience in alumni relations. You must possess communication, leadership, problem-solving, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills. You must be proficient in Microsoft Office and a range of technology, systems, and packages. Also, you may be required to travel. Directors of alumni relations make an average annual salary of $64,509, which is $31.01 per hour. This varies from $43,000 to $96,000.

ScoreDirector Of Alumni RelationsUS Average
Salary
7.8

Avg. Salary $106,332

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.7

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.10%

Black or African American 5.88%

Hispanic or Latino 9.05%

Unknown 4.66%

White 74.89%

Gender

female 64.37%

male 35.63%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
8.7

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Director of alumni relations career paths

Key steps to become a director of alumni relations

  1. Explore director of alumni relations education requirements

    Most common director of alumni relations degrees

    Bachelor's

    74.3 %

    Master's

    17.3 %

    Associate

    4.9 %
  2. Start to develop specific director of alumni relations skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Alumni Relations17.83%
    Alumni Engagement9.24%
    Alumni Association7.73%
    Alumni Events5.70%
    Event Planning4.16%
  3. Complete relevant director of alumni relations training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New directors of alumni relations learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a director of alumni relations based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real director of alumni relations resumes.
  4. Research director of alumni relations duties and responsibilities

    • Work cross functionally to write and manage multi-million dollar budgets, alliances and ROI analytics.
    • Supervise the creation of mailing of annual fund announcements, appeals and thank you's to achieve annual fund goals.
    • Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
    • Design performance review process and share oversight with route sales leadership.
  5. Get director of alumni relations experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a director of alumni relations. The most common roles before becoming a director of alumni relations include internship, development director team lead and assistant director.
  6. Prepare your director of alumni relations resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your director of alumni relations resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a director of alumni relations resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable director of alumni relations resume templates

    Build a professional director of alumni relations resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your director of alumni relations resume.
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
    Director Of Alumni Relations Resume
  7. Apply for director of alumni relations jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a director of alumni relations job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first director of alumni relations job

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Average director of alumni relations salary

The average director of alumni relations salary in the United States is $106,332 per year or $51 per hour. Director of alumni relations salaries range between $68,000 and $165,000 per year.

Average director of alumni relations salary
$106,332 Yearly
$51.12 hourly

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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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