Director of alumni relations vs director of special events

The differences between directors of alumni relations and directors of special events 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 alumni relations and a director of special events. Additionally, a director of alumni relations has an average salary of $106,332, which is higher than the $63,671 average annual salary of a director of special events.

The top three skills for a director of alumni relations include alumni relations, alumni engagement and alumni association. The most important skills for a director of special events are event planning, alumni, and event management.

Director of alumni relations vs director of special events overview

	Director Of Alumni Relations	Director Of Special Events
Yearly salary	$106,332	$63,671
Hourly rate	$51.12	$30.61
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	23,650	23,252
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a director of alumni relations do?

The director of alumni relations is liable for relationship management between a university and its alumni. They serve as a connection between the graduates and the university community. One of the major duties of directors of alumni relations is to create engaging activities and events for alumni to participate in, such as homecoming weekends, class reunions, and dinner parties. This job requires excellent communication skills to coordinate their engagement activities with the other departments of the university, from the office of president to campus security.

What does a director of special events do?

A director of special events spearheads and oversees the planning and execution of various events, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They typically set goals and guidelines, manage schedules and timelines, outline plans and strategies, coordinate managers and different departments, and liaise with vendors and suppliers, building positive business relationships in the process. Moreover, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.

Director of alumni relations vs director of special events salary

Directors of alumni relations and directors of special events have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Alumni Relations	Director Of Special Events
Average salary	$106,332	$63,671
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $165,000	Between $35,000 And $113,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Marshall University	NRDC
Best paying industry	Education	Professional

Differences between director of alumni relations and director of special events education

There are a few differences between a director of alumni relations and a director of special events in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Alumni Relations	Director Of Special Events
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Director of alumni relations vs director of special events demographics

Here are the differences between directors of alumni relations' and directors of special events' demographics:

	Director Of Alumni Relations	Director Of Special Events
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4%	Male, 25.1% Female, 74.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.9% 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, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between director of alumni relations and director of special events duties and responsibilities

Director of alumni relations example 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.
Design, management, and oversight of administrative budget ($ 2,000,000) & employee benefits, including 401k.
Assist in identifying appropriate market segments to develop effective annual fund solicitations and/or appeals for print, electronic and social media.

Director of special events example responsibilities.

Manage the communications/special events budget to ensure ROI in accordance with the communication plan.
Restructure the budget plan for the department, achieving significant cost reductions while increasing ROI.
Organize, execute and manage all VIP hospitality and auxiliary celebrity events.
Manage all aspects of these events and act as onsite manager to ensure meeting are delivered effectively and professionally.
Develop a BEO form to promote effective communication between front of house and back of house.
Collaborate with catering to create BEO s and assist clients with menu selection for meetings and events.

Director of alumni relations vs director of special events skills

Common director of alumni relations skills

Alumni Relations, 18%
Alumni Engagement, 9%
Alumni Association, 8%
Alumni Events, 6%
Event Planning, 4%
Alumni Programs, 4%

Common director of special events skills

Event Planning, 13%
Alumni, 11%
Event Management, 7%
Event Logistics, 6%
Audio Visual, 4%
Press Releases, 3%

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Director Of Alumni Relations
Director Of Alumni Relations vs Director Of Special Events

Updated January 8, 2025

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