Director of philanthropy vs development director

The differences between directors of philanthropy and development 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 philanthropy and a development director. Additionally, a development director has an average salary of $107,044, which is higher than the $100,554 average annual salary of a director of philanthropy.

The top three skills for a director of philanthropy include donor relations, gift prospects and capital campaign. The most important skills for a development director are digital marketing, oversight, and patients.

Director of philanthropy vs development director overview

	Director Of Philanthropy	Development Director
Yearly salary	$100,554	$107,044
Hourly rate	$48.34	$51.46
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	10,579	63,008
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a director of philanthropy do?

A director of philanthropy spearheads and oversees outreach programs for communities and families. They usually work at charities and other non-profit organizations where they take the lead in conducting research and analyses, developing and implementing outreach plans, coordinating volunteer services, and negotiating with potential sponsors and donors, building positive relationships in the process. They may also participate in reaching out to communities and families who need different kinds of assistance, training volunteers, and solving issues and concerns if any arise. Moreover, a philanthropy director creates strategies to reach fundraising goals and develop revenue to sustain the organization.

What does a development director do?

A development director is an individual who is responsible for securing funds and sponsors for non-profit organizations. Development directors must actively seek new business partners and develop relationships with volunteers and donors. They meet with members of the development team to help advertise and promote brand awareness and funding. Development directors must possess skills and experience in managing human resources, marketing, and budgeting functions. They must also obtain a bachelor's degree in business management, public relations, or related field.

Director of philanthropy vs development director salary

Directors of philanthropy and development directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Philanthropy	Development Director
Average salary	$100,554	$107,044
Salary range	Between $64,000 And $157,000	Between $64,000 And $177,000
Highest paying City	San Carlos, CA	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Marshall University	Cornerstone Research
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between director of philanthropy and development director education

There are a few differences between a director of philanthropy and a development director in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Philanthropy	Development Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Stanford University

Director of philanthropy vs development director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of philanthropy' and development directors' demographics:

	Director Of Philanthropy	Development Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between director of philanthropy and development director duties and responsibilities

Director of philanthropy example responsibilities.

Manage communications with students, alumni and faculty, including distribution of all social media
Design strategies and implementation of plan giving, endowment, and scholarship programs.
Create and implement philanthropy events in order to raise money for trips and scholarship donations.
Design and restructure chapter's social media presence through rebuilding of websites and direct communication with alumni and local organizations.
Work with administrative leadership with community relations, including promotional events and media communication.

Development director example responsibilities.

Manage CRM program for coordination and partnerships with marketing resources.
Manage website re-launch, create communications plan, co-le rebranding taskforce.
Manage clients and internal production team to meet budget and scope of contract eLearning solutions.
Help manage the CRM system with input and output for the resource development department and the entire organization.
Manage analytical method validation and method transfer to QC and CMOs for APIs, excipients, and finish products.
Hire, manage and train a team of six sourcing professionals as well as a team of 3 QA managers.

Director of philanthropy vs development director skills

Common director of philanthropy skills

Donor Relations, 21%
Gift Prospects, 13%
Capital Campaign, 9%
Strategic Plan, 9%
Fund Development, 6%
Philanthropic Events, 5%

Common development director skills

Digital Marketing, 8%
Oversight, 6%
Patients, 6%
Lead Generation, 5%
ROI, 4%
Project Management, 4%

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Director Of Philanthropy
Director Of Philanthropy vs Development Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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