How to hire a director of philanthropy

How to hire a director of philanthropy, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of philanthropy hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a director of philanthropy job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new director of philanthropy
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a director of philanthropy do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a director of philanthropy, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A director of philanthropy's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, directors of philanthropy from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of directors of philanthropy.

   Type of Director Of Philanthropy	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Philanthropy	Public relations managers plan and direct the creation of material that will maintain or enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	$30-75
   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... Show more	$30-61
   Campaign Manager	Campaign managers are responsible for developing, executing, and managing marketing campaigns for events, products, and services targeting consumers or organizations. These professionals typically collaborate with external agencies in the preparation and execution of campaigns... Show more	$26-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Donor Relations
   • Gift Prospects
   • Capital Campaign
   • Strategic Plan
   • Fund Development
   • Philanthropic Events
   • Event Planning
   • Individual Giving
   • Community Outreach
   • Strategic Direction
   • Foundation Board
   • Event Logistics
   • Local Community
   • Scholarship

   Check all skills

   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.

   More director of philanthropy duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of philanthropy job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A director of philanthropy can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, directors of philanthropy' average salary in mississippi is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of philanthropy 59% less than senior-level directors of philanthropy.
   • Certifications. A director of philanthropy with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a director of philanthropy's salary.

   Average director of philanthropy salary

   $100,554yearly

   $48.34 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of philanthropy salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 11, 2025

   Average director of philanthropy salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$134,423	$65
   2	Nevada	$121,358	$58
   3	Connecticut	$117,121	$56
   4	Virginia	$115,752	$56
   5	New Mexico	$113,555	$55
   6	Massachusetts	$112,828	$54
   7	New York	$111,635	$54
   8	Michigan	$109,215	$53
   9	Vermont	$103,087	$50
   10	Texas	$102,143	$49
   11	Oregon	$99,163	$48
   12	Colorado	$95,233	$46
   13	Florida	$89,015	$43
   14	Arizona	$88,233	$42
   15	Pennsylvania	$86,969	$42
   16	District of Columbia	$85,633	$41
   17	West Virginia	$82,347	$40
   18	North Carolina	$82,329	$40
   19	Ohio	$81,779	$39
   20	Washington	$81,666	$39

   Average director of philanthropy salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Marshall University	$166,771	$80.18
   2	University of Maryland Medical System	$139,613	$67.12
   3	Mercy Corps	$129,852	$62.43
   4	The University of Vermont Health Network	$108,281	$52.06
   5	American Public Gardens Association	$107,919	$51.88
   6	Sutter Health	$107,665	$51.76	2
   7	Harvard University	$99,824	$47.99
   8	Cuesta College	$99,395	$47.79
   9	SMC	$98,235	$47.23
   10	HealthRIGHT 360	$97,968	$47.10	1
   11	Dignity Health	$97,184	$46.72	6
   12	DreamSpring	$93,427	$44.92
   13	Virginia Hospital Center	$93,264	$44.84
   14	YMCA	$93,044	$44.73	1
   15	Seattle Children's Healthcare System	$91,833	$44.15
   16	Mental Health Center Of Denver	$90,029	$43.28
   17	Southwestern Law School	$89,997	$43.27
   18	Loyola Marymount University	$89,926	$43.23	2
   19	American Cancer Society	$88,510	$42.55	9
   20	Providence Health & Services	$87,808	$42.22	4

4. Writing a director of philanthropy job description

   A good director of philanthropy job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a director of philanthropy job description:

   Director of philanthropy job description example

   What You Will Do:
   
   Principal Duties1. Supervises a small team of philanthropy services personnel, potentially including but not limited to the Donor Relations Manager, the Philanthropy Services Coordinator, and a Philanthropy Analyst. Ensures events, meetings and stewardship activities are strategic and designed to advance the efforts of the Foundation. In collaboration with Corporate Financial Reporting and Treasury service, ensures accuracy of financial statements, data entry, gift reporting and fund accounting.2. Assist in facilitating the UM CAP Foundation strategic planning and goal setting process, ensuring engagement and prioritization with staff, the community, UMMS system partners, private sector, local government and UM CAP Board of Directors. Using metrics developed by the CFO, evaluate staff on a quarterly basis using consistent methods to inspire accountability. Complete annual reports on staff for review and approval by reporting Executive.3. Develops and implements an annual plan for departmental operations. Provides strategic information and guidance to assist in developing goals, budget, plans, and procedures.4. Directs activities to ensure that Foundation database, research and fund accounting processes are accurate and congruent with the goals and mission of the department.5. Supports an information-driven decision culture by drawing conclusions and identifying data trends through statistical analysis.6. Develops and manages database and operational "best practice" procedures.7. Tracks Foundation expenses and provides monthly spend reports for review by the CFO.8. Directs staff in the timeliness and accuracy of gift receipts to donors, as well as benchmarks and reports on gift receipting production in accordance with IRS standards. Ensures the accuracy, timeliness, and efficient process for the daily functions related to database management,gift processing, coding and correspondence relating to gift acknowledgements.9. Facilitates access and provides training Capital Region Health's fundraising database (Raiser's Edge) and other departmental software.10. Collaborates with the Finance department to ensure the efficient transfer of gifts, monthly pledges, and stock transfers. Prepares and maintains all financial reports, including reconciliation reports. Responsible for self-management audits and providing information required for annual reports, annual audits and other reporting needs. Works collaborative with Marketing and Communications on events and donor programs.11. Directs and maintains a comprehensive and accurate fundraising database to include all past, current and prospective donor records.12. Develops and maintains Raiser's Edge dashboards and gift officer moves management systems/reports.13. Manages the fulfillment of complex data and reporting requests, including the production of donor lists, regular progress reports and extraction of data from the database for analytical purposes. Creates and maintains complex database queries and exports.14. Maintains accurate Foundation fund files. Oversees the fund disbursement process.15. Staffs and support of the Foundation Board and Board special committees meetings.16. Oversees all special event activity, holding the Donor Relations Manager accountable for the planning, execution and success of activities.17. Directs donor cultivation and stewardship strategies, programs and activities for individual donors and corporate supporters.18. Directs the delivery of donor benefits and donor stewardship, to include signage and event activity.19. Under the guidance of the CFO, assists with and attends special events (e.g., golf tournaments, dinner meetings, seminars), as directed and needed.20. Seeks improvement in the creation and use of standards of work, value delivery systems, and lean management.21. Works collaboratively with other gift officers and members of the Foundation team, providing feedback and support for all Foundation colleagues.
   
   What You Need to Be Successful:
   
   + Bachelor's Degree. Master's Degree is preferred
   
   + 5-7 years experience
   
   + Skill in the use of Raiser's Edge NXT, RE7, Blackbaud Analytics, ResearchPoint, iWave, Foundation Directory Online and/or other donor management tools preferred.
   
   + Blackbaud Raiser's Edge certification preferred
   
   We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find directors of philanthropy for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of philanthropy job on Zippia to find and recruit director of philanthropy candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of philanthropy requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new director of philanthropy

   Once you have selected a candidate for the director of philanthropy position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new director of philanthropy. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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