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.
Director of philanthropy responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of philanthropy resumes:
- 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.
Director of philanthropy skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Directors Of Philanthropy are proficient in Donor Relations, Gift Prospects, and Capital Campaign. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Philanthropy that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Donor Relations, 21%
Created the PRSSA's first donor relations report binder to give the new director a head start on fundraising and soliciting.
- Gift Prospects, 13%
Managed portfolio of existing and planned gift prospects and face-to-face visits with donors and prospects.
- Capital Campaign, 9%
Collaborate with President of Development Foundation on Capital Campaign.
- Strategic Plan, 9%
Determined metrics to evaluate effectiveness of Auxiliary Volunteer contributions for immediate use and measurement over long-term strategic planning.
- Fund Development, 6%
Developed annual budget and goals and defined performance measures for fund development.
- Philanthropic Events, 5%
Networked with local businesses for advertisement and sponsors - Coordinated and organized philanthropic events for members
Most directors of philanthropy use their skills in "donor relations," "gift prospects," and "capital campaign" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential director of philanthropy responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. The most essential soft skill for a director of philanthropy to carry out their responsibilities is organizational skills. This skill is important for the role because "public relations and fundraising managers are often in charge of running several events at the same time, requiring superior organizational skills." Additionally, a director of philanthropy resume shows how their duties depend on organizational skills: "participated in organizational and departmental strategic planning. "
Speaking skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director of philanthropy duties is speaking skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers regularly speak on behalf of their organization." According to a director of philanthropy resume, here's how directors of philanthropy can utilize speaking skills in their job responsibilities: "represented the local chapter to the board of directors and national leadership. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for directors of philanthropy to perform their duties. For an example of how director of philanthropy responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "managers must be able to write well-organized and clear press releases and speeches." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a director of philanthropy: "started the public and media relations of the group by writing press releases for local media and using social media. ".
Communication skills. A big part of what directors of philanthropy do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to director of philanthropy responsibilities because "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." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical director of philanthropy tasks: "created and managed internet and media communication strategy for the campus center and the university's $500m capital campaign. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in director of philanthropy job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what directors of philanthropy do. Director of philanthropy responsibilities rely on this skill because "public relations and fundraising managers often lead large teams of specialists or fundraisers and must be able to guide their activities." You can also see how director of philanthropy duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "demonstrated skills in leadership, time management, public relations, and event planning. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to director of philanthropy responsibilities. Much of what a director of philanthropy does relies on this skill, seeing as "managers sometimes must explain how the company or client is handling sensitive issues." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of directors of philanthropy: "led team to build blueprint for automated data processing solutions in sas and r software tools. "
The three companies that hire the most director of philanthropys are:
- Ymca Of Greater Seattle6 directors of philanthropy jobs
- True Care Home Care4 directors of philanthropy jobs
- Autism Speaks2 directors of philanthropy jobs
Compare different directors of philanthropy
Director of philanthropy 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a director of philanthropy are more likely to require skills like "donor relations," "gift prospects," "capital campaign," and "strategic plan." On the other hand, a job as a public relations manager requires skills like "web content," "pr campaigns," "marketing campaigns," and "digital marketing." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Public relations managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $114,540. In contrast, directors of philanthropy make the biggest average salary, $101,940, in the health care industry.On average, public relations managers reach similar levels of education than directors of philanthropy. Public relations managers are 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Director of philanthropy vs. 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. They perform other duties that may include managing the measurement and tracking of marketing campaigns, writing, proofreading, and editing copy for promotional materials, and maintaining regular measurement of the campaigns' ROI. Campaign managers are also expected to evaluate existing marketing campaigns and be up-to-date on the latest marketing trends.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real director of philanthropy resumes. While director of philanthropy responsibilities can utilize skills like "donor relations," "gift prospects," "fund development," and "philanthropic events," campaign managers use skills like "digital marketing," "email marketing," "email campaigns," and "integrated marketing."
Campaign managers earn a lower average salary than directors of philanthropy. But campaign managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $86,390. Additionally, directors of philanthropy earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $101,940 annually.In general, campaign managers achieve similar levels of education than directors of philanthropy. They're 2.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of philanthropy vs. Grant manager
A grant manager is responsible for granting financial assistance and support to various sector programs, evaluating grant applications, and implementing policies from its conceptualization to utilization. Grant managers review the grant documents, ensuring its adherence to internal guidelines and state regulations. They coordinate with clients and project management team to inform them of requirements and processes for approval, including the implementation of strategies to identify grant opportunities and policies. A grant manager handles the grant team for efficient coordination to make sure the efficient execution and analysis of grant programs.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, directors of philanthropy are more likely to have skills like "donor relations," "gift prospects," "fund development," and "philanthropic events." But a grant manager is more likely to have skills like "financial reports," "principal investigators," "payroll," and "project management."
Grant managers make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $64,389. On the other hand, directors of philanthropy are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $101,940.Most grant managers achieve a higher degree level compared to directors of philanthropy. For example, they're 11.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of philanthropy 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.
Types of director of philanthropy
Updated January 8, 2025
