Fundraising director vs director of special events

The differences between fundraising directors 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 fundraising director and a director of special events. Additionally, a fundraising director has an average salary of $90,716, which is higher than the $63,671 average annual salary of a director of special events.

The top three skills for a fundraising director include non-profit organization, donor relationships and volunteer recruitment. The most important skills for a director of special events are event planning, alumni, and event management.

Fundraising director vs director of special events overview

	Fundraising Director	Director Of Special Events
Yearly salary	$90,716	$63,671
Hourly rate	$43.61	$30.61
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	11,855	23,252
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Fundraising director vs director of special events salary

Fundraising directors and directors of special events have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fundraising Director	Director Of Special Events
Average salary	$90,716	$63,671
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $141,000	Between $35,000 And $113,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	NRDC
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between fundraising director and director of special events education

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

	Fundraising Director	Director Of Special Events
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Fundraising director vs director of special events demographics

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

	Fundraising Director	Director Of Special Events
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%	Male, 25.1% Female, 74.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 74.4% 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 fundraising director and director of special events duties and responsibilities

Fundraising director example responsibilities.

Manage fundraiser with third party; currently raise over $2500 in one month on literacy fundraiser.
Manage organization s membership program by implementing annual membership drives and appeals.
Collaborate in fundraising with alumni appeals, grant research and proposals, and mass mailing campaigns.
Update and maintain the business Facebook page.
Solicit local city newspaper to promote the fundraiser.
Institute new methodology to track event fundraising revenue and ROI.

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.

Fundraising director vs director of special events skills

Common fundraising director skills

Non-Profit Organization, 20%
Donor Relationships, 15%
Volunteer Recruitment, 10%
Capital Campaign, 7%
Fund Raising, 7%
Financial Support, 5%

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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Fundraising Director
Fundraising Director vs Director Of Special Events

Updated January 8, 2025

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