Fundraising director vs manager of special events

The differences between fundraising directors and managers 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 manager of special events. Additionally, a fundraising director has an average salary of $90,716, which is higher than the $56,716 average annual salary of a manager 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 manager of special events are customer service, event planning, and event management.

Fundraising director vs manager of special events overview

	Fundraising Director	Manager Of Special Events
Yearly salary	$90,716	$56,716
Hourly rate	$43.61	$27.27
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	11,855	15,818
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 manager of special events salary

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

	Fundraising Director	Manager Of Special Events
Average salary	$90,716	$56,716
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $141,000	Between $31,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	ESPN
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between fundraising director and manager of special events education

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

	Fundraising Director	Manager 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 manager of special events demographics

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

	Fundraising Director	Manager Of Special Events
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%	Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3%
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, 5.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between fundraising director and manager 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.

Manager of special events example responsibilities.

Negotiate contracts and manage project budgets to ensure optimal return on cost and measurable ROI.
Manage all aspects of these events and act as onsite manager to ensure meeting are delivered effectively and professionally.
Assist in planning, developing and producing PowerPoint and video presentations.
Measure and track ROI on a per school basis to create weekly schedule.
Control the up keep and organization of the entire foundation website and Facebook page.
Greet customers immediately upon entry into the VIP room and make wine and liquor suggestions.

Fundraising director vs manager 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 manager of special events skills

Customer Service, 21%
Event Planning, 13%
Event Management, 9%
Event Logistics, 4%
PowerPoint, 4%
Inventory Control, 2%

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Fundraising Director
Fundraising Director vs Manager Of Special Events

Updated January 8, 2025

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