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The differences between major gifts officers and communications 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 major gifts officer and a communications director. Additionally, a communications director has an average salary of $107,700, which is higher than the $84,209 average annual salary of a major gifts officer.
The top three skills for a major gifts officer include moves management, solicitation strategies and donor prospects. The most important skills for a communications director are web content, press releases, and customer service.
| Major Gifts Officer | Communications Director | |
| Yearly salary | $84,209 | $107,700 |
| Hourly rate | $40.49 | $51.78 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 63,570 | 27,939 |
| Job satisfaction | 2 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A major gifts officer is responsible for coordinating with organizations and sponsors for donation purposes to support an institution's cause and activities for social services. Major gifts officers identify donors by conducting in-depth research, usually those personalities who have a history of donating to organizations. They provide presentations and an objective outline to the potential sponsors, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and manage their presence during the event proper. A major gifts officer must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing reports and planning events efficiently.
A communications director is responsible for monitoring and supervising the overall media relations from internal to external communications. A communications director's duties include managing campaigns, providing organizational updates to the employees, supporting social media marketing, developing effective communication strategies to build the organization's reputation, and efficiently leading team members in handling events that represent the business. Communications directors must have strong leadership and communication skills to provide support for the company's daily operations and strategies.
Major gifts officers and communications directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Major Gifts Officer | Communications Director | |
| Average salary | $84,209 | $107,700 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $132,000 | Between $61,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Earthjustice | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a major gifts officer and a communications director in terms of educational background:
| Major Gifts Officer | Communications Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between major gifts officers' and communications directors' demographics:
| Major Gifts Officer | Communications Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8% | Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.7% 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, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |