Public information officer vs development director

The differences between public information officers and development 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 public information officer and a development director. Additionally, a development director has an average salary of $107,044, which is higher than the $56,725 average annual salary of a public information officer.

The top three skills for a public information officer include press releases, web content and community outreach. The most important skills for a development director are digital marketing, oversight, and patients.

Public information officer vs development director overview

	Public Information Officer	Development Director
Yearly salary	$56,725	$107,044
Hourly rate	$27.27	$51.46
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	129,237	63,008
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a public information officer do?

The primary job of a public information officer involves the promotion of a positive public image on social media. Public information officers offer significant information during a crisis. They collect facts and distribute them to the media and organize special events like awards ceremonies. Typically, they work for large organizations and government agencies. They maintain their online presence that can be part of the duties of public information. Also, they can work for long hours on an irregular schedule, especially when the incidents or situations affect the organization.

What does a development director do?

A development director is an individual who is responsible for securing funds and sponsors for non-profit organizations. Development directors must actively seek new business partners and develop relationships with volunteers and donors. They meet with members of the development team to help advertise and promote brand awareness and funding. Development directors must possess skills and experience in managing human resources, marketing, and budgeting functions. They must also obtain a bachelor's degree in business management, public relations, or related field.

Public information officer vs development director salary

Public information officers and development directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Information Officer	Development Director
Average salary	$56,725	$107,044
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $83,000	Between $64,000 And $177,000
Highest paying City	Fairfield, CA	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	Delaware	New Jersey
Best paying company	City of Fairfield	Cornerstone Research
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between public information officer and development director education

There are a few differences between a public information officer and a development director in terms of educational background:

	Public Information Officer	Development Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Communication	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Stanford University

Public information officer vs development director demographics

Here are the differences between public information officers' and development directors' demographics:

	Public Information Officer	Development Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between public information officer and development director duties and responsibilities

Public information officer example responsibilities.

Manage agency's social media pages (Facebook/Twitter).
Manage multiple websites and associate SEO; direct all brand photography to publicize and promote the resort.
Serve as college spokesperson managing crisis communications.
Lead implementation of a robust membership database to support organization strategy and decision making.
Interview featured alumni, manage copywriting staff and editorial calendar, and coordinate photography.
Create and maintain the college's blackboard intranet site.

Development director example responsibilities.

Manage CRM program for coordination and partnerships with marketing resources.
Manage website re-launch, create communications plan, co-le rebranding taskforce.
Manage clients and internal production team to meet budget and scope of contract eLearning solutions.
Help manage the CRM system with input and output for the resource development department and the entire organization.
Manage analytical method validation and method transfer to QC and CMOs for APIs, excipients, and finish products.
Hire, manage and train a team of six sourcing professionals as well as a team of 3 QA managers.

Public information officer vs development director skills

Common public information officer skills

Press Releases, 16%
Web Content, 10%
Community Outreach, 5%
Press Conferences, 4%
Graphic Design, 4%
Emergency Operations, 4%

Common development director skills

Digital Marketing, 8%
Oversight, 6%
Patients, 6%
Lead Generation, 5%
ROI, 4%
Project Management, 4%

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Public Information Officer
Public Information Officer vs Development Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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