Recreation director vs activities/volunteer

The differences between recreation directors and activities/volunteers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a recreation director and an activities/volunteer. Additionally, a recreation director has an average salary of $48,525, which is higher than the $32,875 average annual salary of an activities/volunteer.

The top three skills for a recreation director include community resources, therapeutic recreation and nursing home. The most important skills for an activities/volunteer are community resources, senior care, and financial statements.

Recreation director vs activities/volunteer overview

	Recreation Director	Activities/Volunteer
Yearly salary	$48,525	$32,875
Hourly rate	$23.33	$15.81
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	8,479	4,126
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a recreation director do?

Recreation directors may take part in leading activities like canoeing, wilderness first-aid, rock climbing, camping, and resource management for this dynamic career. Responsibilities include implementation and success assurance of recreation programs, as well as management of schedules for activities and facilities. They also handle the recruitment, training, and supervision of staff and volunteers.

What does an activities/volunteer do?

An activity volunteer is responsible for supporting community activities for the benefit of the citizens and social development in general. Activity volunteers assist in fundraising activities, coordinating with other organizations for sponsorship, recruiting target audience, planning the program outline, and releasing promotional materials, press releases, and media marketing. Activity volunteers must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on negotiating with suppliers and vendors for the activity materials with minimal costs. They should also be able to address the participants' inquiries and concerns and resolve any issues that may arise during the activity preparation.

Recreation director vs activities/volunteer salary

Recreation directors and activities/volunteers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recreation Director	Activities/Volunteer
Average salary	$48,525	$32,875
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $77,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Milpitas, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Downtown United Soccer Club	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between recreation director and activities/volunteer education

There are a few differences between a recreation director and an activities/volunteer in terms of educational background:

	Recreation Director	Activities/Volunteer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Recreation Management	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Recreation director vs activities/volunteer demographics

Here are the differences between recreation directors' and activities/volunteers' demographics:

	Recreation Director	Activities/Volunteer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between recreation director and activities/volunteer duties and responsibilities

Recreation director example responsibilities.

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Organize and provide staff training material regarding Alzheimer's disease.
Conduct monthly resident council meetings, daily initial evaluations, standard MDS and interdisciplinary care plan documentation.
Advance technical knowledge of all office equipment including Microsoft office and POS systems.
Expand programming, develop outdoor adventure programs, and maintain current city programs.
Design and layout seasonal brochure, create flyers, signs and periodically upload recreation information to town website.

Activities/volunteer example responsibilities.

Address and resolve customer's complaints grievances regarding medical billing and treatments, consisting of Medicare and manage care claims.
Develop, coordinate, manage a diverse and balance activity program for general residence and specialize Alzheimer unit.
Create the first alumni database used to engage past alumni with the current fraternity members.
Provide overall leadership and management of the Alzheimer's neighborhood within an assisted-living community for senior citizens.
Train on proper administration of CPR.
Submit resident activity records to MDS.

Recreation director vs activities/volunteer skills

Common recreation director skills

Community Resources, 15%
Therapeutic Recreation, 14%
Nursing Home, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Provides Supervision, 7%
Recreation Programs, 5%

Common activities/volunteer skills

Community Resources, 20%
Senior Care, 18%
Financial Statements, 14%
Memory Care, 13%
Local Schools, 12%
Budget Targets, 11%

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Recreation Director
Recreation Director vs Activities/Volunteer

Updated January 8, 2025

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