Post job

Director of advancement salary

Average director of advancement salary

$117,155

$56.32 hourly rate

Entry-level director of advancement salary
$74,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Director of Advancement Salary

The average salary for a Director of Advancement is approximately $117,155 per year, or about $56 per hour. This role is essential for organizations focusing on fundraising, donor relations, and strategic outreach. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as location, years of experience, and the specific industry.

Salary by State

Directors of Advancement in states such as California and New York tend to earn higher salaries, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. The highest-paying states often provide competitive compensation packages, making them attractive locations for job seekers.

Industry Insights

Industries such as education and healthcare typically offer robust compensation for this role, with opportunities for advancement as organizations expand their fundraising efforts. Understanding these dynamics helps candidates assess their potential earnings in the field.

On this page
Director of advancement salary by: 

Let Zippia find your next director of advancement job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippia find your next director of advancement job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Director Of Advancement earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
156k
136k
116k
96k
76k
56k
Columbus, OH$135,232
Portland, OR$85,670
Compare salary by company
Vs
190k
170k
150k
130k
110k
First Republic Bank$174,169
Florida Power and Light $140,226

Director of advancement salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a director of advancement typically falls between $64,677 and $182,095.
zippia
$117,155yearly
glassdoor[1]
$134,997yearly
Salary.com[2]
$182,095yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$80,750yearly
payscale[4]
$64,677yearly

Average director of advancement salary by state

The average director of advancement salary in Nevada, New Mexico, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average director of advancement salary states are Oregon, Alaska, and Minnesota.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for directors of advancement

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$128,509$61.78
2Pennsylvania$127,585$61.34
3Arkansas$113,574$54.60
4Nevada$131,588$63.26
5Texas$128,394$61.73
6California$129,651$62.33
7Delaware$127,783$61.43
8Georgia$119,350$57.38
9Arizona$120,502$57.93
10New Jersey$123,520$59.38
11Louisiana$111,044$53.39
12Illinois$117,759$56.61
13New Mexico$130,344$62.67
14Massachusetts$115,806$55.68
15Vermont$114,472$55.03
16North Carolina$112,411$54.04
17New York$110,309$53.03
18Rhode Island$107,128$51.50
19Ohio$109,424$52.61
20South Dakota$110,853$53.29
21Kansas$109,848$52.81
22Wisconsin$102,275$49.17
23North Dakota$109,333$52.56
24Alabama$95,180$45.76
25Virginia$106,634$51.27
26Florida$106,473$51.19
27Iowa$94,766$45.56
28Oklahoma$94,434$45.40
29Indiana$104,006$50.00
30Michigan$101,712$48.90
31District of Columbia$101,608$48.85
32Tennessee$99,305$47.74
33Washington$98,673$47.44
34Mississippi$89,693$43.12
35Kentucky$95,830$46.07
36Maryland$98,963$47.58
37Colorado$94,643$45.50
38Utah$94,258$45.32
39West Virginia$94,036$45.21
40New Hampshire$94,515$45.44
41Nebraska$92,607$44.52
42Oregon$86,824$41.74
43Missouri$88,365$42.48
44South Carolina$90,654$43.58
45Montana$83,994$40.38
46Minnesota$85,477$41.09
47Alaska$85,577$41.14
48Idaho$89,124$42.85
49Maine$89,334$42.95
50Hawaii$85,306$41.01
51Wyoming$82,492$39.66

Highest paying cities for directors of advancement

The highest-paying cities for directors of advancement are Menlo Park, CA, Austin, TX, and Philadelphia, PA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Menlo Park, CA$135,232$65.02
2Austin, TX$131,428$63.19
3Philadelphia, PA$129,226$62.13
4Jersey City, NJ$124,393$59.80
5Phoenix, AZ$121,526$58.43
6Atlanta, GA$120,084$57.73
7Chicago, IL$118,607$57.02
8Needham, MA$116,301$55.91
9New York, NY$110,705$53.22
10Cleveland, OH$110,373$53.06
11Indianapolis, IN$104,236$50.11
12Milwaukee, WI$102,737$49.39
13Washington, DC$101,691$48.89
14Baltimore, MD$99,164$47.67
15Seattle, WA$98,927$47.56
16Colorado Springs, CO$96,240$46.27
17Salt Lake City, UT$92,996$44.71
18Saint Paul, MN$85,672$41.19
19Portland, OR$85,670$41.19

Director of advancement salary details

A director of advancement's salary ranges from $74,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $184,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average director of advancement salary graph
Average director of advancement salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a director of advancement's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$184,000$15,333$88
75th Percentile$148,000$12,333$71
Average$117,155$9,763$56
25th Percentile$92,000$7,667$44
10th Percentile$74,000$6,167$36

Highest paying director of advancement jobs

The highest paying types of directors of advancement are senior director of marketing, vice president of communication, and director of strategy.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Dean$86,317$7,193$41.501,183
Community Development Director$109,396$9,116$52.5966,252
Public Relations Manager$91,426$7,619$43.9535,273
Communications Director$107,700$8,975$51.7827,939
Vice President Of Communication$156,662$13,055$75.3243,726
Development Director$107,044$8,920$51.4663,008

Top companies hiring directors of advancement now:

  1. Cisco jobs (5)
  2. Gap Inc. jobs (6)
  3. Pwc jobs (6)
  4. Walmart jobs (5)
  5. Kennametal jobs (4)

Which companies pay directors of advancement the most?

Director of advancement salaries at First Republic Bank and Acadia Pharmaceuticals are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average director of advancement salary at companies like Koch Industries and Phillips Brooks School are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1First Republic Bank$174,169$83.74
2Acadia Pharmaceuticals$173,410$83.37
3Koch Industries$171,076$82.25
4Phillips Brooks School$168,368$80.95
5Northwell Health$167,630$80.59
6Cedars-Sinai$166,034$79.82
7FTI Consulting$164,538$79.10
8Novartis$161,874$77.82
9Gap Inc.$159,177$76.53
10Pwc$159,130$76.50
11Expedia Group$155,042$74.54
12Amd$151,891$73.02
13Gilead Sciences$151,712$72.94
14Walmart$149,028$71.65
15Procore Technologies$148,769$71.52
16W. R. Berkley$144,018$69.24
17Micron Technology$142,803$68.66
18Rackspace$141,000$67.79
19CyberGrants$140,338$67.47
20Florida Power and Light $140,226$67.42

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$114,000$112,000$110,000$108,000$106,000$104,000
MaleFemale

Director Of Advancement salary by industry

The average director of advancement salary varies across industries:

  • The average director of advancement salary in the technology industry is $144,014, the highest of any industry.
  • The average director of advancement salary in the finance industry is $128,836.
  • Directors of advancement in the education industry earn an average salary of $91,640, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for directors of advancement

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$144,014$69.24
2Manufacturing$128,836$61.94
3Automotive$117,339$56.41
4Professional$116,788$56.15
5Health Care$114,872$55.23
6Non Profits$94,765$45.56
7Education$91,640$44.06

High paying director of advancement jobs

Director of advancement salary trends

The average director of advancement salary has risen by $27,519 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average director of advancement earned $89,636 annually, but today, they earn $117,155 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for directors of advancement over the last decade.

Compare director of advancement salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average director of advancement salary over time

Compare director of advancement salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Director of advancement salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$117,000$56.32+3.9%
2025$113,000$54.12+2.0%
2024$110,000$53.02+3.1%
2023$107,000$51.39+3.6%
2022$103,000$49.56+3.0%

Recently added director of advancement salaries

Director of advancement salary FAQs

Search for director of advancement jobs

Browse executive management jobs