Development Director
Impact: Social
Lead fundraising efforts by developing and executing comprehensive strategies, cultivating donor relationships, securing major gifts, and managing development teams to achieve financial goals and support the organization's mission.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- Team-oriented, with significant individual donor cultivation.
- Client facing
- Always
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Moderate, for donor meetings, events, and conferences.
- Schedule flexibility
- Moderate
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 45-55 hours per week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $110,000
- Entry-level
- $75,000
- Senior
- $160,000
- Growth by 2033
- 8%
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High
- Typical student debt
- $30,000 - $60,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Fundraising Strategy
- Grant Writing
- CRM Software
Soft skills
- Communication
- Persuasion
- Relationship Building
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-8 years
- Years to senior
- 10-15 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Moves from fundraising roles to Director, then VP of Development, or Executive Director.
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 10%
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 4/10
- Meaning
- 4/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High