What is a good director of development worth, asks Tony Poderis
US fundraising consultant Tony Poderis has published a new article on his raise-funds.com website focusing on the value of good fundraising directors.
Non-profits with resources sufficient to engage professionals in key staff positions seem to find it relatively easy to determine salaries for heads of marketing, finance, and human resources, among others. Development directors however are another story. Why is that?
Because there are many complex variables which can lead ultimately to a development director’s salary which is fair, reasonable, and necessary. I have made careful note of those criteria from my experience as a director of development regarding my own salary, the salaries I paid to my staff development professionals, what my peers were earning, and the compensation I recommended when I was engaged by clients to search for and hire their directors of development.
Whether you are a development director seeking the compensation you feel is fair, or an organisation unsure of what to pay in search of a development director, see if my balance of those criteria, relative to knowledge, experience, skill, and wisdom – factoring in your area’s “market value,” can help you to achieve compensation which is right for you, or which will be a useful hiring guide for your organisation.
Advertisement
- New Fundraising Manager for NCVO (9 November 2005)
- Professional Fundraising launches fundraising management survey (5 December 2005)
- New Zealand charity recruits RNID fundraiser (19 January 2006)
![[ad] Fundraising Everywhere Trusts and Major Donors Conference December 2026](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/09/fundraising-everywhere-trusts-conference-202612-728x90-1.jpg)
