Advancement Services

Where a virtual tie existed in 2005 for average salaries of professionals in advancement services and in communications and marketing, the 2008 survey shows that the advancement services field has pulled decidedly ahead and is now in the number 2 spot all by itself (fig. 7). Indeed, advancement services saw the biggest percentage increase in average salary from 2005, rising by about 12 percent.

For advancement services managers, the discrepancy in average salary between those with fewer than 3 years of experience and those with 3 to 5 years of experience has narrowed since the last survey. In 2005, those with fewer than 3 years in the field ranked third in average salary, behind those with 11 to 15 years and those with more than 20 years in the field. Figure 24 shows that in the most recent survey the average salary of the newcomers outpaced, just slightly, that of professionals who have been working 3 to 5 years. For those who have worked in advancement for 6 or more years, salary increases now follow longevity in a more-expected progression.

Looking at average salary by top areas of responsibility (fig. 22), we see that "overall management of advancement services" remains the highest-paid area. Those who identified donor relations/donor stewardship as their top area of responsibility are second-highest paid, and their average salary has increased by about 25 percent since the 2005 survey. Advancement services professionals whose top areas of responsibility are information technology or gift accounting have seen their average salaries increase by about 17 percent since 2005. Biographical record maintenance was not among the top areas listed in 2005.

For advancement services managers, average salary rises with level of responsibility, as shown in figure 23.