3.6% Gain in College Salaries

By Caroline Preston

The median salary for chief fund raisers at colleges and universities rose by nearly 3.6 percent last year, according to the College and University

ALSO SEE: TABLE: Median salaries of college fund-raising officials, 2005-6

Professional Association for Human Resources, in Knoxville, Tenn. The increase exceeded the inflation rate of 3.4 percent for the 12-month period ending last December.

The median salary for top fund raisers was $118,500, meaning that half of those surveyed made more and half made less. The increase was smaller than in 2004, when median salaries grew by 4 percent.

Chief fund raisers at doctoral, master's, baccalaureate, and two-year institutions all received increases, with fund raisers at two-year institutions reporting the biggest gain, 10.9 percent.

Top development officers at doctoral institutions earned median raises of 5.5 percent, while those at master's institutions received increases of 2 percent and those at baccalaureate institutions won 1.7 percent more.

The survey was based on data reported between September 2005 and January 2006 for 211 positions at 1,345 colleges and universities. The median salary increase for all administrative positions was 3.5 percent.

Biggest Raises

Of all types of fund raisers, directors of planned giving at two-year institutions received the largest increase in salary. Their median pay increased by nearly 26 percent to $73,372.

According to the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, however, a much smaller number of two-year institutions provided data last year than in 2004, which could account for the jump. The participation of other types of institutions was consistent between 2004 and 2005, according to the group.

Other fund-raising positions that received big salary increases were chief development and public-relations officers at doctoral institutions (13.8 percent to $190,204) and chief public-relations officers at doctoral institutions (13 percent to $132,290).

When all types of institutions are considered together, the median salary of associate directors of publications increased the most — 9 percent to $50,000 — while the median salary of chief development and public-relations officers grew by 6.4 percent to $122,764.

Median salaries for a few types of fund-raising jobs dropped. Salaries for directors of major gifts at doctoral institutions decreased by 7.6 percent to $83,736.

Copies of the "2005-06 Administrative Compensation Survey" can be ordered online at http://www.cupahr.org. The price is $150 for members who participated in the survey, $225 for members who did not participate and nonmembers who did, and $300 for all others.