Survey of College Fund Raisers Says That Gender Has Biggest Impact on Salary
July 12, 2002 | Read Time: 5 minutes
JOB MARKET
Women in fund-raising, alumni relations, and communications departments at colleges and universities earn far less than their male colleagues, according to a new survey of salaries and benefits commissioned by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
The survey, whose data was collected in February and whose results were released last week
|
ALSO SEE: Compensation and Benefits of College Fund-Raising, Communications, and Alumni Relations Officials Gap Between Men’s and Women’s Pay Continues in Latest GuideStar Report |
by the council during its annual meeting in Chicago, reported that women — who made up the majority of the survey’s respondents — were twice as likely as men to earn $40,000 or less, and men were three times as likely as women to earn $100,000 or more.
Employees’ gender appeared to be the biggest influence on salaries, followed by level of supervisory responsibility, area of specialization, and years of experience. Disparity between men’s and women’s pay persisted even when their levels of experience and responsibility were equal — for example, among advancement officers who had 15 or more years of experience, 31 percent of women earn more than $80,000, compared with 62 percent of men.
The gap between men’s and women’s salaries is consistent with those that have appeared in the four previous salary surveys the organization has conducted, beginning in 1982. The current survey, however, drew its findings from a much bigger sample than the group’s earlier studies, which usually surveyed fewer than 1,000 individuals, according to Scott H. Levine, senior marketing executive at Carnegie Communications, in Atlanta, which conducted the survey for the council. Because of improved online technology since the council’s last survey in 1996, Mr. Levine said while presenting the survey at the council’s annual meeting, researchers were able to contact many more participants than in the past. The current data was derived from the responses of 10,063 advancement officers, out of the group’s entire membership of 26,829.
The largest group of respondents — more than 41 percent — worked in fund raising, with an additional 23 percent employed in communications and marketing, 14 percent in advancement management (defined in the survey as executives who oversee two or more departments), 14 percent in alumni relations, and more than 7 percent in advancement services (workers who manage databases, research prospective donors, plan fund-raising events, and provide administrative support).
Nearly 80 percent of respondents earn $80,000 or less, with the largest segment of the total respondents — 35 percent — earning between $40,001 and $60,000. “This is a field where you can make a nice living,” said Mr. Levine, “but you won’t be buying vacation homes in the Hamptons.” Managers of fund-raising and other advancement departments made the most among those surveyed, while those in alumni relations made the least. The high salaries of advancement managers may be attributable to the high levels of experience reported by respondents in that field — an average of 13 years, the most of any group in the study — while the low salaries of alumni-relations workers may be a result of their short tenure. Alumni-relations respondents reported an average of eight years’ experience, tied with development officers for the least experience of the specialties covered in the survey. In addition, alumni relations had the survey’s second highest concentration of women — 73 percent of respondents in that field are female. (Advancement services respondents, 76 percent of whom were female, reported higher levels of experience.)
Sixty-five percent of respondents were women, and more than 92 percent of those surveyed were white. Survey results showed little difference between the salaries of minorities and whites, a finding that Mr. Levine called positive and said could be used as a recruiting tool for the advancement field. However, he added, because minorities still make up only a small segment of the profession, “I’m not sure how big our smiles should be.”
Seventy-three percent of respondents rated their benefits packages as “very good” or “excellent.” Just over 9 percent reported that they are eligible for bonuses, a number that was highest at doctoral and specialized institutions.
The survey’s results are available on the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Web site. The site also includes a data base of survey results that council members can search to locate specific findings.
What should colleges and universities — and their employees — do about pay inequities in the advancement field? Share your thoughts on the Job Market online forum.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS OF COLLEGE FUND-RAISING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICIALS
| Compensation by Specialty | |||||
| Salary range | Advancement management | Advancement services | Alumni relations | Communications and Marketing | Development |
| Percentage who make: | |||||
| Less than $20,000 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| $20,001-$40,000 | 4.0% | 31.9% | 36.3% | 26.5% | 19.4% |
| $40,001-$60,000 | 12.8% | 36.8% | 39.0% | 40.1% | 36.9% |
| $60,001-$80,000 | 23.9% | 19.5% | 15.6% | 19.8% | 25.6% |
| $80,001-$100,000 | 23.4% | 6.9% | 4.4% | 7.7% | 10.6% |
| $100,001-$120,000 | 15.3% | 3.4% | 2.0% | 3.5% | 4.1% |
| $120,001-$140,000 | 9.6% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| More than $140,000 | 10.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| How Experience Affects Pay | |||||
| Salary range | Less than 3 years | 3 to 5 years | 5 to 10 years | 10 to 15 years | More than 15 years |
| Percentage who make: | |||||
| Less than $20,000 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| $20,001-$40,000 | 43.6% | 34.6% | 19.9% | 13.2% | 5.9% |
| $40,001-$60,000 | 33.2% | 41.9% | 41.0% | 33.0% | 24.9% |
| $60,001-$80,000 | 14.9% | 16.2% | 24.8% | 28.3% | 24.6% |
| $80,001-$100,000 | 4.6% | 4.6% | 8.3% | 14.8% | 18.7% |
| $100,001-$120,000 | 1.6% | 1.4% | 3.4% | 6.3% | 11.8% |
| $120,001-$140,000 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 6.1% |
| More than $140,000 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 8.0% |
| How Salaries Differ by Sex | ||
| Salary range | Women | Men |
| Percentage who make: | ||
| Less than $20,000 | 0.4% | 0.0% |
| $20,001-$40,000 | 27.4% | 11.9% |
| $40,001-$60,000 | 38.1% | 27.8% |
| $60,001-$80,000 | 20.7% | 25.2% |
| $80,001-$100,000 | 7.8% | 15.9% |
| $100,001-$120,000 | 3.4% | 8.6% |
| $120,001-$140,000 | 1.2% | 5.0% |
| More than $140,000 | 0.9% | 5.7% |
| How Salaries Vary for High-ranking Men and Women | ||
| Salary range | Women | Men |
| Percentage who make: | ||
| $20,001-$40,000 | 6.3% | 1.8% |
| $40,001-$60,000 | 23.1% | 10.5% |
| $60,001-$80,000 | 31.5% | 18.1% |
| $80,001-$100,000 | 19.3% | 23.2% |
| $100,001-$120,000 | 11.1% | 17.4% |
| $120,001-$140,000 | 4.7% | 12.9% |
| More than $140,000 | 4.1% | 15.9% |
| Note: Includes salaries for people who head departments and report directly to a college’s chief executive or board of trustees | ||
| Benefits Colleges Provide | |
| Percentage who receive | |
| Medical insurance | 96.3% |
| Vacation | 95.9% |
| Retirement contribution | 94.3% |
| Sick leave | 93.8% |
| Dental insurance | 75.2% |
| Tuition remission for self | 70.6% |
| Long-term disability | 67.5% |
| Tuition remission for spouse or child | 58.4% |
| Vision insurance | 43.2% |
| Flexible hours | 37.6% |
| Club membership | 12.0% |
| Auto allowance | 10.5% |
| Telecommuting | 9.3% |
