A nonprofit communications manager may help write speeches for her organization.
A communications manager is involved in making sure all internal and external communications are in sync with the nonprofit's stated mission. As such, they fall under the category of "public relations managers and fund raisers," according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a nonprofit organization, a communications manager develops, plans and directs public relations programs designed to cast the organization in a favorable light with the public, especially potential donors, volunteers and sponsors.
By City
Nonprofit communications managers in Baltimore, Maryland, earned a relatively high wage compared to other cities in 2011.
As of July 2011, the average annual salary for a nonprofit communications manager was $52,000, according to SimplyHired Inc. Employees with this title earned $70,000 in San Francisco and Baltimore, $62,000 in Seattle and $61,000 in New York City. In Los Angeles, nonprofit communications managers earned $58,000; in Chicago, they earned $57,000; in Dallas and Austin, they earned $53,000 and in Miami, $51,000.
PR and Communications by Industry
Communications managers in the oil and gas industry earned 35 percent more, on average, than those working in the nonprofit sector.
As of May 2011, the BLS listed 53,460 employees in the category "public relations managers and fund raisers," with a mean annual salary of $104,390. Average communications manager salaries in nonprofits fell into the lower 25 percentile for this category. Nonprofits are split by the BLS into the industries in which they are involved. The "community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services" category listed 780 entities, which are likely primarily nonprofits. The mean annual salary for this group was $70,980. In the for-profit sector, communications managers earned, on average, $80,000 in the telecommunications industry; $74,000 in the oil and gas industry and in the financial industry; $70,000 in the computer industry; $57,000 in the health-care industry and $62,000 across all industries.
Accreditation
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) accredits professionals in the communications field, including communications managers. Those who meet all program requirements earn the Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation. Candidates must have at least 5 years of experience, a bachelor's degree in a communications field and must pass written and oral examinations. They also must submit a portfolio of work samples covering a range of communications projects to demonstrate a thorough understanding of communications planning. As of 2011, the IABC had about 15,000 business communication members, 11 percent of whom worked for nonprofits and 23 percent of whom held the title of manager or supervisor.
Related Jobs
Press releases, fund-raising events, media events, organizational reports and online or printed marketing materials are all tools in the marketing manager's tool kit. In large nonprofit organizations, the communications manager may supervise a communications and public relations staff and coordinate with team members from operations, marketing and fund raising. Average annual salaries for these related jobs are $65,000 for director of operations; $58,000 for communications specialist; $55,000 for marketing manager and for public relations specialist; $52,000 for marketing director and $39,000 for fund raiser.
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