Public Relations Manager

Career Overview

Public relations managers direct the creation of materials that will enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.

Education

A four-year bachelor’s degree in communication arts, journalism, marketing, public relations, or a related field is required to obtain this position. A higher degree (master's degree) in a related field, which may take an additional two-three years to earn, would be more valuable.

Future Outlook

Employment of public relations and fundraising managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Organizations continue to emphasize community outreach and customer relations as a way to enhance their reputation and visibility.

Work Environment

Public relations and fundraising managers generally work in offices during regular business hours. However, many of these managers travel to give speeches and to attend meetings and community activities. Some work more than 40 hours per week.

Recommended High School Courses

Journalism
Psychology
Public Speaking
Communication
Computer Applications
Principles of Advertising
Technical writing

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Develop organizational policies or programs.
Develop organizational goals or objectives.
Direct financial operations.
Present information to the public.
Develop marketing plans or strategies.
Develop promotional materials.
Coordinate special events or programs.
Edit documents.
Establish interpersonal business relationships to facilitate work activities.
Evaluate employee performance.
Supervise employees.
Evaluate program effectiveness.
Manage organizational or project budgets.
Liaise between departments or other groups to improve function or communication.
Coordinate with external parties to exchange information.
Direct sales, marketing, or customer service activities.
Develop contingency plans to deal with organizational emergencies.
Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
Confer with organizational members to accomplish work activities.
Monitor external affairs or events affecting business operations.
Maintain operational records.

Schools

Abilene Christian Univers...

Adams State University

Adelphi University

Alvernia University

American International Co...

American University

Angelo State University

Appalachian State Univers...

Arizona State University

Arkansas Tech University

Auburn University

Augustana University

Austin College

Azusa Pacific University

Ball State University

Barry University

Baruch College (cuny)

Baylor University

Bellevue University

Belmont University

Berea College

Berkeley College Online

Berkeley College- Nyc Mid...

Bethel University (indian...

Biola University

Bluefield College

Boise State University

Boston College

Boston University

Bowling Green State Unive...

Bradley University

Brenau University

Brescia University

Bryant University

California State Universi...

Chapman University

Clark University

College Of Saint Elizabet...

Columbia College Chicago

Concordia University-wisc...

Culver-stockton College

Emerson College

Georgia Southern Universi...

Grand Valley State Univer...

Hofstra University

Indiana State University

Indiana University- North...

Indiana University- South...

Jacksonville State Univer...

Kentucky Wesleyan College

Lasalle University

Lewis And Clark State Col...

Linfield College

Lynn University

Mansfield University Of P...

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Marymount Manhattan Colle...

Maryville University

Mcpherson College

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Millsaps College

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Minot State University

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Southwestern University

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Stephen F. Austin State U...

Sterling College

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Stonehill College

Suny At Albany

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Suny College Of Agricultu...

Suny Plattsburgh

Suny Polytechnic Institut...

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Tabor College

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Trine University

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Tuskegee University

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Union University

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University Of Louisville

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University Of Wisconsin-...

Utica College

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Valparaiso University

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Washington College

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Wesleyan College

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Western New England Unive...

Westminster College- Penn...

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William Jewell College

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York College

Conestoga College- Doo...

Loyalist College

Mount Royal University...

Mount St. Vincent Univ...

Providence College And...

Royal Roads University

St. Claire College- Me...

St. Thomas University

Thompson Rivers Univer...

Trinity Western Univer...

University Canada West

University Of Moncton

University Of Quebec-...

Wilfred Laurier Univer...

York University- Glendon...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$64,790.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$116,180.00 /yr

High End:

$208,000.00 /yr

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References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.