2014 NSPRA
Member Survey
Profile of members by:
Salary
Experience
Work Environment
Background
The information in this report is CONFIDENTIAL and the property of the National School Public Relations Association. © 2014 NSPRA 15948 Derwood Rd., Rockville, MD 20855 phone: (301) 519-0496 www.nspra.org
May 2014
© 2014 NSPRA 2
© 2014 NSPRA 3
2014 Member Survey Report
Every other year, NSPRA surveys its members to better understand their backgrounds and responsibilities, and
to help advocate for our members with this understanding. This survey is designed to help NSPRA’s leaders
make decisions based on data our members provide.
We asked NSPRA members to fill out a brief survey online with K12 Insight in January 2014. An invitation to
take the survey was sent to 1,526 active NSPRA members through e-mail and in NSPRA This Week. Of that
number, 343 members completed the total survey and 42 submitted partial responses. Not every member
answered every question. Please note that results contained in this report represent a very small sample of
our membership – at maximum 22% of our total membership of 1,526, in January, 2014. Please keep that in
mind as you read the responses.
Who Is an NSPRA Member?
Most respondents have worked in the PR/communication/marketing industry and been an NSPRA member for
6-10 years. They have also held their current position for 6-10 years in most cases. 70 percent of respondents
(248 of 352 respondents) have had another PR/communication/marketing job before this one, but most have
never worked outside of education. 60 respondents out of 250 (17%) are Accredited in Public Relations (APR).
Demographically, 74% of respondents (260 of 353) are female, and nearly all (91%, 325 of 358 respondents)
are Caucasian. One-third of respondents (116 of 348) are between the ages of 40 and 49. 332 respondents of
345 (97%) have earned their bachelor’s degree, more than one-third (118) has earned their master’s, and 4%
(14) have their doctorate. Most respondents (22%, 78 of 350) are from the North Central. Nearly half of our
37 53
63
89 82
29
Lessthanoneyear
1-2years
3-5years
6-10years
11-19years
20years
ormore
NSPRA Membership n=353
11
32
44
91
74
89
14
Time as a School Communicator n=355
26
67 61
90
52 56
Lessthanoneyear
1-2years
3-5years
6-10years
11-14years
15 ormoreyears
Time at Current Position n=352
© 2014 NSPRA 4
respondents studied either communications/communication studies/PR or education in both their
undergraduate (84 out of 187 respondents) and graduate pursuits (86 out of 185 respondents), but there were
a significant number of respondents whose degrees were in more unexpected areas, such as chemical
engineering, dental hygiene, and criminal justice.
Job Description
Forty-one percent (142 out of 345) respondents are their organization’s only
school communicator. Slightly more than half (199 compared to 152)
supervise other staff members. Those who do supervise others usually
supervise either one or three to five people (56 each out of198 respondents).
Respondents are most likely to be a PR/Communications/Marketing director.
Seventy-four percent (256 of 346) report directly to the superintendent or
CEO for their primarily suburban school districts. Most respondents work in
districts with 10,000 to 25,000 students.
Budgets and Salaries
It is most common to have an annual
communication budget of $50,000 to $149,999
in their district, of which $60,000 to $69,999
commonly represents the respondents’ salary
range. Forty percent of respondents with their
APR (22 out of 55) made $100,000 annually or
more. Most respondents did not see an increase
in salary in 2013. Most respondents’ districts
have a total operating budget of more than
$150 million.
We have included graphs to display the full
results of this membership survey.
Yes, 199, 57%
No, 152, 43%
Do you supervise others? n=351
4 6
32 37
63
44 43
27
44
22 19
Salary Range n=341
© 2014 NSPRA 5
37
53
63
89 82
29
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Less than oneyear
1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-19 years 20 years ormore
How long have you been an NSPRA member? n=353
Yes, 104, 30%
No, 248, 70%
Is this your first PR/communication/marketing job? n=352
© 2014 NSPRA 6
11
32
44
91
74
89
14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
How many years have you worked in school PR/communication/marketing?
n=355
© 2014 NSPRA 7
36 39
51
69
28
38
87
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Less than oneyear
1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years More than 15years
I've neverworkedoutside
education.
How many years did you work in PR/communication/marketing outside of education?
n=348
© 2014 NSPRA 8
OTHER:
1. Blend of urban, suburban, and rural 2. Combination of urban, suburban, rural 3. Independent School District 4. We are a school district of about 3,100 students
in a community of about 25,000. Not really rural but not suburban either.
5. Both urban and rural. 6. Career Tech High School (rural district) 7. A mix or urban and rural schools and we are a
publicly funded Catholic school district. 8. Large rural and urban 9. Our school district has 115 schools across 12
municipalities in the Niagara Region, Canada.
This area has urban, rural, suburban and exurban areas.
10. Career-Technical School District or JVSD 11. Canadian provincial government department of
education 12. Higher education extension 13. My school district is a mix of rural and small
towns/cities. The largest city has 30,000 people. 14. Not exactly rural, but smaller than suburban. 15. Area career training school 16. University 17. Suburban/Rural
56
189
8
35
1
29
5 1 11
17
What category best describes your employer? n=352
© 2014 NSPRA 9
OTHER:
1. I am an independent consultant working for both educational and non-educational entities. 2. Retired-Consultant 3. The region we primarily serve has about 100K students. 4. Responsible for communication regarding early learning: 260,000 kindergarten children; 500,000 children in
licensed child care in Ontario. 5. Freelance writer/editor/photographer/communications professional 6. I’m retired. 7. County extension office. County population 500,000+ 8. I work in higher ed. Our enrollment is roughly 25,000. 9. We support school districts in this area and they send their students to our specialty schools, but technically
they are enrolled with the district, not us.
5 6 12
37
94
78 74
18 20
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
More than100,000students
75,000 to99,999
students
50,000 to74,999
students
25,000 to49,999
students
10,000 to24,999
students
5,000 to9,999
students
2,000 to4,999
students
Fewerthan2,000
students
I do notwork for a
schooldistrict.
What is your district/organization's enrollment? n=344
© 2014 NSPRA 10
20
64
85
37
101
28
10
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Less than $20million
$20 million to$49 million
$50 million to$99 million
$100 million to$150 million
More than $150million
I don't know N/A -- I am self-employed
What is your district/organization's approximate annual operating budget? n=345
44
118
70
25 19 20 8
34
11
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
What is your district/organization's annual budget for PR/communication/marketing (including salaries, benefits, printing,
contract services, video/website/tech support, events, etc.)? n=349
© 2014 NSPRA 11
142
72
34 32
17 10 9 4 1 6
18
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Morethan 10
How many staff members (also counting yourself) are in the communication office, including clerical/administrative staff?
n=345
© 2014 NSPRA 12
OTHER:
1. As a member of a BOCES service, I oversee all communications operations in the district I serve. I am a staff member when it comes to our service, but as the lead communications officer in my district I also oversee the work of two colleagues.
2. Community education director 3. I am the administrative assistant to the
superintendent & board minutes clerk 4. Webmaster/graphic
designer/photographer/acting PIO 5. Assistant superintendent 6. Communications coordinator 7. Public information coordinator/Executive
assistant 8. Currently have both parent
engagement/outreach and communications 9. PR/Marketing/Communication/Education
Association/PR/Social Media Management 10. PR Communications, Community Relations,
District Webmaster
11. Chief Communications Officer (assistant superintendent level, cabinet member) responsible for communications, PR, governmental affairs, customer service, etc.
12. Marketing and communications manager 13. Director of county office 14. Chief of staff/Community & Government
relations 15. Superintendent in a district without a PIO 16. Director of student services, community
relations, legislative liaison 17. PR/Communications/Marketing/Grants Director 18. Chief communications officer 19. 50% PR and 50% Federal Programs Assistant 20. System publications, contact for media/news
release, photographic events in schools, talking with parent of prospective students, coordinate superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council and Parent Advisory Council
21. Assistant Superintendent for Board & Community Relations
251
43
9 11 4 1 11 1 21
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
What is your primary job responsibility? n=352
© 2014 NSPRA 13
26
67 61
90
52 56
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Less than oneyear
1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-14 years 15 or moreyears
How long have you held your current position? n=352
Yes, 199, 57%
No, 152, 43%
Do you supervise any staff members? n=351
© 2014 NSPRA 14
56
36
56
27
15
4 4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 35 35 or more
If you do supervise others, how many staff members do you supervise? n=198
© 2014 NSPRA 15
OTHER:
1. Because I work for a BOCES, I report to a manager in our communications service, but also to the school superintendent in the district I serve.
2. Self-employed 3. Clients 4. Various, depending on the district 5. Another PR staff member 6. Independent Consultant to Schools or School System 7. HR manager 8. Assistant Deputy Minister 9. Self employed and looking for positions 10. Director of Student & Family Support 11. Senior director of PR/Communication – cabinet level position 12. Myself! 13. Other central office administrator (administrative council) 14. Self 15. School Board 16. Dean of College
256
33 31
10 16
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Superintendent/CEO Chief of staff/Deputysuperintendent/Other
cabinet-level admin
Director ofPR/Communications
Board of Education Other
To whom do you report? n=346
© 2014 NSPRA 16
Male, 93, 26%
Female, 260, 74%
What is your gender? n=353
325
15 10 2 2 4 0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
What is your race/ethnicity? n=358
© 2014 NSPRA 17
21
82
116
91
38
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60 or older
What is your age range? n=348
4 6
32 37
63
44 43
27
44
22 19
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
What is your annual salary range? n=341
© 2014 NSPRA 18
108
41
87
59
12 10 2 2 4 1 3
10
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Approximately what percentage did your salary increase after your last salary review?
n=339
57
46 41
78
61
28
39
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Northeast Mideast Southeast North CentralSouth Central Northwest Southwest
Which NSPRA Region of the country are you in? n=350
© 2014 NSPRA 19
11
202
118
14
0
50
100
150
200
250
Some college Bachelor's degree Master's degree Doctorate
What is the highest level of education you've completed? n=345
© 2014 NSPRA 20
OTHER:
1. Political Science (5) 2. Foreign languages and literature 3. Recreation/Leisure services (2) 4. Biology (2) 5. Computer Science (2) 6. Liberal Arts (3) 7. Geography 8. Graphic Design 9. Diplomacy and World Affairs 10. American Civilization (History/Literature) 11. French (2) 12. Mathematics 13. Dental Hygiene 14. History (2) and Economics (2) 15. Accounting 16. Art History (2) 17. Nursing 18. Criminal Justice 19. Humanities
20. Classical Civilization 21. Anthropology 22. International Studies 23. Social Welfare 24. Home Economics/Human Science Education 25. Art 26. Commercial Art, Advertising and Broadcast
Communications 27. Business and Information Systems 28. Public Policy 29. Behavioral Science and the Law
(Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts Degree) 30. Chemical Engineering 31. Chemistry 32. American History 33. Sociology 34. Math 35. Public Administration
PR/Communication/Communication Studies, 48, 26%
Education, 36, 19%
Marketing, 6, 3%
Business/ Management,
21, 11% English, 9, 5%
Psychology/ Counseling, 5, 3%
Journalism, 19, 10%
Radio/TV/Film, 4, 2%
Other, 39, 21%
What category best describes your undergraduate major or field of study, if applicable?
n=187
© 2014 NSPRA 21
OTHER:
1. Political science 2. Public administration (7) 3. Criminal justice 4. Sociology 5. Latin American studies 6. Mathematics 7. Dental hygiene 8. Social work (2) 9. Management 10. Integrated Marketing Communications 11. Writing 12. Communications management 13. Corporate Communication/Multimedia technology 14. Business communications 15. Strategic leadership 16. Public affairs with non-profit emphasis 17. Organizational Leadership & Quality
PR/Commnication /Communication Studies, 47, 25%
Education, 39, 21%
Marketing, 6, 3%
Business/ Management,
22, 12% English, 8, 4%
Psychology/ Counseling, 3, 2%
Journalism, 18, 10%
Radio/TV/Film, 4, 2%
Other, 38, 21%
What category best describes your graduate major or field of study, if applicable?
n=185
© 2014 NSPRA 22
3
5
6
4
6
5
3
7
1
3
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,000 to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=53
D.C., IN, KY, MD, MI, OH, VA, WV
© 2014 NSPRA 23
1
7
6
4
6 6
1
2 2
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,000 to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=36
AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
© 2014 NSPRA 24
4
7
18
8
3 4
5 4
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,000 to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=56
AR, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX
© 2014 NSPRA 25
2 2
5
1
8
3 3
1
2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,00 0to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=27
AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Yukon
© 2014 NSPRA 26
1
3
2
4
5 5 5 5
3
4
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,000 to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=37
AZ, CA, CO, HI, NV, NM, UT, WY
© 2014 NSPRA 27
1
4
5
9 9
5
3
6
4 4
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,000 to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=50
CT, DE, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia,
Eastern Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec
© 2014 NSPRA 28
2
1
5
8
14
8
10
6
14
6
1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Less than$30,000
$30,000 to$39,999
$40,000 to$49,999
$50,000 to$59,999
$60,000 to$69,999
$70,000 to$79,999
$80,000 to$89,999
$90,000 to$99,999
$100,000 to$115,999
$116,000 to$130,000
More than$130,000
What is your annual salary range? n=75
IL, IA, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI, Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario
