The Conversation Most School Marketers Are Afraid to Have [284]

I want to talk about something most school marketers avoid.

Asking for more money.

I get it. It feels uncomfortable. In a school culture where mission and service tend to outweigh self-advocacy, it can feel downright selfish.

It isn't.

The 2026 MarCom Society Salary Survey tells a story worth paying attention to. The median salary for school marketing and communications professionals is now $85,000 to $89,000, up from $80,000 to $84,000 in 2025. That is real, measurable progress.

And yet, 70% of respondents are still not eligible for any bonus.

Think about that. You are managing your school's brand, enrollment marketing, website, and crisis communications. Many of you are doing it all alone. And seven out of ten of you have no performance-based upside whatsoever.

That is not a reflection of your value. It is a reflection of how underbuilt the conversation around school marketing compensation still is.

So here is how I would approach it.

Spring is the right time to have this conversation. Budget planning cycles at most schools run through late spring. If you wait until fall, the decisions have already been made without you.

Start with data, not feelings. Pull the 2026 MarCom Society Salary Survey. Show your head of school where the market is. Then connect your work to outcomes. Enrollment numbers. Website traffic. Open rates on your admission communications. Whatever you can point to that shows your fingerprints on something the school cares about.

Then make it a conversation, not a demand. Try this: "I want to talk about my compensation and make sure we are both feeling good about where things stand. I have some data I'd like to share with you."

You have earned this conversation. The data backs you up.

Now you just have to have it.

Thanks,
Brendan

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