Military Nonprofit Pays Top Official Nearly Half of Revenue

The president of a group that advocates for separation of church and state in the armed forces received compensation amounting to about 47 percent of what the nonprofit raised in contributions and grants in 2012, writes the Air Force Times.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s 2012 tax filings show income of $584,351 and $273,355 in compensation to Mikey Weinstein, who founded the charity in 2005. As a voting member of the foundation’s three-seat board, Mr. Weinstein has a say in his salary, which as a percentage of revenue far exceeds that of top officials at most nonprofits and in dollar terms is 2½ times the median for small charities, as calculated by Charity Navigator.

Mr. Weinstein, a lawyer who has practiced in the military, the government, and the private sector, defended his compensation. “I handle a lot of different hats here,” including development, fundraising, and all relations with clients and the press, he said. “It ends up being about a 15-hour-a-day workweek, seven days a week. It’s a tremendous amount of time and effort, and we feel it’s perfectly appropriate.”