Washington Charities Expect to Increase Salaries

February 22, 2007 | Read Time: 4 minutes

Salaries for nonprofit workers in the Washington area are expected to rise in 2007, according to a new survey of local nonprofit employers. However, a new

ALSO SEE:

GRAPHIC: Percentage of Washington nonprofit groups that offer bonuses and other rewards to workers

TABLE: Nonprofit pay: salary ranges at organizations in Washington

trend to tie raises to performance goals may mean that fewer employees will be rewarded with higher pay.

The survey of 232 nonprofit groups, conducted by Professionals for NonProfits, a recruiter for nonprofit clients in New York and Washington, found that 85 percent of organizations expect to give salary increases to employees this year, down from the 97 percent that reported giving salary increases to staff members in 2006.

Gayle A. Brandel, president of Professionals for NonProfits, attributed the change to what she sees as a growing emphasis on merit pay. Eighty-one percent of organizations reported giving merit increases to their staff members in 2006.

“Ten years ago, basing raises on performance wasn’t very common in this sector,” Ms. Brandel says. “We think it’s healthy for nonprofits to pay good salaries and offer fair compensation for what is very hard work.”

Fifty-five percent of organizations reported giving raises in the range of between 3.1 and 5 percent, which would keep up with or slightly surpass the 3.9 percent inflation rate in 2006.

New Hiring Expected

The survey was based on data from arts and cultural groups, associations, educational institutions, and social-service and health-care groups. It tracks trends in compensation — including the most popular types of fringe benefits — and gives salary ranges for 25 nonprofit positions, including database management and information technology, finance, fund raising, management, public relations and marketing, and programs and education.

Sixty-two percent of organizations that responded to the survey reported that they expect to increase the size of their staffs this year. Of the groups that predicted they would hire employees, the largest segment, 54 percent, said those new workers would handle programs, while 38 percent expected to hire fund raisers, and 37 percent said they would be looking for clerical workers.

A report on the 2006 Washington compensation survey is available free on the Professionals for NonProfits Web site. To obtain a copy of the report, go to: http://www.nonprofitstaffing.com.

PERCENTAGE OF WASHINGTON NONPROFIT GROUPS THAT OFFER BONUSES AND OTHER REWARDS TO WORKERS

Cash bonuses	49%
Commissions	5%
Compensatory time	38%
Flexible schedules	48%
Increasing existing benefits	38%
Nonfinancial awards	29%
Pension plan	60%
Professional development	61%
Tuition reimbursements	39%
SOURCE: Professionals for NonProfits

NONPROFIT PAY: SALARY RANGES AT ORGANIZATIONS IN WASHINGTON

Associations, health-care and international organizations
	Annual budgets of organizations
	$2-million or less	$2.1-million to $5-million	$5.1-million to $10-million	$10.1-million to $20-million	$20.1-million to $50-million	$50.1-million or more
Management and administration
Chief executive officer/president	$80,000-100,000	$125,000-145,000	$155,000-175,000	$180,000-220,000	$225,000-250,000	$250,000-300,000
Executive director	$80,000-90,000	$100,000-110,000	$120,000-130,000	$145,000-160,000	$170,000-190,000	$200,000-250,000
Chief operating officer	n/a	$90,000-100,000	$100,000-120,000	$130,000-140,000	$150,000-160,000	$170,000-200,000
Finance
Chief financial officer/vice president of finance	n/a	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000	$120,000-140,000	$140,000-160,000	$160,000-180,000
Fund raising
Vice president/director of external affairs	n/a	$80,000-90,000	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000	$120,000-130,000	$130,000-150,000
Director of development	$60,000-70,000	$70,000-80,000	$85,000-100,000	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000	$120,000-140,000
Public relations and marketing
Vice president/director of public relations/marketing	n/a	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$110,000-120,000	$120,000-140,000	$140,000-150,000
Programs and education
Director of programs/education	$50,000-55,000	$55,000-65,000	$65,000-75,000	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$100,000-110,000
Information technology
Vice president/director of information technology	n/a	$60,000-70,000	$75,000-85,000	$85,000-95,000	$95,000-105,000	$105,000-115,000
Arts and culture, educational, and social-service organizations
	Annual budgets of organizations
	$2-million or less	$2.1-million to $5-million	$5.1-million to $10-million	$10.1-million to $20-million	$20.1-million to $50-million	$50.1-million or more
Management and administration
Chief executive officer/president	$80,000-100,000	$120,000-140,000	$150,000-170,000	$160,000-180,000	$200,000-240,000	$240,000-300,000
Executive director	$70,000-80,000	$90,000-100,000	$110,000-130,000	$130,000-150,000	$160,000-180,000	$200,000-250,000
Chief operating officer	n/a	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$120,000-130,000	$130,000-150,000	$150,000-180,000
Finance
Chief financial officer/vice president of finance	n/a	$85,000-95,000	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000	$120,000-130,000	$130,000-140,000
Fund raising
Vice president/director of external affairs	n/a	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000	$120,000-130,000
Director of development	$60,000-70,000	$70,000-80,000	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000
Public relations and marketing
Vice president/director of public relations/marketing	n/a	$70,000-80,000	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$100,000-110,000	$110,000-120,000
Programs and education
Director of programs/education	$50,000-55,000	$55,000-60,000	$60,000-70,000	$70,000-80,000	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-110,000
Information technology
Vice president/director of information technology	n/a	$60,000-70,000	$70,000-80,000	$80,000-90,000	$90,000-100,000	$100,000-110,000
n/a Not available.
SOURCE: Professionals for NonProfits