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Selected Compensation Resources

The following set of suggested resources can help you determine salary ranges for particular roles and organizations in the nonprofit sector. 

Abbott, Langer Association 
Abbott, Langer Association provides current and historical salary survey data across multiple sectors and domains on a subscription basis. Compensation in nonprofit organizations is one of its areas of focus. 

Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator offers a study of nonprofit CEO compensation, broken down by geography, domain, organization size, and other variables. Bear in mind that this study, like others based on 990 forms, lags actual salaries by at least a year or two. 

The Chronicle of Philanthropy
The Chronicle of Philanthropy publishes an annual survey of top executives’ compensation at major charities and foundations. 

The Economic Research Institute (ERI)
ERI provides geography- and sector-specific salary data on a subscription basis. Through a partnership with GuideStar, ERI licenses software that allows nonprofits to look at salary comparables cut many different ways. 

The Foundation Center
The Foundation Center has an excellent list of compensation resources that goes beyond those listed here. 

GuideStar
For organizations you’re interested in, search for the IRS Form 990 report, which includes a section on compensation of the five most highly paid individuals. GuideStar’s annual Nonprofit Compensation Report provides salary data based on IRS filings by more than 63,000 tax-exempt organizations. The survey information is based on more than 108,600 individual positions included in the IRS filings. GuideStar also posts the full IRS Form 990 filed by over 1.5 million nonprofits. An annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS, the 990 includes information on the organization’s mission, programs, and finances and includes salaries for the highest paid positions within the organization. 

The NonProfit Times
The NonProfit Times publishes an annual salary survey as well as analysis and commentary on the data and trends in nonprofit salaries.

More specific compensation resources
Depending on the type of nonprofit organization you are interested in, you may find some more focused compensation resources that are relevant to your search. For example, the Council on Foundations has extensive compensation survey data on various kinds of funding organizations, and the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources offers salary surveys for higher-education organizations. If your search is focused on a particular city or region, you will likely be able to identify with a quick web search one or more organizations that offer compensation information for that area. Nonprofit support centers (nonprofit organizations that provide general technical assistance and resources to nonprofits in a geographic region) in large metropolitan areas often publish compensation surveys for the nonprofits in their regions.

Selected Compensation Resources

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Of Interest

Talking About Compensation in Your Nonprofit Job Search
Discussing compensation during a job search is often tricky, particularly if you’re a for-profit executive trying to make a move to a nonprofit organization. An experienced search professional answers some of the most common questions she hears from bridgers about compensation and how to address it in the interview process.

Compensation Worksheet 
This worksheet can help you understand your personal finances before you start assessing specific job opportunities.