If you’re looking for how to look up salaries for nonprofits, you’re in the right place!
In this guide, we’ll show you how to find the salary information that you need so that you can be confident in your decision making.
If you’ve been considering applying for a job with a nonprofit and want to know what the pay is like, then this article is for you. We’ll go over how to look up salary information on websites like Glassdoor and Indeed. We’ll also tell you why it’s important to do so before accepting a job with a nonprofit.
How To Look Up Salaries For Nonprofits
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Over the past year, nonprofits stepped up, pivoted to digital fundraising strategies to provide essential resources, and raised funds to secure resources and advocate for communities worldwide. To do this, nonprofit professionals had to dig deeper and overextend themselves despite changing working conditions and stagnant wages.
With this in mind, it is important for nonprofits to evaluate their compensation and HR policies and for nonprofit employees to study industry trends to ensure the nonprofit sector moves closer to becoming one that prides itself in offering competitive and fairer wages.
As more B-corp businesses and socially-driven for-profit companies offer workers the possibility of mission-driven work coupled with better pay and remote working conditions, nonprofits have to offer competitive compensations to attract and retain talent. But it can be challenging to figure out the exact salary amount that is commensurable for a skilled nonprofit worker’s experience and education level.
Keela has created this salary guide to help nonprofits to understand the current salary trends in the sector and the skills that are essential for specific roles and job titles. Similarly, nonprofit professionals can weigh their current earnings and experience level against the numbers in the guide and decide if they are being well-compensated or not.
Get the 2022 Comprehensive Guide to Nonprofit Salaries
This guide is complete with market rates, job description templates, and growth tools for American and Canadian Nonprofits.
Download the FREE Salaries Guide
Table of Contents
- How to Establish Nonprofit Salary Ranges
- Average Nonprofit Salaries in the United States and Canada
- 6 Key Nonprofit Jobs: Responsibilities, Skills, and Courses for Professional Development
- How Technology Can Impact Nonprofit Salaries
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How to Establish Nonprofit Salary Ranges
Determining fair nonprofit salary ranges is a crucial driver in recruiting and retaining talent. It can also help nonprofit executives and leaders forecast their budgets for the coming year. To define your nonprofit’s salary levels, you need to take the following variables into account:
1. Geographic Location
Salaries vary depending on the state and the city you’re located in because of the cost of living. For example, according to PayScale data, Executive Directors in New York earn an average of 56% more than the national average.
2. Organization Size
The size and capacity of a nonprofit organization are major factors in determining what compensation should look like for employees. Larger organizations tend to pay higher wages. And by large, we are referring to organizations securing more than 500K in annual revenue.
3. Nonprofit Type
Specific types of nonprofits offer more competitive wages. For instance, education and health-related nonprofit organizations tend to pay higher salaries.
4. Duties and Responsibilities Involved
Employees with higher responsibilities or those in supervisory roles typically earn more.
5. Qualifications and Experience
Education levels, experience, specialized knowledge, and skills are factors to consider when determining wages.
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Average Nonprofit Salaries in the United States and Canada
Every year, we track nonprofit salaries to present you with ongoing findings and trends.
You can use this study to learn what the market value is for a specific nonprofit job title. Keep in mind that these are national averages and, as such, salaries can greatly vary across states and cities.
Let’s review the average salaries of six job titles every nonprofit organization should consider hiring for.
| Job Title | Average Salary (USD) | Average Salary (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Director | $68,123 | $67,130 |
| Fundraising Manager | $55,003 | $58,818 |
| Human Resources Coordinator | $48,127 | $47,576 |
| Marketing Director | $63,756 | $64,083 |
| Program Manager | $53,719 | $57,229 |
| Volunteer Coordinator | $40,139 | $44,367 |
Average Nonprofit Salaries in the United States and Canada
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6 Key Nonprofit Jobs: Responsibilities, Skills, and Courses for Professional Development
1. Executive Director: $68,123 (USD) / $67,130 (CAD)
Executive Directors work closely with the Board of Directors and are ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization, including their financial, programmatic, and developmental success. They guide the vision and direction of the organization as established by the Board.
Additional Responsibilities of Executive Directors
- Overseeing and directing general fundraising activities and grant applications
- Acting as a source of everyday operations for members on the board
- Supervising and directing nonprofit staff
Recommended Skills and Courses for Executive Directors
- Strategic Planning: Nonprofit Strategy Course by Northwestern Kellogg
- Leadership: Nonprofit Leadership Certificate by Harvard Kennedy School
- Organizational Development: Nonprofit Organization Development and Analysis Course by University of Wisconsin
- Budget Management: Budgeting for Nonprofit Organizations course by Duke University
- Fundraising: Fundraising Course by KeelaU
2. Fundraising Manager: $55,003 (USD) / $58,818 (CAD)
The Fundraising Manager ensures the nonprofit has the necessary funding to function. This individual creates fundraising strategies, is responsible for building a solid donor base, and manages a team of fundraisers if their organization is large enough.
Additional Responsibilities of Fundraising Managers
- Developing strategic plans to raise money for the organization
- Managing the financial condition of the organization
- Overseeing fundraising efforts by writing grants, researching foundations, and implementing fundraising strategies
Recommended Skills and Courses for Fundraising Managers
- Grant Writing: Certificate of Grant Writing and Management provided by Georgia Center for Nonprofits
- Fundraising: Fundraising Course by KeelaU
- Major Gifts Fundraising: Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers by Veritus Group Academy
- Data Analytics: Nonprofit Data Analytics & Impact Course by Northwestern Kellogg
- Project Management: Project Management Certificate by eCornell
- Nonprofit Marketing: Free Nonprofit Marketing Courses by NonprofitReady
3. Human Resources Coordinator: $48,127 (USD) / $47,576 (CAD)
Recruitment, hiring, screening, compensation, and workplace safety are vital to developing a nonprofit team. The Human Resources Coordinator is responsible for overseeing these facets of a nonprofit organization and establishing a team culture.
Additional Responsibilities of Human Resources Coordinators
- Managing the Human Resources Information System (HRIS)
- Managing the hiring process from vetting candidates to setting up interviews
- Answers employee questions about insurance, payroll, retirement plans, hiring procedures, and company policy
Recommended Skills and Courses for Human Resources Coordinators
- Human Resources: Human Resources for the Non-Profit Sector by Simon Fraser University
- People Management: People Management for Staff and Volunteers by Ontario Tech
Get the 2022 Comprehensive Guide to Nonprofit Salaries
This guide is complete with market rates, job description templates, and growth tools for American and Canadian Nonprofits.
Download the FREE Salaries Guide
4. Marketing Director: $63,756 (USD) / $64,083 (CAD)
Working throughout the organization and across multiple platforms, Marketing Directors in nonprofits lay strategic plans in place to advance brand awareness, program awareness, and other marketing initiatives. Their duties include developing marketing projects, optimizing campaign strategy, and laying out budgets and scope to keep the team on track.
Additional Responsibilities of Nonprofit Marketing Director
- Planning and overseeing the marketing strategies of the organization’s programs and services
- Changing marketing strategies to maintain awareness in the communities the organization serves
- Act as the subject matter expert to leadership on issues relating to effective marketing
Essential Skills and Courses for Nonprofit Marketing Directors
- Nonprofit Marketing: Free Nonprofit Marketing Courses by NonprofitReady, Principles of Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations by Duke University
- Nonprofit Communications: Nonprofit Communications 101 by Nonprofit Marketing Guide
- Strategic Planning: Nonprofit Strategy Course by Northwestern Kellogg
- Nonprofit Branding: Crash Course on Nonprofit Branding by Eleven Fifty Seven
5. Program Manager: $53,719 (USA) / $57,229 (CAD)
Program Managers align nonprofit team members around the organization’s overall goals. They work closely with volunteers and other staff while handling program budgets and operations, including impact measurement and assessment, to ensure success.
Additional Responsibilities of Program Manager
- Managing the administration of nonprofit programs
- Working with other members of the organization in support of goals
- Overseeing the training and management of staff/volunteers
Essential Skills and Courses for Program Managers
- Leadership: Nonprofit Leadership Certificate by Harvard Kennedy School
- Project Management: Project Management Certificate by eCornell
- Budget Management: Budgeting for Nonprofit Organizations course by Duke University
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Workplace Communication Course by University of Toronto
6. Volunteer Coordinator: $40,139 (USD) / $44,367 (CAD)
Volunteer Coordinators liaise between a nonprofit organization and its volunteers. They are responsible for recruiting, training, placing, and supervising volunteers during activities. To be successful, Volunteer Coordinators must be organized, as they are tasked with keeping neat records of volunteer hours, timesheets, and personnel folders.
Additional Responsibilities of Volunteer Coordinators:
- Overseeing and supervising all volunteer scheduling, activities, and screening
- Conducting volunteer orientations and collecting volunteer feedback to improve orientations and activities
- Recruiting and building volunteer teams and their skills, conducting outreach, and increasing awareness
Essential Skills and Courses for Volunteer Coordinators:
- Volunteer Management: Governance and Volunteer Management by Simon Fraser University
- People Management: People Management for Staff and Volunteers by Ontario Tech
- Community Outreach: Community Capacity Building Certificate by Simon Fraser University
How Technology Can Impact Nonprofit Salaries
Technology is part and parcel of today’s workplaces, and in several organizations, nonprofit professionals do not have the tools they need to work efficiently. This lack of vital tools can lead to poor productivity, outcomes, and revenue. If a nonprofit isn’t securing the revenue needed to run its operations effectively and efficiently and pay higher salaries, it could lose talent.
Nonprofits need to consider how technology can improve their work and enable their team to maximize their efforts. Doing so will help the nonprofits raise more funds, but it will help them become more competitive when attracting and retaining talent. The right nonprofit tools are set up to give your team the best chance at success.
Keela is a tool that enables nonprofit teams to implement targeted, multi-channel fundraising and donor communication strategies that improve donor relations and boost revenues.
