Announcing the 2018 Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Report

 

The 2018 Salary and Benefits Survey: A Study on Compensation and Benefits in Maryland’s Nonprofits, is now available exclusively to Maryland Nonprofits members! To access the report, login to the Member Portal and search for “2018 Salary and Benefits Survey” in the top search bar.

The report provides a glimpse at the current employee compensation and benefits trends and practices in Maryland’s nonprofit sector and aims to help organizations establish salary goals for their employees that are both competitive and fair.  The report includes benchmarked salary ranges for 34 nonprofit positions, such Executive Director, Grant Writer, Human Resources Director, and Residential Living Coordinator. 

Consistent with past studies, the 2018 survey found that a majority of nonprofit organizations—67 percent—are led by female CEOs.  However, the survey revealed gender disparities within the sector with median salaries for female CEOs averaging 14 percent less than their male counterparts.  

Organizational revenue is a clear factor in executive compensation, with larger revenue-sized organizations paying higher salaries. The survey found that organizational revenue was also closely linked to CEO’s race/ethnicity. The likelihood of having a CEO who was African American, Asian, or Latinx decreased as organization revenue size increased, with only 9 percent of organizations with revenues of $1 million or more having a CEO who is person of color. White, male CEOs had the highest median salary among CEOs of all genders and race/ethnicity.  

The study also examined the relationship between executive salaries and Board Chair gender, race/ethnicity and founding status. Nonprofit organizations had an equal distribution of female and male Board Chairs; however, 88 percent of Board Chairs are White. The likelihood of having a Board Chair who is both male and White increased with organization revenue, and salaries paid to CEOs were highest among organizations with a Board Chair identified as White and male.

Heather Iliff, President and CEO of Maryland Nonprofits points out, “In a female-dominated sector, we have few excuses for the existence of a pay gap for women.  It appears from the data that women have a critical role to play in creating gender pay equity.  All board chairs, including women board chairs, should be attentive to salary levels for female CEO’s.”

“The 2018 salary survey brings home the need to support and sustain the development of leadership by women and people of color in Maryland,” said Tamara Toles, Executive Director of Maryland Environmental Health Network.  “It’s findings highlight that women leaders still make less than their male counterparts, and that board chairs, who shape the direction and priorities of their boards are overwhelmingly white and male. Change does not occur without vision, and the survey provides needed clarity to chart a vision for greater equity in Maryland nonprofits.” 

Board diversity has been recognized as critical to the success of nonprofit organizations. Today, nonprofits serve widely diverse communities – ethnically, culturally, and economically.  To understand and effectively serve the needs of a diverse population, an organization’s board needs to have the perspective of diverse voices at the table.  

Other key findings include: 

• 76 percent of nonprofits report providing salary increases/raises to employees in the past two years. Employee performance or merit was cited by 68 percent of organizations as the leading factor for granting salary increases. 

• Just over two-thirds of nonprofits (69%) provide health insurance for employees, and almost half (49%) provide health insurance for family members of their employees. 

• Majority of nonprofits (60%) offer some type of retirement plan for employees. Among these organizations, 44 percent offer a retirement plan with an employer contribution with an average employer contribution of 3-5%. 

• Seventy-five percent of nonprofits provide paid vacation leave and 74 percent provide paid sick leave. The median paid time off provided is 10 days per year. 

 

 

Special Thanks to our Sponsor!

The 2018 Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Survey Report is sponsored by WebIXI, a Maryland Nonprofits Associate Member and Harford County marketing firm specializing in website design, SEO, social media marketing, and online marketing strategy. Contact P.J. Chambers, WebIXI President, for more information on how to take your site to the next level!