We strongly believe that a very high percentage of jobs that most nonprofits fill should be comparable to others in their own economic region.  All of their benefits should be comparable as well.  Following that logic, national or regional (“the eastern seaboard”, the “southwest”, etc.) surveys are almost worthless.

With 434 participating organizations reporting on more than 21,000 individual jobs, the 2013 survey report is the largest and most robust in the survey's 35-year history. We think it is the best survey of its kind in the country.

How does the survey help my organization?

The compensation and benefits survey helps your organization

• Set fair salaries and benefits to attract and retain the best employees
• Evaluate industry standards for compensation for a range of positions
• Budget and plan for the cost of adding new staff members
• Analyze your own jobs and compensation
• Stand up to the scrutiny of an increasingly skeptical public
• Compare your salaries and benefits with others in your community, not with organizations totally out of your local economic market.

The survey will be even more useful to your nonprofit because of extensive changes that the Internal Revenue Service has made to the annual form 990 information tax return.

Since 2001 the IRS has encouraged charities to go through a set of steps to ensure that executive compensation is set appropriately. On the revised form 990, the IRS has standardized reporting to make comparing salaries easier and requires charities to provide information about the process they use to set the salaries of employees who receive $150,000 or more in total compensation.

The survey will help you navigate through this new process and will be a primary tool to help you document the rationale you use to set the salaries you pay your executives.

Conducting your agency’s own compensation and benefits survey to satisfy IRS requirements would cost you a small fortune, maybe as much as $5,000 - $10,000 to have a consultant to get you some usable comparables.  A much better alternative would be for you to acquire the 2013 compensation and benefits survey for a fraction of this amount.  It’s a no brainer!

What does the survey analyze?

177 positions are reported for the entire sample, with more details by:

• Organization's annual expenses
• Organization's location
• Organization's field of service
• Number of employees in the organization
• Number of employees managed by person in position.

Specific data regarding incentive pay is also reported for each position, including eligibility for incentive pay and actual incentive pay given.

Benefits and other policies are reported as well:

• Paid time off (vacation, sick time, holidays, other)
• Insurance benefits
• Retirement benefits
• Policies regarding compensation and employment practices
• Executive Director/CEO perquisites.

History of the Survey

The survey was produced by The Management Center in San Francisco from 1978 to 2004, when TMC went out of business.  From 2004 to 2009, it was compiled by Rita Haronian, under contract with the Center for Nonprofit Management in Southern California (CNM).  2010 was the first year it was produced by Nonprofit Compensation Associates.

Nonprofit Compensation Associates, based in Oakland, CA, is a partnership formed by Rita Haronian and Bob Orser to produce nonprofit organization compensation and benefits surveys.

NCA is the publisher of FairPay for Northern California Nonprofits: The 2013 Compensation and Benefits Survey.

NCA also produces regional nonprofit organization compensation and benefits surveys and inhouse surveys for organizations outside of Northern California. Surveys completed to date include:

Region	Sponsor	Year(s)
Southwest Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh area)	Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, Robert Morris University	2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012
Central Florida (Orlando area)	Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Center at Rollins College	2007, 2009, 2011, 2013
National	VisionServe Alliance, St. Louis	2010, 2012
Massachusetts and adjoining communities	Third Sector New England, Boston	2010

 

Bob and Rita have been working together for 30 years now, beginning at The Management Center in San Francisco in 1983.

Bob is the Nonprofit Doctor, a consultant based in Corvallis, Oregon, who has been a key leader in the nonprofit organization management movement for over 40 years. He was co-founder of The Support Center in Washington, D.C. in 1972, the San Francisco Support Center (now CompassPoint Nonprofit Services) in 1975 and The Management Center in San Francisco in 1977.

For a number of years, Rita served as Project Manager for the annual Compensation and Benefits Surveys of both Northern and Southern California Nonprofit Organizations. She has also designed customized applications for nonprofit surveys in Philadelphia, Louisiana, Seattle, Houston, Kansas City, Oregon and North Carolina.

For more information about NCA's work, visit www.nonprofitdoctor.com or call Bob at (541) 929-7169.

 

Compensation Study Press Coverage

Small Pay Increases Are Forecast for Northern Calif. Charities
"Nonprofit groups in Northern California are increasing their workers’ pay, but the gains are modest and fewer groups expect to add workers than last year, according to a new report."
~ The Chronicle of Philanthropy, July 25, 2012

Sonoma Nonprofit Executive Directors Earn About $95,000 a Year
"The results of the 2012 “FairPay for Northern California Nonprofits Compensation and Benefits Survey” are in and things are looking up for the employees of our local nonprofits."
~ Dr. B.J. Bischoff, Nonprofit Matters, July 12, 2012

40% of Northern California Nonprofits Won't Offer Raises This Year
Among organizations that will increase salaries this year,
pay will rise a median of 2 percent.
~ The Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 30, 2011

Salary Freezes Grow More Common,
Study of Northern California Charities Find
~ The Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 30, 2010

Nonprofit Executives’ Pay Stalls as Bad Economy Lingers
~ The Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 4, 2010