Nonprofit and NGO Pay: How to Research What Organizations Actually Pay

Nonprofit pay varies enormously with an organization's size, budget and location, so national averages are a weak guide. The best evidence is often public: US nonprofits disclose pay for their leaders in their tax filings. This guide shows how to use that, alongside official wage data.

What US government data shows

The table covers occupations that are common in nonprofits. It is not a nonprofit-only measure: the figures cover these occupations across all kinds of employers.

Occupation (SOC)	10th pct.	Median	90th pct.
Fundraisers (13-1131)	$46,630	$72,550	$115,820
Social and Community Service Managers (11-9151)	$53,150	$80,390	$132,260
Child, Family, and School Social Workers (21-1021)	$42,280	$59,550	$95,530
Social and Human Service Assistants (21-1093)	$34,200	$45,930	$63,290

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Scope: United States, national estimates, all industries, annual wages in US dollars (retrieved 9 October 2026). The median is the middle wage: half of the workers in the occupation earn more and half earn less; 10th/90th percentile mean 10% earn less/more. The survey covers wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments and excludes the self-employed, overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, equity and employer benefit costs. BLS methodology.

Fundraisers have a median of $72,550. Social and community service managers have a median of $80,390, child, family and school social workers $59,550 and social and human service assistants $45,930. Each occupation has a wide range; for fundraisers the 10th to 90th percentile spans $46,630 to $115,820.

How to research a specific nonprofit

US tax-exempt organizations file an annual information return, Form 990, which is public. It reports compensation for officers, directors, trustees and key employees, and for the highest-paid employees above reporting thresholds. Free tools such as ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer let you search for an organization and read its filings.

A practical method:

1. Find three to five organizations of similar size and region to the one you are considering.
2. Read the compensation section of each filing for the role closest to yours.
3. Compare those figures with the national percentile range above.
4. Adjust for organization size: larger budgets generally support higher pay.

Form 990 does not list every job, so use it as a benchmark for senior and highly paid roles and combine it with job postings, many of which now state a salary range.

International organizations

Large intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations use published salary scales. The UN common system scales are set by the International Civil Service Commission, which publishes them at icsc.un.org. We do not reproduce the numbers because they are updated regularly and depend on grade and duty station. For smaller international NGOs, pay varies by organization and funding.

Benefits and non-cash value

Some nonprofit employers offer generous leave, flexible work, professional development or student loan support. In the US, employees of qualifying nonprofit organizations may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness; check the current rules and whether your employer qualifies. Our guide on benefits beyond salary lists items worth asking about.

Putting this to use

Combine the national range, the organization's Form 990 and the posted salary range to set a target, then use the Job Offer Comparator to weigh pay against benefits and flexibility. The Career Switch Calculator helps if you are moving from the private sector.

Key takeaways

• National figures for nonprofit occupations are broad; the organization's size and region matter more.
• Form 990 filings publicly disclose pay for leaders and top earners, searchable for free.
• International organizations publish salary scales; check the current scale, not second-hand figures.
• Benefits such as loan forgiveness, leave and flexibility are part of the comparison.