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Editor’s Note: Click here to download the Report’s Executive Summary and Table of Contents. To access the Salary Data Dashboard, click here.
How are nonprofit salaries and benefits changing as we continue to deal with the cost-of-living crisis? New data from the 2024 CharityVillage Canadian Nonprofit Sector Salary & Benefits Report suggests that cash compensation has continued to increase across the sector over the past year, despite the ongoing economic challenges faced by many nonprofit organizations.
To gain insights into the state of compensation in the nonprofit sector, we surveyed nearly 1,300 organizations representing over 14,000 individual employees from nonprofits and charities across Canada. The report, which features the latest and most comprehensive data on compensation in the nonprofit sector, including a wide variety of tables, charts, and graphs, as well as written practical analysis that allows you to quickly translate the data into important takeaways, is now available for online purchase.
The findings are helpful for both sides of the hiring equation: Hiring managers can compare their compensation offerings with other organizations of similar size, sector and location, while individuals can research salary and benefits packages by similar criteria to confidently discuss salary expectations with current and potential employers.
The data is broken down by job title and department within the following six job levels:
- Chief Executive
- Senior Executive
- Senior Management
- Management/Supervisory Staff
- Functional & Program Staff
- Support Staff.
Cash compensation is also detailed by geographic region, profession, and organization size, type, and focus. The report includes extensive information on incentive plans and non-cash benefits programs.
Here are some highlights from the 2024 edition
Cash compensation continues to grow across all nonprofit job levels
Cash compensation has increased at all levels since the last study was completed in 2023. The largest gains over the past 12 months were among non-management staff at 14.9% for support staff and 12.5% for functional and program staff.
What does this mean in terms of average salaries for each job level? Our data suggests that the 2024 average cash compensation for each of the nonprofit job levels are as follows:
- Chief Executives – $117,689
- Senior Executives – $113,933
- Senior Management – $95,350
- Management/Supervisory Staff – $71,972
- Functional & Program Staff – $53,759
- Support Staff – $51,916
These averages are based on aggregated national data and may fluctuate significantly depending on organization size, focus, and location. Detailed breakdowns of average cash compensation based on these additional factors can be found within the report.
Average compensation is generally tied to the organization’s focus
Organizational focus refers to the area or sector in which the nonprofit operates. The most common organizational focus among the survey participants was social services (21%), followed by community benefit (13%), health (11%), arts & culture (10%), and children/family (8%).
Cash compensation at all levels except functional and program staff is highest in organizations with a focus on health. For functional and program staff, organizations focused on education pay the most.
GTA & Ottawa named top locations for the highest cash compensation
According to the 2024 data, the highest pay for the top three levels of management is found in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) followed by Ottawa. The reverse is true for management/supervisory and functional/program staff. While, the GTA is also the highest-paying region for support staff.
Majority of organizations offer some benefits to some staff
About four in five participating organizations provide health benefits to at least one level of staff, according to our recent salary survey. Primary health benefits include dental plan, vision care, prescription drug plan, extended health care/major medical insurance, benefit coverage for family & dependents, alternative therapy insurance, life insurance, employee assistance programs (EAP) and accidental death and dismemberment. Over half (56%) of participating organizations offer retirement benefits to at least some of their employees.
Both employees and organizations invest in education
With few exceptions, the results show a direct correlation between education and compensation. At the top four levels, the biggest jump in compensation is from those with a college degree to those with a university undergraduate degree. As seen in past studies, higher education generally correlates to higher compensation, particularly if the degree/diploma is relevant to the job. Furthermore, a relevant certification brings higher cash compensation at all levels. Over three-quarters (79%) of participating organizations indicated that they provide education benefits to at least some of their staff.
Gender pay gap continues, especially at the Chief Executive level
Consistent with past studies, results continue to show that men who work in Chief Executive positions in the nonprofit sector earn more on average than women at the same level. Average compensation at the top position is 18% higher among men in the 2024 study. While this is up from 9% in 2023, it is consistent with prior years. The gap at other management levels ranges from 3% to 6%.
Accurate salary information specific to the nonprofit sector is vital for workforce planning for your organization, as well as in your personal career management. In a constantly evolving labour market, such data is more critical than ever, and we hope you find this year’s report to be a great resource.
Purchase your copy of the 2024 Canadian Nonprofit Sector Salary & Benefits Study today!