2025 Nonprofit Compensation Practices and Benchmarking Report Highlights Pay and the Impact of Post-Pandemic Changes on Nonprofit Employers and Employees
Career Blazers Nonprofit Search reveals key findings in its 2025 Nonprofit Compensation Practices and Benchmarking Report, sharing data collection on current salary ranges for key positions within nonprofit organizations, significant hiring and retention trends, and social and governmental challenges for nonprofits.
“Overall, the data shows a positive trend toward easier and more stable recruitment and hiring processes,” said Barbara Gebhardt, CEO, Career Blazers Nonprofit Search. “The significant reduction in the difficulty level in recruiting, dropping from fifty-six percent in 2023 to forty-seven percent in 2024, is a promising sign for the job market and organizations looking to fill positions with qualified candidates,” Gebhardt said.
The average vacancy (length of time to replace or hire new staff) has significantly improved. Fifty-two percent of vacancies existed for 60 – 120 days in an earlier report; in 2024 that number dropped to thirty-five percent. Thirty-six percent of open positions are now being filled in thirty to sixty days.
While salary ranges are up and pay remains a critical factor in hiring, trends highlight the evolving landscape of employee retention strategies and reflect both external economic conditions and internal strategic priorities. Sixty-four percent of organizations reported offering training and career development opportunities to retain their best employees. Flexibility in remote/hybrid work arrangements remains key. While seventy-three percent of employers noted offering remote/hybrid flexibility in 2023, the 2024 survey reported a twelve percent decrease in that flexibility.
Companies are also assessing the impact of pay transparency regulations. Pay transparency laws continue gaining traction across the county, with over twenty-five percent of the U.S. workforce covered by some form of pay transparency mandate as of late 2024. Employees are increasingly expecting pay transparency from both potential and current employers. The open sharing of salary data has shown to be beneficial for organizational performance and talent acquisition, with disclosures attracting more high-caliber applicants.
As national and state budget delays grabbed headlines, the survey asked nonprofits about the impact on staffing levels due to program funding delays. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported no impact on staffing. Twenty-six percent reported a decrease in staffing due to delayed commitments or reduced funding. Program funding delays traditionally harm smaller nonprofits, as larger organizations typically have sufficient resources to cover the gaps.
The report is based on a national survey conducted in Fall 2024. Six hundred and fifteen nonprofit organizations representing a wide range of nonprofit sectors throughout the United States participated in the study. Compensation ranges for thirty-eight senior and mid-level job titles across seven organizational budget sizes are reported. A salary breakout for nonprofits with an operating budget of two million dollars or less is included for the first time, recognizing the significant contributions of smaller organizations.
The 2025 Nonprofit Compensation Practices and Benchmarking Report can be downloaded at CareerBlazersNonprofitSearch.com/salaryreports.
