Nonprofit Salary Comparison Tool
Find Out If You're Paid Fairly
This tool compares nonprofit salaries to similar roles in other sectors. See if you're earning a living wage based on UK standards.
Ever applied for a job at a nonprofit and been shocked by the salary? You’re not alone. Many people enter the sector because they care deeply about the cause-ending homelessness, protecting the environment, helping kids learn-but then hit a wall when they see the paycheck. Why do nonprofits not pay well? It’s not because the work is easy. It’s not because staff don’t deserve more. It’s because of a system built on assumptions, outdated norms, and a dangerous myth: that passion should replace pay.
The Myth of the Selfless Worker
The biggest reason nonprofits underpay is a belief that people who work for them should be motivated purely by altruism. This idea is everywhere. Board members say, "We’re not a corporation, we’re a mission." Donors say, "Your heart should be in this, not your bank account." Recruiters say, "You’ll find fulfillment here." But fulfillment doesn’t pay rent. It doesn’t cover childcare. It doesn’t keep the lights on when you’re sick.This myth started decades ago, when nonprofits were mostly run by volunteers and wealthy patrons. Today, they’re complex organizations with budgets, staff, compliance requirements, and high-stakes outcomes. Yet the pay scale hasn’t caught up. A program manager at a food bank in Glasgow might earn £28,000 a year. Meanwhile, a similar role at a retail chain in the same city pays £42,000-with benefits. The difference isn’t skill. It’s perception.
Donor Pressure and Restricted Funding
Most nonprofits survive on donations, grants, and government contracts. And here’s the catch: donors often dictate how money is spent. Many give with strings attached: "This £50,000 is for meals, not salaries." Or, "Only 80% of funds can go to programs. The rest? Administrative costs."That 20% administrative slice? That’s supposed to cover rent, utilities, software, and staff. But when donors insist on keeping admin costs low, salaries get squeezed first. Why? Because salaries are invisible to the donor. They don’t see the person working 60-hour weeks to keep the program running. They see the food delivered, the trees planted, the kids tutored. They think: "If I give £100, I want £100 worth of impact." They don’t realize that impact requires people-and people need to eat.
Studies from the Charities Aid Foundation show that UK nonprofits spend an average of 18% of total revenue on salaries. That’s below the 25-30% recommended by experts. In the US, the average is even lower. The result? Burnout. Turnover. And a constant cycle of hiring and training new staff who leave within two years.
Competition for Talent Is Real-But Unfair
Nonprofits compete for talent with corporations, government agencies, and even tech startups. But they can’t match salaries. So they offer "purpose" as a substitute. And that works-for a while. But when someone has student loans, a mortgage, or a family to support, purpose doesn’t pay the bills.Take the case of a youth outreach worker in Edinburgh. She has a master’s in social work, runs weekly mentoring sessions, coordinates with schools and police, and handles crisis calls. Her salary? £29,500. A similar role in the local council’s social services department? £38,000-with pension contributions, paid parental leave, and training budgets.
Nonprofits can’t afford to offer those benefits. Not because they’re greedy. Because their funding models don’t allow it. And when they try to raise salaries, donors pull back. It’s a catch-22: you need good people to deliver results, but you can’t pay them enough to stay.
The Leadership Gap
It’s not just frontline staff. Executive directors and program leads are underpaid too. A 2024 survey by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations found that the average salary for a charity CEO in Scotland was £52,000. Compare that to the £120,000+ paid to CEOs of small private firms with similar revenue. Why? Because the sector still treats leadership as a calling, not a profession.This has consequences. Talented people leave for higher-paying roles in public or private sectors. Those who stay often take on more than one role-finance, HR, fundraising-all while managing programs. No one gets proper training. No one gets time off. Burnout becomes the norm. And when the leader leaves, the whole organization risks collapse.
What’s Being Done? A Few Bright Spots
Change is slow, but it’s happening. Some organizations are pushing back. The Scottish charity Shelter Scotland is a housing and homelessness charity that increased base salaries by 15% in 2024 after a staff-led pay review. They didn’t ask for more donations. They restructured their budget, cut unnecessary admin costs, and reallocated funds. Staff turnover dropped by 40% in a year.Another example: Cancer Research UK is a major health charity that publicly publishes salary bands for every role, from admin to director. They say transparency builds trust. And it does. Donors see that salaries are fair, not excessive. And staff feel valued.
Even small nonprofits are starting to ask: "What if we paid people properly?" One Edinburgh-based food bank started a "Living Wage Pledge" last year. They now pay all staff £12.60/hour-the real Living Wage, not the government minimum. They raised the money by asking donors for "support for staff" instead of "support for meals." The response? More donations. Not less.
What You Can Do
If you work in a nonprofit and feel underpaid: talk to your team. Collect data. Show how your role compares to similar jobs in other sectors. Propose a pay review. Don’t wait for leadership to act-start the conversation.If you donate: ask where your money goes. Don’t just say, "I want to help kids." Say, "I want to help kids-and the people who work with them every day." Fund salaries. Fund training. Fund retention.
If you’re hiring: pay fairly from day one. Don’t say, "We’ll increase it after six months." That’s a trap. People will leave before they get there. Pay what the role is worth. Your mission depends on it.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about charity workers. It’s about how we value care. We pay surgeons, engineers, and financial advisors well because their work is seen as technical, skilled, or profitable. But we undervalue the people who feed the hungry, comfort the lonely, and teach the forgotten. That’s not just unfair. It’s unsustainable.The nonprofit sector can’t fix this alone. It needs donors, governments, and the public to stop treating compassion as a cost center-and start treating it as infrastructure. Because the people who run these organizations aren’t saints. They’re professionals. And they deserve to be paid like them.
Do nonprofit employees earn less because they’re less skilled?
No. Nonprofit staff often have the same or higher qualifications than their counterparts in the private sector. Many hold degrees in social work, public policy, or nonprofit management. They manage budgets, lead teams, comply with regulations, and handle crises-all with fewer resources. The pay gap isn’t about skill. It’s about perception.
Can nonprofits afford to pay more?
Yes-if funding models change. Many nonprofits have enough money but spend it on the wrong things: expensive consultants, outdated software, or unnecessary overhead. Shifting even 5-10% of administrative spending toward salaries can make a huge difference. Some charities have done this and seen better outcomes, lower turnover, and more donor trust.
Why don’t more nonprofits just raise their fees or charge for services?
Many nonprofits serve people who can’t pay. Charging for services like food, counseling, or housing support goes against their mission. Some do offer sliding-scale fees, but that doesn’t cover full salaries. The goal isn’t to profit-it’s to provide access. That’s why sustainable funding from donors and government is essential.
Is it true that nonprofit leaders are overpaid?
Rarely. The average nonprofit CEO in the UK earns less than half of what a CEO at a similar-sized private company makes. Media stories about "overpaid charity bosses" usually refer to very large national charities with multi-million-pound budgets. Even then, their pay is often tied to performance and comparable to public sector roles. The real issue is that most nonprofit leaders are underpaid, not overpaid.
What’s the difference between the Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage?
The National Minimum Wage is a legal floor set by the government-£11.44/hour in 2025 for over-21s. The Living Wage, calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, is based on actual living costs. In 2025, it’s £12.60/hour in Scotland. It’s not a law, but it’s what experts say people need to afford basics like food, housing, and transport. More nonprofits are adopting it-not because they’re forced to, but because they believe in fairness.
Final Thought
The next time you donate to a charity, think about the people behind the scenes. The one answering calls at midnight. The one writing grant applications while juggling three other jobs. The one who could be earning twice as much elsewhere-but chose to stay because they believe in the cause.Don’t just fund the mission. Fund the people who make it real. Because if you want change, you need people who can stick around long enough to make it happen.