If you thought charitable work wasn't lucrative, think again.
Top executives of some of the largest and most prestigious charities in the U.S. receive salaries exceeding $1 million, according to a study of 2011 pay by Charity Navigator. The rankings also include other nonprofit organizations, such as museums.
In its analysis of 3,929 charities, the charity research group found that 11 nonprofits paid their CEOs more than $1 million in annual salary and bonuses in 2011. CEOs at 78 of the charities were paid between $500,000 and $1 million.
The CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of America earned the highest pay in the group of $1.85 million, according to the survey. The Metropolitan Museum of Art CEO earned nearly $1.5 million, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children paid its CEO nearly $1.2 million, while the National Jewish Health's head got over $1 million.
Related: Where your donation dollars go
Charity Navigator acknowledged that many donors may consider the pay "excessive" or "outrageously high."
"Many donors assume that charity leaders work for free or minimal pay and are shocked to see that they earn six figure salaries," the study said. "But well-meaning donors sometimes fail to consider that these CEOs are typically running multi-million dollar operations that endeavor to help change the world."
Charity Navigator noted that leading an organization of that magnitude and complexity "requires an individual that possess both an understanding of the issues that are unique to the charity's mission as well as extensive management and fundraising expertise."
Related: The most charitable states
The study said total expenses at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America exceeded $130 million and the Met's totaled $386 million.
The study noted that CEOs of charities that are devoted to animals and the environment tend to get paid slightly lesser than those that work for human causes.
Why your donation may not be deductible
The CEOs of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Rocky Mountain Institute are each paid about $600,000. The aquarium's expenses are nearly $54 million, while Rocky Mountain's total about $18 million.
The lowest paid are religious charities, the study found, noting that the CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews gets paid close to $500,000.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this article included American University, which is included in the Charity Navigator survey. AU says the survey is based on incomplete data and disagreed with its inclusion in the survey on the basis that it is an educational institution, not a charity. The Charity Navigator rankings do include other nonprofit organizations, such as museums. Charity Navigator did not return calls seeking comment.
CNNMoney (New York) First published October 10, 2013: 11:18 AM ET
FAQs
A sampling of 16 very large U.S. foundations with readily available salary data shows the two highest paid foundation CEOs are Shah, whose salary actually rose to more than $1.7 million in 2022, according to Rockefeller's most recent 990, and Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation, whose salary was nearly $1.7 ...
What charity has the highest CEO salary? ›
In 2022, the nonprofit organization in the U.S. with the highest paid CEO was Sentara Health, with an estimated salary of 33.22 million U.S. dollars. That year, seven of the top ten nonprofits with the highest paid CEOs belonged to the healthcare industry.
Why do CEOs of charities make so much money? ›
When profit is the major influence for a business, it is likely that they will pay more compensation to their CEO. Public Scrutiny: Due to their tax-exempt nature, nonprofit organizations receive much more public scrutiny and have to be more transparent about their allocation of funds.
Who is the highest paid CEO? ›
A look at the highest paid CEOs in the US by “compensation actually paid" in 2023 –
- Tesla's Elon Musk - $1.4 billion.
- Palantir Technologies' Alexander Karp - $1.1 billion.
- Broadcom's Hock Tan - $767.7 million.
- Coinbase Global's Brian Armstrong - $680.9 million.
- Oracle's Safra Catz - $304.1 million.
With revenues of $23 billion in 2022, Lutheran Services in America tops the list of the highest-earning nonprofits in the United States, according to an analysis by Forbes. The network of 300 Lutheran organizations is one of only three nonprofits bringing in more than $10 billion annually, as our chart shows.
How much does St. Jude's CEO make? ›
Jude is $1.3 million per year.
What is the salary of the CEO of American Red Cross? ›
For the past 11 years, Gail McGovern has served as president and CEO of the American Red Cross, and in 2018, she was paid $694,000, which reflects her leadership of the country's largest humanitarian organization.
Which charities pay their CEOs the least? ›
The lowest paid are religious charities, the study found, noting that the CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews gets paid close to $500,000. Editor's note: An earlier version of this article included American University, which is included in the Charity Navigator survey.
How much money does the CEO of Feed the Children make? ›
CEO Travis Arnold earned total compensation of $376,823, including base compensation of $355,113. Oklahoma City, Okla. -based Feed The Children reported total revenue of $466 million for the year ending June 2020, including almost $418 million in noncash contributions.
Who pays the most to charity? ›
Here are some of the billionaires from this year's list who have donated the most money.
- Warren Buffett. ...
- Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. ...
- George Soros. ...
- Michael Bloomberg. ...
- MacKenzie Scott. ...
- Jim and Marilyn Simons. ...
- Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. ...
- Steve and Connie Ballmer.
- Elon Musk: $10 billion. Musk is the quirky CEO of electric car company Tesla. ...
- Robert Scaringe: $2 billion. ...
- Tim Cook: $853 million. ...
- Peter Rawlinson: $575 million. ...
- Tom Siebel: $344 million. ...
- Sue Nabi: $283 million. ...
- Joe Bae: $279 million. ...
- Tomer Weingarten: $275 million.
It might sound uncanny, but it is true: CEOs and former CEOs from major tech companies have or had salaries of just $1. Yes, Elon Musk (Tesla), Jeremy Stoppelman (Yelp), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Meg Whitman (HP), and Steve Jobs (Apple) earn or earned paychecks of just one dollar a month.
What does the CEO of Kroger make? ›
Rodney McMullen's compensation in fiscal year 2023 fell by $3.5 million, to $15.7 million, largely due to a sharply lower bonus.
What is the richest charity in the US? ›
Largest charities in the United States in 2023, by total revenue (in billion U.S. dollars)
| Characteristic | Revenue in billion U.S. dollars |
|---|
| The Arc | 5.14 |
| Feeding America | 4.36 |
| United Way Worldwide | 3.51 |
| American National Red Cross | 3.42 |
9 more rowsMay 22, 2024
The Salvation Army Salary FAQs
- The average The Salvation Army salary ranges from approximately $30,982 per year (estimate) for a Cashier to $185,156 per year (estimate) for a General Dentist. ...
- The highest-paying job at The Salvation Army is a General Dentist with a salary of $185,156 per year (estimate).
Health - General Charities
| Charity | Rating |
|---|
| National Kidney Foundation | A |
| National Multiple Sclerosis Society | B+ |
| National Psoriasis Foundation | B+ |
| Parkinson's Foundation | A- |
21 more rowsTop 10 charities in England and Wales - 13 October 2023
| Charity name | Income |
|---|
| THE BRITISH COUNCIL | £873,334,827 |
| THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND | £795,709,913 |
| United Learning LTD | £735,585,000 |
| CANCER RESEARCH UK | £718,793,138 |
6 more rowsWealthiest foundations by endowment value
| Rank | Organisation | Country |
|---|
| 1 | Novo Nordisk Foundation | Denmark |
| 2 | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | United States |
| 3 | Wellcome Trust | United Kingdom |
| 4 | Stichting INGKA Foundation | Netherlands |
46 more rowsHere are the 7 richest people in the world who haven't signed the Giving Pledge—Jeff Bezos is No. 3
- Bernard Arnault: $157 billion net worth. ...
- Gautam Adani: $130 billion net worth. ...
- Jeff Bezos: $116 billion net worth. ...
- Larry Page: $88.7 billion net worth. ...
- Mukesh Ambani: $88.2 billion net worth.
Here are the billionaires who give away the most money, according to Forbes
- Warren Buffett. Warren Buffett has a lifetime giving of $56.7 billion. ...
- Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. ...
- George Soros. ...
- Michael Bloomberg. ...
- MacKenzie Scott. ...
- Jim and Marilyn Simons. ...
- Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. ...
- Steve and Connie Ballmer.
