Philadelphia nonprofit salaries vary widely by role and by organization size, so the most reliable figure for a specific job is that employer’s own Form 990, not a generic average. Use averages only as a rough check.
This guide is part of our wider look at nonprofit jobs in philadelphia. It explains why pay differs, how to read compensation filings, and how to judge executive director and coordinator-level offers.
Why nonprofit pay differs so much
Nonprofit pay has no single local rate because the sector is large and uneven. The greater Philadelphia metro area has 45,003 organizations, which together employ 711,063 people. That pool includes small community groups and very large institutions, and a single average across them says little about any one job.
Three things drive the spread, and each one changes how you should read a number.
- Organization size and type. A small neighborhood group and a large institution can hold jobs with the same title and very different budgets. Compare like with like.
- Role level. Entry roles, mid-level coordinators and executive directors sit in different pay conditions, so treat them as separate questions rather than one nonprofit average.
- Sample quality. Salary-site figures can rest on very few profiles, and reported figures can follow different fiscal years. The same organization can look quite different from one filing to the next.
The practical conclusion is to start from a verifiable document, then use averages only as context. The next section shows how to get to that document.
How to read a Form 990 compensation filing
Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. It is the closest thing to a public pay record for nonprofit leaders. Work through it in this order.
- Find the organization. ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer holds IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. Search the employer’s legal name, since a program name or brand may not match.
- Check which form was filed. Smaller groups may file the shorter 990-EZ if they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets. Those with gross receipts under $50,000 can file the 990-N postcard, which has no financial details. A small employer may therefore show little or no pay data.
- Locate the officer and executive lines. The compensation table lists named leaders with reported compensation. Read the job title next to each name, because titles such as executive director appear alongside other officers.
- Note the fiscal year. Filings are labeled by period, for example a year ending in December or in June. Compare the same period type across years and across employers.
- Look at pay as a share of spending. Nonprofit Explorer also shows executive compensation as a percentage of total expenses. This is context for how an organization allocates money, not a target for what a job should pay.
This process turns “what does the sector pay” into a checkable fact about one employer. The next section applies it to leadership roles.
Executive director pay in Philadelphia
Executive director pay has a wide range, and two kinds of evidence answer different questions. Form 990 shows what a specific organization reported. Salary-site data shows what respondents report for a job title across employers.
As a worked sample, ProPublica’s records for We Love Philly show its executive director, Carlos Aponte, with reported compensation of $62,000 for a fiscal year ending December 2022. For the year ending December 2023 the figure is $72,859. The organization’s executive compensation line, which is a separate total, was $87,000 (45.7% of total expenses) in 2022 and $72,859 (20.1%) in 2023. A later filing for the year ending June 2024 shows $37,317, or 12.9% of total expenses. Treat this as one small organization, not a benchmark for the city.
| Figure | Value | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Executive director reported compensation, We Love Philly, FY Dec 2022 | $62,000 | Shows pay at a small organization in a single filing year |
| Executive director reported compensation, We Love Philly, FY Dec 2023 | $72,859 | Shows that one employer’s figure can change between filings |
| Nonprofit CEO median, Philadelphia, based on 11 profiles | $140,000 per year | Rough market reference for the CEO title, not for a small group’s director |
| Nonprofit CEO base salary range, Philadelphia | $51k to $271k (10th to 90th percentile) | Shows how wide the range is before you consider organization size |
| Nonprofit CEO average total compensation, 10-19 years experience, based on 7 salaries | $148,181 | Suggests where experienced leaders sit, from a very small sample |
Form 990 figures come from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, and the CEO figures come from PayScale’s Philadelphia profile, last updated Jul 04 2024.
The gap between the small-organization filings and the salary-site median is the main lesson. A director of a small group should not expect the CEO median, and a candidate for a large employer should not anchor on a small group’s filing. Match the comparison to the budget size of the organization you are considering. The largest nonprofits in philadelphia are the natural place to look for leadership pay at scale.
Be careful with the title. The salary-site figures cover chief executive officers at nonprofits, which is not identical to an executive director title, so use them as a ceiling-and-floor sense of the range rather than a quote. The sample behind them is also small, so a Form 990 for a comparable employer is the stronger check.
Program coordinator and early-career roles
Program coordinator pay is best checked against the posting itself and against employers of similar size. Executive pay is disclosed on Form 990, but coordinator-level pay generally is not, so job postings and offer conversations carry most of the evidence at this level.
Practical ways to build a range for a coordinator or other early and mid-level job:
- Read the posting for a stated range. If one is given, compare it with other postings for similar duties at organizations of a similar size.
- Ask for the range early. If none is published, ask during the first conversation so you can weigh the job before investing time in interviews.
- Use regional survey data for level and field. GuideStar’s compensation report analyzes compensation by state or metro area, level, gender and cause area, which is the kind of breakdown that makes an average more useful than a single sector-wide number.
- Check the organization’s scale. A leader’s Form 990 pay tells you something about how that employer allocates money, which can inform your expectations for staff roles there.
Compare duties, not just titles. A coordinator who manages events, data and volunteers is doing more than the label suggests, and the pay comparison should reflect that scope. Once you have a range, the final step is to weigh it against an actual offer.
Weighing an offer
A fair judgement of an offer combines a verified benchmark with the specifics of the job. Start with the employer’s Form 990 if one exists, then set the posted or offered salary against comparable roles at similar organizations.
- Prefer the employer’s own filing over averages. It shows what that organization actually reported, whereas sector averages blend very different employers.
- Treat a salary-site number as a prompt for questions. A median based on few profiles is a starting point for a conversation, not a figure to quote back at an employer.
- Weigh scope as well as pay. If duties exceed the title, raise it when discussing compensation.
If you are interested in governance rather than a staff position, see nonprofit board opportunities philadelphia, which covers a different way of working with these organizations.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PayScale CEO figure the same as an executive director’s pay?
No. It covers the title Chief Executive Officer at nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia, with a median of $140,000 based on 11 profiles. Use it as a loose reference, not as a prediction for a particular director’s role.
Why can executive compensation look so different from one year to the next?
The reported dollar figure can change with the person’s pay, and the percentage of expenses also moves with the organization’s total spending. Look at both the dollar amount and the filing period before drawing a conclusion.
What does it mean if a Form 990 lists no compensation for a leader?
It means the filing itself reports none. A review of leadership pay at top Philadelphia organizations noted that some 990s listed no compensation for leadership at all. Check other years and the organization’s own materials before assuming a role is unpaid.
Can I rely on an average of the top organizations in a budget category?
Not for a specific job. The same review observed that averaging the top 10 by gross receipts puts some very dissimilar organizations in the same category. A comparison with an employer of similar mission and size is more reliable.
