Nonprofit Executive Compensation

Are you starting a nonprofit and wondering what the compensation for the executive director (which may be you) should be?  The following article includes guidelines to help you determine what best serves your organization appropriately.

Article found on “The Foundation Group”

Author: Greg McRay, EA

Nonprofit executive compensation tops the current list of IRS hot button issues.  A few weeks ago we talked about the fact that the IRS is ramping up its oversight and enforcement of nonprofit executive compensation.  With all the rancor surrounding executive perks and bonuses on Wall Street, expect that populist sentiment to spill over into the nonprofit sector as well.  It all adds up to the equivalent of a message written in the sky:  get your house in order!

So, how do you do that?  Let’s take a look at a few key points that will go a long way toward ensuring that the compensation package for your nonprofit’s leader(s) is appropriate.

Reasonable compensation. It all starts here.  The IRS requires compensation packages for nonprofit executives (and other nonprofit employees, for that matter) to be reasonable.  Unfortunately, the IRS doesn’t really define reasonable at least not in a way that you could look up in Websters.  Reasonable compensation is best understood in light of factors the IRS examines when determining whether or not a charity is exceeding reasonableness with its compensation arrangements.  These factors look something like this:

– Actual job description

– Required level of education or experience

– Compensation averages in your area

– Number of hours worked

– The overall budget of the charity

Its also important to note that each factor is weighted differently depending upon the circumstances.  It is a very subjective exercise.  We’re often asked, “How much is too much?”Good question, but hard to answer.  Frankly, it just depends.  I know, I know “not very helpful”, you say.  There are legitimate, charitable organizations whose executives make up to, and sometimes more than, $250,000.  For a very select few, a lot more.  But let me put it like this if you have an employee whose compensation package exceeds $100,000, you better be prepared to defend it.  Needless to say, Wall Street-style perks and bonuses are out of the question.  And, depending on your organization’s budget, a $10,000 salary package could be considered unreasonable.

Due diligence. Due diligence is the brother of reasonable compensation.  In order to have a compensation package considered truly reasonable, the figure must be the result of a substantive evaluation of what makes sense for the job.  That is the responsibility of the board of directors or compensation committee.  It is considered a best practice to document the method used to determine salary packages.  There are various resources that can be used to come up with the information:  The Labor Department, census data, job-oriented websites, national and local charities, etc.  It’s best to use multiple sources.

Arms-length. This is often the one that hangs folks.  You can do all the due diligence you want and come up with the nation’s most reasonable compensation package, but if your compensated executives effectively control the mechanisms of their own pay, then trouble awaits you.  For example, let’s say the president of the board is also the salaried Executive Director.  That’s OK, as long as your board structure and meeting minutes show arms-length.  In other words, the president better refrain from discussions and votes about his/her own pay package plus, a majority of those voting on the package better not have any relation to him/her, by blood, marriage or outside business.  Intermediate sanctions penalties await those that mess this part up.

Nonprofit executive compensation scrutiny is not going away anytime soon.  In fact, it is only likely to increase.  If you know your nonprofit has problems in this area, be proactive and get it fixed immediately.