What does a nonprofit Business Manager do?
A business manager runs the non-program side of an organization: budgeting, bookkeeping oversight, payroll, contracts, insurance and sometimes facilities and human resources. At smaller nonprofits and schools the business manager often acts as the finance lead, while at larger ones the title sits below a CFO or controller. This page covers organizations that use the title Business Manager.
These figures come from the pay each organization most recently reported to the IRS on its annual return, which tax-exempt organizations sign under penalty of perjury. Each organization counts once, using its latest reported pay. Nothing here is modeled, estimated, or projected.
Why nonprofit Business Manager pay varies
Organization size explains most of the difference. A Business Manager at a small community nonprofit and one at a large health system or university do very different jobs, and their pay differs accordingly. In this data, the median Business Manager at a nonprofit with revenue under $1M earns $52k, while at nonprofits with revenue $100M to $500M the median rises to $211k.
Sector and location come next. Hospitals, universities, and national foundations tend to pay more than community nonprofits of similar headcount, and high cost-of-living metros pay more than rural areas. The state, size, and sector breakdowns on this page show the numbers for each. Among states with enough organizations to compare, Michigan reports the highest median nonprofit Business Manager pay at $181,508.
How does Business Manager pay scale with org size?
Median pay by nonprofit annual revenue. The shaded area shows the 25th to 75th percentile for business managers, and the dashed lines show the other roles charted for comparison. Hover for details.
How does Business Manager pay compare to other roles?
Median pay for related nonprofit roles.
Where are nonprofit Business Manager positions concentrated?
Cities with the most nonprofits that pay a Business Manager.
Business Manager Pay by State
States with the highest median pay for nonprofit business managers.
Business Manager Pay by Organization Size
Median Business Manager pay at nonprofits grouped by annual revenue.
Business Manager Pay by Sector
Median Business Manager pay across nonprofit sectors with enough organizations to compare.
Compare Business Manager pay
Enter a Business Manager pay package to see how it ranks against other nonprofit business managers nationally. We will also email you a detailed breakdown and set up a free account.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a nonprofit Business Manager make?
- The median pay for a nonprofit business manager is $127,730, based on 1,431 organizations nationwide. The middle half earn between $64,542 and $189,182, and the best-paid one in ten make $266,323 or more. Every number here is total pay: salary plus bonus and other reportable pay, not base salary alone.
- How does nonprofit Business Manager pay change with organization size?
- Pay rises with the size of the organization. At nonprofits with revenue under $1M, the median is $52,140. At nonprofits with revenue $100M to $500M, it is $210,609.
- Why does organization budget matter so much for Business Manager pay?
- Larger nonprofits handle more complex finances, larger teams, and greater regulatory requirements, so the same role is a bigger job at a large organization. A Business Manager at a large health system or university has a fundamentally different job than one at a small community nonprofit. Reported pay reflects this: it scales with organizational complexity, not just revenue. Geographic cost of living and sector also play significant roles.
- Which states pay nonprofit business managers the most?
- Michigan leads with a median of $181,508, followed by Delaware at $177,388 and North Dakota at $169,842. Higher-paying states generally have higher costs of living and larger concentrations of well-funded nonprofits.
- How is this data different from pay surveys?
- Most pay data online comes from self-reported surveys or job posting estimates. This data comes from the pay nonprofits report to the IRS on annual returns, which are legal documents filed under penalty of perjury. Every tax-exempt organization that files a full annual return must report pay for its officers, directors, trustees, and key employees, and for its highest-paid employees above a threshold. The result is a more complete and reliable dataset than voluntary survey responses.
- How does Business Manager pay compare to other nonprofit roles?
- The median nonprofit Business Manager earns $127,730. Related roles: Operations Manager at $81,488, Finance Manager at $73,773, General Manager at $176,312. Differences reflect scope of responsibility, market demand, and typical organization size for each role.
- How do I know if I'm underpaid as a nonprofit Business Manager?
- Compare your total pay to the range. The median nonprofit Business Manager earns $127,730, with the middle half between $64,542 and $189,182. If your pay sits below $64,542, you are in the bottom quarter for the role nationally and may be underpaid; if it is above $189,182, you are in the top quarter. Organization size and location move these numbers a lot, so benchmark against nonprofits of similar budget and region before drawing conclusions.