What does a nonprofit Controller do?
A controller is the senior accounting professional who runs an organization's books: financial reporting, internal controls, audits and the annual budget process. At many nonprofits the controller reports to the CFO, and at smaller ones the controller is the top finance job. This page covers the titles Controller and Comptroller.
This is a modeled range, not a list of reported pay. It is built from what organizations pay this role compared with the rest of their staff, using what nonprofits reported to the IRS, and applied to nonprofits nationwide.
Why nonprofit Controller pay varies
Organization size explains most of the difference. A Controller at a small community nonprofit and one at a large health system or university do very different jobs, and their pay differs accordingly. Our estimate for Controller pay at a nonprofit with revenue $1M to $10M is $99k, and at nonprofits with revenue over $1B it is $238k.
Sector and location matter too, but pay at this level is not reported state by state, so this page shows one national range with a breakdown by organization size.
How does Controller pay compare to other roles?
Median pay for related nonprofit roles.
Controller Pay by Organization Size
Typical Controller pay at nonprofits grouped by annual revenue, modeled nationwide.
Some sizes are left out because there is not enough reported pay to model them.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a nonprofit Controller make?
- The typical pay for a nonprofit controller is $98,571, and the middle half earn between $65,624 and $170,020. The range is built from what 2,878 organizations pay this role compared with the rest of their staff, nationwide.
- How does nonprofit Controller pay change with organization size?
- Pay rises with the size of the organization. Our estimate is $98,549 at nonprofits with revenue $1M to $10M and $237,730 at nonprofits with revenue over $1B.
- Why does organization budget matter so much for Controller 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 Controller 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.
- Why is the pay range for a nonprofit Controller national?
- Pay at this level is not reported state by state, so the range covers nonprofits nationwide.
- How is this data different from pay surveys?
- Most pay data online comes from self-reported surveys or job posting estimates. This range is built from the pay nonprofits report to the IRS, compared with the rest of their staff, so it rests on legal documents filed under penalty of perjury rather than on voluntary survey responses.
- How does Controller pay compare to other nonprofit roles?
- The typical nonprofit Controller earns $98,571. Related roles: CFO at $87,592, Accounting Manager at $76,250, Finance Manager at $73,773. 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 Controller?
- Compare your total pay to the range. The typical nonprofit Controller earns $98,571, with the middle half between $65,624 and $170,020. If your pay sits below $65,624, you are in the bottom quarter for the role nationally and may be underpaid; if it is above $170,020, 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.