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Updated through 2024NTEE D · Animal-Related

Animal-Related nonprofitDevelopment Director salaries

Based on 96 organizations from 2022 – 2024. Each org counted once at its most recent filing. Sourced directly from IRS Form 990, Schedule J.

Median total compensation
$142,618
The median animal-related development director earns $142,618 in total reported compensation.
Median across all 96 animal-related nonprofits filing a Form 990, from the smallest to the largest
25th pct
$110k
75th pct
$187k
90th pct
$279k
96 organizations · 2022 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $110k and $187k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $279k, roughly 2.0 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$279,279Top 10% of earners
75th$187,41625% earn more than this
50th · median$142,618The typical executive
25th$109,66825% earn less than this
10th$66,24410% of executives earn less than this
How pay is structured

How the package is built.

The typical pay structure across 42 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (44% of the 96 orgs in this slice). Each share is the average across orgs of the fraction of total comp that goes to this component, so the bar fills 100%.

$195,274
typical total · 2024
Median total compensation in the subset. The dollar amounts below show what each share works out to on a package this size.
87%
Base salary
86.8% of total
$169,498
Bonus & incentive
3.1% of total
$6,053
Retirement & deferred
3.1% of total
$6,053
Benefits
6.5% of total
$12,693
Other reportable
0.5% of total
$976
Shares are averaged across organizations, so they sum to ~100%. Dollar amounts are illustrative (share% of typical total) and don't reflect any specific org.
How this compares

The number in context.

Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.

Development DirectorThis page
$142,618
Executive Director
$74,707
CFO
$113,961
COO
$130,962

All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J

Geography

Pay varies by state.

State-level medians for Development Directors in animal-related, ranked by typical pay.

Top 10 states · Animal-Related Development Director median
Top-paying organizations

The ten highest-paid animal-related Development Directors by filing.

#OrganizationLocationTotal compensationFiling year
01Monterey Bay Aquarium FoundationMonterey, CA$441,8482023
02Humane World For Animals IncWashington, DC$424,4422024
03Colby'S Crew RescueKeswick, VA$345,9452024
04Zoological Society Of PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PA$330,5952024
05Shedd Aquarium SocietyChicago, IL$320,1392024
06National Wildlife FederationReston, VA$302,1772023
07Best Friends Animal SocietyKanab, UT$301,2232023
08American Humane AssociationWashington, DC$294,8702023
09Governors Island CorporationNew York, NY$290,5312023
10Delta Waterfowl FoundationBismarck, ND$281,7972023

Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.

Compare your organization

What does a $X org pay?

Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median Development Director compensation for animal-related nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.

Your organization's revenue
~$72M
annual revenue
$0$10M$100M$1B+
Median Development Director comp · $10M – $100M
$164,346
48 organizations in this band
Percentile range for your band
25th percentile$95,321
50th percentile$164,346
75th percentile$243,232
Questions

{sector} {role} pay, answered

How much does a Animal-Related nonprofit Development Director make?
The median total compensation for a Development Director at a animal-related nonprofit is $142,618, based on 96 organizations in IRS Form 990 filings. The middle 50% fall between $109,668 and $187,416.
What is the salary range for a Development Director in Animal-Related nonprofits?
Pay ranges from $109,668 at the 25th percentile to $187,416 at the 75th and $279,279 at the 90th. The spread reflects differences in organization size, budget, and region within the sector.
Is this Animal-Related compensation data reliable?
Yes. It comes from IRS Form 990 filings, legal documents filed under penalty of perjury, not self-reported surveys. Figures cover 96 animal-related nonprofits reporting a Development Director.
Why does Animal-Related nonprofit Development Director pay differ from other sectors?
Compensation reflects the typical organization size, revenue, and operating complexity of each sector. Larger, better-funded animal-related organizations pull the upper percentiles higher, while smaller ones anchor the lower end.