What $1M–$10M in revenue means for Development Director pay
Nonprofits with $1M to $10M in annual revenue are established, mid-sized organizations with dedicated staff and defined programs. A Development Director at this size manages real operating scale, and pay steps up accordingly.
Across all nonprofit development directors nationally, the median is $141,732. At organizations with $1M to $10M in revenue, development directors earn about $11,895 less than that.
Development Director pay across organization sizes
How median Development Director compensation scales with nonprofit revenue. Each size band is its own benchmark.
| Org revenue | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1M | $11,388 | $24,148 | $57,595 | $106,089 | 503 |
| $1M–$10M | $108,902 | $129,837 | $155,875 | $191,454 | 2,165 |
| $10M–$100M | $133,329 | $166,386 | $213,873 | $277,252 | 2,312 |
| $100M–$500M | $193,481 | $251,495 | $368,328 | $475,358 | 278 |
| $500M–$1B | $281,016 | $394,977 | $602,147 | $856,190 | 29 |
| Over $1B | $288,330 | $522,922 | $923,971 | $1,252,504 | 34 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a nonprofit Development Director at $1M–$10M organizations make?
- The median total compensation is $129,837, based on 2,165 IRS Form 990 filings from nonprofits with $1M to $10M in annual revenue. The middle range runs from $108,902 to $155,875.
- Why does organization size affect Development Director pay so much?
- Larger nonprofits handle bigger budgets, larger teams, and more complex operations, so the Development Director role scales with them. Comparing pay within the same revenue band, rather than across all sizes, gives a far more accurate benchmark.
- What is the full pay range for a Development Director at $1M–$10M organizations?
- The 25th percentile is $108,902, the median is $129,837, the 75th is $155,875, and the 90th percentile reaches $191,454. Where a specific role lands depends on region, tenure, and how complex the organization is.
- How does this compare to the national Development Director median?
- The national median across all nonprofit sizes is $141,732. Filtering to organizations with $1M to $10M in revenue isolates the size effect, which is one of the strongest drivers of nonprofit compensation.