Skip to main content
Updated through 2024NTEE W · Public & Societal Benefit

Public & Societal Benefit nonprofitDevelopment Director salaries

Based on 60 organizations from 2022 – 2024. Each org counted once at its most recent filing. Sourced directly from IRS Form 990, Schedule J.

Median total compensation
$143,102
The median public & societal benefit development director earns $143,102 in total reported compensation.
Median across all 60 public & societal benefit nonprofits filing a Form 990, from the smallest to the largest
25th pct
$115k
75th pct
$205k
90th pct
$292k
60 organizations · 2022 – 2024
Percentile distribution

Where the middle 50% lands.

Half earn between $115k and $205k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $292k, roughly 2.0 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.

PercentileTotal compMeans
90th$292,083Top 10% of earners
75th$205,46225% earn more than this
50th · median$143,102The typical executive
25th$115,42325% earn less than this
10th$50,40010% of executives earn less than this
How pay is structured

How the package is built.

The typical pay structure across 28 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (47% of the 60 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%.

$205,682
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.
80%
Base salary
80.1% of total
$164,751
Bonus & incentive
5.2% of total
$10,695
Retirement & deferred
4.9% of total
$10,078
Benefits
5.1% of total
$10,490
Other reportable
1.3% of total
$2,674
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
$143,102
Executive Director
$109,137
CFO
$129,835
COO
$162,999

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

Geography

Pay varies by state.

State-level medians for Development Directors in public & societal benefit, ranked by typical pay.

Top 10 states · Public & Societal Benefit Development Director median
Top-paying organizations

The ten highest-paid public & societal benefit Development Directors by filing.

#OrganizationLocationTotal compensationFiling year
01Judicial Watch IncWashington, DC$460,5722024
02Club For GrowthWashington, DC$439,3852024
03Institute For Building Technology And SafetyAshburn, VA$410,7072023
04Texas Public Policy FoundationAustin, TX$366,8132023
05Centra Credit UnionColumbus, IN$314,2272023
06Western Electricity Coordinating CouncilSalt Lake City, UT$305,4902024
07Bipartisan Policy Center IncWashington, DC$296,2442023
08Stand Together FoundationArlington, VA$291,6212023
09Baxter Credit UnionVernon Hills, IL$269,7052024
10Committee For A Responsible Federal BudgetWashington, DC$226,0482024

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 public & societal benefit nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.

Your organization's revenue
~$6M
annual revenue
$0$10M$100M$1B+
Median Development Director comp · $1M – $10M
$135,813
32 organizations in this band
Percentile range for your band
25th percentile$78,772
50th percentile$135,813
75th percentile$201,003
Questions

{sector} {role} pay, answered

How much does a Public & Societal Benefit nonprofit Development Director make?
The median total compensation for a Development Director at a public & societal benefit nonprofit is $143,102, based on 60 organizations in IRS Form 990 filings. The middle 50% fall between $115,423 and $205,462.
What is the salary range for a Development Director in Public & Societal Benefit nonprofits?
Pay ranges from $115,423 at the 25th percentile to $205,462 at the 75th and $292,083 at the 90th. The spread reflects differences in organization size, budget, and region within the sector.
Is this Public & Societal Benefit compensation data reliable?
Yes. It comes from IRS Form 990 filings, legal documents filed under penalty of perjury, not self-reported surveys. Figures cover 60 public & societal benefit nonprofits reporting a Development Director.
Why does Public & Societal Benefit nonprofit Development Director pay differ from other sectors?
Compensation reflects the typical organization size, revenue, and operating complexity of each sector. Larger, better-funded public & societal benefit organizations pull the upper percentiles higher, while smaller ones anchor the lower end.