How much does a nonprofit development director make?
The same role goes by several titles, and this page covers them together, whether you searched for development director salary, director of development pay, or chief development officer compensation. Pay tracks the scale of the fundraising operation more than the exact title on the door.
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 development director pay varies so widely
Fundraising scale is the main driver. A development director responsible for a modest annual campaign and one leading a major capital campaign carry very different goals and teams, and pay follows that responsibility more than tenure or location. In this data, the median development director at a nonprofit with revenue under $1M earns $24k, while at organizations with revenue over $1B the median rises to $523k.
Sector and geography add to the spread. Universities, hospitals, and large cultural institutions run the biggest development shops and pay accordingly, and major metros pay more than rural areas. Filter by size, state, and sector below to benchmark a specific role. Among states with enough organizations to compare, Virginia reports the highest median nonprofit development director pay at $162,497.
How does Development Director pay scale with org size?
Median pay by nonprofit annual revenue. The shaded area shows the 25th to 75th percentile for development directors, and the dashed lines show the other roles charted for comparison. Hover for details.
How does Development Director pay compare to other roles?
Median pay for related nonprofit roles.
How development director pay fits the rest of the leadership team
Fundraising leadership usually sits below the executive director and often near the CFO or COO in a nonprofit's pay structure. The role comparison above shows where the development director median lands against other senior roles, which helps when you are setting a pay range or evaluating an offer.
Where are nonprofit Development Director positions concentrated?
Cities with the most nonprofits that pay a Development Director.
Development Director Pay by State
States with the highest median pay for nonprofit development directors.
Development Director Pay by Organization Size
Median Development Director pay at nonprofits grouped by annual revenue.
Development Director Pay by Sector
Median Development Director pay across nonprofit sectors with enough organizations to compare.
Compare Development Director pay
Enter a Development Director pay package to see how it ranks against other nonprofit development directors nationally. We will also email you a detailed breakdown and set up a free account.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a nonprofit Development Director make?
- The median pay for a nonprofit development director is $141,732, based on 5,321 fundraising leaders across the sector. The middle half earn between $111,954 and $190,655, and the best-paid one in ten make $255,836 or more. Every number here is total pay: salary plus bonus and other reportable pay, not base salary alone.
- How does nonprofit Development Director pay change with organization size?
- Pay rises with the size of the organization. At nonprofits with revenue under $1M, the median is $24,148. At nonprofits with revenue over $1B, it is $522,922.
- Why does organization budget matter so much for Development Director 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 Development Director 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 development directors the most?
- Virginia leads with a median of $162,497, followed by District of Columbia at $161,901 and New York at $160,638. 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 Development Director pay compare to other nonprofit roles?
- The median nonprofit Development Director earns $141,732. Related roles: Executive Director at $89,386, Chief Program Officer at $161,217, Department Director at $96,404. 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 Development Director?
- Compare your total pay to the range. The median nonprofit Development Director earns $141,732, with the middle half between $111,954 and $190,655. If your pay sits below $111,954, you are in the bottom quarter for the role nationally and may be underpaid; if it is above $190,655, 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.