Where the middle 50% lands.
Half earn between $51k and $154k. That band is the interquartile range. The 90th percentile sits at $249k, roughly 2.6 times the median. That upper tail is where the largest organizations cluster.
| Percentile | Total comp | Means |
|---|---|---|
| 90th | $249,486 | Top 10% of earners |
| 75th | $154,490 | 25% earn more than this |
| 50th · median | $94,394 | The typical executive |
| 25th | $51,011 | 25% earn less than this |
| 10th | $21,775 | 10% of executives earn less than this |
How the package is built.
The typical pay structure across 464 organizations with full Schedule J reporting (29% of the 1,584 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%.
The number in context.
Every row links to its own dedicated benchmark page.
All figures are median total reported compensation · IRS Form 990, Schedule J
Pay varies by state.
District of Columbia pays $58,976 more than the median Executive Director compensation in civil rights, social action & advocacy nationally.
The ten highest-paid civil rights, social action & advocacy Executive Directors by filing.
| # | Organization | Location | Total compensation | Filing year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Aarp | Washington, DC | $2,871,820 | 2024 |
| 02 | Oneten Coalition Inc | Montclair, NJ | $1,038,734 | 2023 |
| 03 | Naacp Empowerment Programs Inc | Baltimore, MD | $890,918 | 2024 |
| 04 | National Rifle Association Of America | Fairfax, VA | $860,253 | 2023 |
| 05 | American Jewish Committee | New York, NY | $856,157 | 2023 |
| 06 | Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund Inc | New York, NY | $831,602 | 2024 |
| 07 | Institute For Justice | Arlington, VA | $812,459 | 2023 |
| 08 | Institute For Healthcare Improvement | Boston, MA | $757,330 | 2023 |
| 09 | Human Rights Campaign Inc | Washington, DC | $743,172 | 2023 |
| 10 | Trevor Project Inc | West Hollywood, CA | $743,066 | 2023 |
Total includes base, bonus, other reportable, and deferred/retirement compensation per Schedule J.
What does a $X org pay?
Adjust the slider to your organization's revenue. The median Executive Director compensation for civil rights, social action & advocacy nonprofits in that revenue band updates live.