Highest Paid Nonprofit CEOs

Compensation rankings are pulled from the most recent IRS Form 990 filings.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, ALSAC (the fundraising arm), and related entities each file separate Form 990s. CEO compensation across the parent + ALSAC has historically totaled $1.5M-$2.5M annually depending on bonus and benefits. Look up "St. Jude" on this site for the latest reported figures.

The Salvation Army is structured as a religious organization rather than a 501(c)(3) charity, and its top officers (territorial commanders) are commissioned ministers receiving modest compensation packages — typically $80,000-$150,000 in salary plus housing allowances. This is dramatically lower than most large charities and reflects the religious-order structure rather than executive market rates.

Wounded Warrior Project's CEO compensation has been publicly scrutinized — the most recent Form 990 typically shows total compensation in the $400,000-$600,000 range. Look up "Wounded Warrior" on this site for the latest filed figure and the program-expense ratio context.

The American Red Cross CEO has historically earned $500,000-$700,000 in total compensation per IRS Form 990. The Red Cross is one of the largest US nonprofits by revenue ($3B+), and CEO pay reflects the scale of the operation. Look up "American Red Cross" on this site for the most recent reported figure.

March of Dimes Foundation's CEO compensation has historically run $500,000-$700,000 in total compensation per IRS Form 990. Search "March of Dimes" on this site for the most recent filing year.

It depends on context. Large nonprofits managing billions in revenue (hospitals, universities, large healthcare systems) typically need to offer competitive compensation comparable to their for-profit peers — otherwise they can't recruit qualified executives. The IRS uses a "rebuttable presumption" standard requiring boards to benchmark CEO pay against comparable organizations. Smaller charities under heavy public scrutiny face more pressure to keep pay modest. Our Efficiency Score weights CEO pay as a percentage of total expenses — a $1M CEO at a $1B nonprofit is structurally different from a $1M CEO at a $20M nonprofit.

The "80/20 rule" in nonprofits typically refers to the program-expense ratio: ideally at least 80% of expenses should go to mission programs (vs. fundraising and overhead). Watchdog groups like Charity Navigator and CharityWatch use 65-80% as their thresholds for top ratings. The IRS does not require any specific ratio, but Form 990 reports allow public scrutiny. Our Efficiency Score factor for program ratio targets the 80% threshold.

All compensation data comes from IRS Form 990, which tax-exempt organizations must file annually with the IRS. These filings are public record (free at ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer or CauseIQ) and include detailed compensation for officers, directors, key employees, and the five highest-paid contractors. Total compensation includes base salary, bonuses, retirement plan contributions, deferred compensation, and benefits/perks.