Mike’s Monday Message: Help AFP Report on Fundraising Salaries

AFP’s Compensation and Benefits Study has been one of AFP’s most valuable member benefits since its first publication in 2000. Particularly in the last few years, as fundraisers have felt the effects of global events like the pandemic and rapid inflation, this resource is more important than ever for measuring our industry’s resilience and recovery. 

Last year’s report showed a 6.7% average salary increase in the U.S. and a 5.9% increase in Canada. After the declines in salary seen during COVID, this big of an increase was certainly good news, but it was tempered by 2022’s high inflation rates, which averaged 6.5% for the year. 

With a lower inflation rate in 2023 — 3.4% —another year of salary increases like we saw last year would be a much more substantial gain. 

This type of compensation data is crucial for our profession as it gives fundraisers a tool they can use in salary negotiations, organizational recruitment and retention, and demonstrating the career potential of fundraising to the next generation. The data for this report comes from YOU, our AFP community, which is why I want to use today’s Monday Message to encourage our members here in the U.S. and Canada to participate in this year’s survey! 

The more fundraisers who participate, the more reliable our data is, and the more we can use it to celebrate what our industry is doing right, and call attention to the areas that could use improvement. 

This report goes beyond just providing an average salary for the profession. The data is broken down by organizational size and location, and factors such as employee gender, race, and education. It also asks valuable questions about the make-up of organizations’ boards to provide a more complete picture of our industry’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.

The 2023 study showed the progress we’ve made in closing the gender and racial gaps. For example, we saw the gender pay gap drop from 24% to 15% in the U.S. and from 13% to 11% in Canada, which while still significant, is a step in the right direction.

We also saw improvement in the diversity of organizational leadership, with 43% of U.S. and 40% of Canadian boards, reporting at least one-quarter or more of their board members were from under-represented groups.

By completing the 2024 survey, you are helping us gauge our progress as we continue to advocate for salary transparency, authentic representation, and equity in fundraising compensation. 

If you have not yet completed the survey, U.S and Canadian members can use the links below to submit their response. Make sure to include your name and email at the end of the survey so we can remove you from future email reminders. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, February 16, 2024.

•    U.S. Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HLDFTMY 
•    Canada Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WVRBB6B 

We look forward to sharing the survey results with members later this year! 

In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email at Mike.Geiger@afpglobal.org or on X at @AFPMikeGeiger. I’d love to hear from you.
 

Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA