2023 State of the Nonprofit Sector and Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Report for Boone and Winnebago Counties Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence Northern Illinois University
2023 State of the Sector Report
Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s (NICNE) mission is to promote, model, and grow innovation, excellence and social impact. This past year, NICNE chose to add “model” to our mission, committing to walk our talk and demonstrate best practices for other nonprofits within our operations and governance.
We are proud of our successes over the past year as we have continued to grow our impact serving more 3,899 individuals from 331 organizations in 61 counties and beyond. Although our online reach saw individuals attending programs from across the globe, the majority of program participation came from our focus area in Northern Illinois. Programs offered by NICNE this past year included:
• Certificate in Nonprofit Management (Leadership and Governance, Financial Management, Marketing and Communications, Fund Development and Human Resources Management)
• Writing Successful Grant Proposals
• Introduction to Collective Impact with Tamarack Institute
• Impacts of True Collaboration and Preparing for Partnerships with Purpose with La Piana
• How to Become A More Strategic Board
• Program Portfolio Management
• Futures Thinking for Mission Impact Workshop
• Introduction to Nonprofit Media Relations
• Building Racial Equity and Belonging into Your Board Culture
• Sexual Harassment Recognition and Prevention
• Northwest Illinois Regional Volunteerism Conference series
NICNE also provides technical assistance and resource supports for nonprofits. We have an exceptional professional services team that provides capacity building supports to nonprofits in a variety of areas, some of which include strategic action planning, succession planning, effective governance, human resources, marketing and grant writing.
NICNE’s greatest growth area is facilitating community collaborations and Collective Impact initiatives to address our communities most vexing issues. Initiatives currently facilitated by NICNE include:
1) Youth Mental Health System of Care – working with crosssector partners and people with lived experience to assess and co-create a youth mental health system in Winnebago and Boone Counties that is high quality, affordable and provides access to all children and their families. FY22 Communities of Practice included Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency Development, and Suicide Prevention.
2) Rockford Area Case Management Initiative – a systemchange approach to deliver a strength-based, outcomefocused support services system that helps participants achieve specific, self-defined outcomes leading to self-sufficiency. FY22 Communities of Practice included Reentry Services, Self-Care for Case Managers, and Workforce Development.
3) Belonging Initiative – a community movement to build a culture of belonging in Rockford.
4) The Literacy Project – A community collaborative project convened by the United Way of Rock River Valley to ensure all children can read at grade level. We are proud of our work in partnership with nonprofits leaders and staff in our region. We know that nonprofits are critical to the health of our community so we continue to offer programs and services to build leadership and governance capacity, improve efficiency and effectiveness, enhance sustainability, and co-create solutions to our community’s most significant issues. Keep an eye on NICNE as we make our next move to enhance community collaboration and roll out the Social Innovation and Collaboration Laboratory (CollabLab) in the next few months.
Pam Clark Reidenbach Billie F. Callahan President/CEO Associate Director Pclark1@niu.edu bcallahan@niu.eduii 2023 Boone and Winnegabo Counties Nonprofit Study
NICNE STAFF
Acknowledgements
Nonprofits are the soul of the community and embody the best of our country. They educate our children, care for the sick and dying, provide food for the hungry, provide safety from violence, build job skills for the unemployed, expose children and adults to the arts, and the list goes on. Nonprofits give shape to our boldest dreams, highest ideals and noblest causes.
We especially saw nonprofits’ missions in action during the pandemic. Human service organizations were on the front lines of the pandemic helping our most vulnerable people with an increased demand for services. Other organizations had to shutter their doors and wait until it was safe for staff and participants. Nonprofits were unable to engage donors with in-person events and events are still not back to prepandemic offerings. Nonprofits saw a dramatic reduction in the number of volunteers that has still not recovered. Today, nonprofits face high burnout and a hot labor market causing difficulty in finding qualified staff to fill vacant positions. Yet, nonprofits showed significant resilience and initiative during the two-plus years of the pandemic. Many nonprofits were able to boost engagement through social media campaigns, online fundraisers and Zoom programming. Through transparent communication with donors, several saw contributions increase. By adjusting strategies and seeking one-time COVID relief dollars, several local nonprofits have been able to sustain their operations and reduce previous vulnerabilities.
NICNE believes it is our responsibility to uplift the sector and report factual data on the critical role nonprofits play in the health of our community. For the past several years, NICNE has conducted a salary and benefits survey to ensure comparative wages and highlight the importance of benefits in attracting and retaining quality staff, our greatest resource. We added a State of the Sector report in 2020 to continue to professionalize the sector and provide evidence of its social and economic impact. This year we have combined the State of the Sector Report with the Salary and Benefits Data.
We are deeply grateful to our nonprofit partners who contributed a significant amount of time and effort to inform NICNE’s data collection. This report would not be possible without their participation. Thank you! We also thank the Kjellstrom Family Foundation for sponsorship of this report.
We thank Professor Alicia Schatteman and our colleagues at the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at NIU for administering the survey and compiling the data.
We encourage all to utilize the information contained in this report to inform donors, stakeholders, participants and volunteers. NICNE will do our part to share the information with the community as we uphold the value of the nonprofit sector.
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study iii
Executive Summary
The nonprofit sector has seen a great deal of change over the past few years due to COVID and other factors. Nationally, volunteerism has continued a downward trend measured by the percentage of adults volunteering. On the bright side, existing volunteers are volunteering more hours than the year before. Similarly, overall giving has declined as we have come out of the pandemic. Total giving levels have returned to pre-pandemic levels and increased but this is fueled by fewer individuals giving in larger amounts. Giving is also moving away from emergency or crisis-related giving seen during the pandemic. More individuals are giving through donor advised funds. In 2006, the percent of individuals giving through donor-advised funds was just 4% but that grew to over 15% by 2020. The nonprofit sector remains the third largest private employer. However, the sector is facing heavy competition to recruit and retain this generation of workers.
Locally, Boone and Winnebago are home to about 2,500 registered nonprofits, and most of these are 501(c)(3) organizations. Only about 16% of responding organizations have annual revenue of $1,000 or more. In fact, 197 organizations in Winnebago County have at least one employee. Mirroring the national picture, most nonprofits are small but there are also very large nonprofit organizations. The average total revenue was
$2.8 million. Most respondents have implemented or considered staff restructuring but have not considered layoffs. About a quarter are considering coordinating service with another organization.
About 90% of organizations rely on volunteers, with an average of 224 volunteers at each organization. Combined, they logged nearly 600,000 volunteer hours. Looking at paid staff, about three quarters of all executive directors or CEOs are women and about 40% have master’s degrees. Nearly 13% are considering retiring in the next 2-3 years. Overall, the biggest human resource challenges were offering a competitive salary/wage (72.7%), hiring qualified staff (44.8%) and recruiting qualified staff (42.1%). Almost 70% of hiring needs were for program/clinical staff (67.9%) followed by fundraising (42.9%). Nearly all organizations increased employee salaries/pay during the past year, between 3-4% (35.1%). About 80% of all organizations offered medical/health benefits to full-time employees.
Over half of organizations are experiencing increasing demand (55.3%). Just 8% indicated that demand for services was going down. Nearly all organizations already collaborate with other nonprofit organizations to fulfill their mission (97.4%) to enhance their services (83.8%), share resources (75.7%) or increase community awareness (67.6%).
iv 2023 Boone and Winnegabo Counties Nonprofit Study
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 1 Executive Summary iv Nonprofit Sector: A National Snapshot 3 Nonprofit Sector in Boone and Winnebago Counties 6 Survey Responses 8 Organizational Characteristics 8-9 Governance 9-10 Finances 10-11 Volunteers 11-12 Program Delivery 12-13 Performance Measurement 14 Collaboration 15 Staffing 16-18 Salaries 18-19 Benefits 19-21 Employee Hiring 21-22 Employee Retention 22-23 Salary Details 23-26 Methodology and End Notes 27
Table of Contents
Report prepared by
About the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies
The Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies (NNGO) is an interdisciplinary academic unit that connects students, faculty, researchers and nonprofit organizations across Northern Illinois. Created in 2010, NNGO offers an undergraduate major, minor and certificate in nonprofit and NGO studies to educate the next generation of nonprofit and community leaders. The center brings the latest research to the nonprofit sector in the form of communitybased research assistance, professional development, networking and student engagement. Learn more at niu.edu/nonprofit
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The Nonprofit Sector: A National Snapshot
According to the Urban Institute, there were approximately 1.54 million nonprofits registered with the Internal Revenue Service in 2019 (IRS).1 These organizations represent every type of nonprofits from arts, health, education, advocacy, unions, and professional organizations. Of all registered nonprofits, 69.7% were 501(c)(3) organizations (public charities), which accounted for over three-quarters of revenue and expenses for the nonprofit sector as a whole. (1)
Types of Registered Public Charities
The Human Services subsector such as food banks, homeless shelters, youth services, sports organizations and family or legal services, accounts for over one third of all public charities. However religious congregations and organizations with less than $5,000 in gross revenue are not required to register with the IRS. (1)
Economic Impact of the Sector Financial Health of the Sector
The nonprofit sector had a total of $3.79 trillion in total assets in 2019. Assets held by 501(c)(3) organizations accounted for about two-thirds of the nonprofit sector’s total assets. These public charities reported a total of $2.04 trillion in revenues, accounting for more than 75% of total revenue for the nonprofit sector. (1)
Overall, economic indicators seem to suggest that nonprofit organizations were financially stable in 2022 according to the latest report by Independent Sector on the Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector. (3) Inflation is certainly challenging the efficiencies of delivering programs and services by nonprofits, particularly those whose missions are transportation, housing, or food related.
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Subsector Number Percentage Arts, Culture and Humanities 31,894 10.0% Education (excluding higher education) 54,632 17.2% Higher Education 2,161 0.7% Other Education 52,471 16.5% Environment and Animals 14,932 4.7% Health 38,853 12.2% Hospitals and Primary Care Facilities 7,054 2.2% Other Health Care 31,799 10.0% Human Services 111,797 35.2% International 6,956 2.2% Other Public and Social Benefit 38,071 12.0% Religion Related 20,880 6.6%
Employment in the Sector
In terms of the overall workforce, the business sector makes up 80.5%, followed by nonprofits (6.4%), local government (6.3%), state government (4.5%), and the federal government (2.4%). (3) Looking at private employers only (business and nonprofit), the nonprofit sector is the third-largest private employer in the United States, with nearly 100,000 more workers than the nation’s manufacturing industry.
Looking at private employers only (business and nonprofit), the nonprofit sector is the third-largest private employer in the United States, with nearly 100,000 more workers than the nation’s manufacturing industry.
Private Employment by Industry
Furthermore, nonprofits employ more workers than manufacturing in over half of the country’s states and territories. The only industries employing more workers than the nonprofit sector were retail trade, and accommodations and food services. The nonprofit sector had more than twice as many workers as the nation’s finance and insurance industry. In some fields, nonprofit employers constitute large percentages of the total private workforce such as elementary and secondary education (71%), higher education (92%), social assistance (41%), and health services (43%). Overall, nonprofits paid over $670 billion in wages, which is the third largest generator of payroll income. The national average weekly wage in the nonprofit sector was 97% as large as the average weekly wage in the private sector, and in some cases, nonprofit wages were actually higher; nonprofit individual and family services as well as home health care organizations pay over 70% more than private companies. (2)
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020 to assist “small businesses” with fewer than
500 employees to apply for forgivable loans for payroll expenses, rent and utilities, and interest on mortgage and debt. After some advocacy by the nonprofit sector, the program did provide for coverage of nonprofit employers who met the same criteria. In fact, 97.7% of all nonprofit organizations met the requirements for the PPP program.
(3) According to data analysis by the Dorothy A. Johnston Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, nearly 4.9 million loans were made, and nearly 182,000 nonprofits received a PPP loan, representing 3.7% of all loans. Those loans protected 4.1 million nonprofit jobs, nearly one in three nonprofit jobs, which varied by state. (4) Nonprofit organizations have been challenged likely many other types of industries to attract and retain staff in a competitive job market. Nonprofit workers tend to be younger than the government workforce but older than the business workforce. The nonprofit workforce is as diverse as the workforce overall (77.8% white) but has a higher percentage of female workers (65.9%) compared to the workforce overall (46.7%). (3)
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Retail Trade 15,760,970 Accommodation and Food Services 13,568,696 Nonprofit Sector 12,488,563 Manufacturing 12,399,293 Construction 6,909,837 Finance and Insurance 5,864,975
Volunteering
Volunteers are critical to carrying out the missions of nonprofit organizations, and provide knowledge, skills, and experience. Despite a significant increase in total hours volunteered in 2021, there has been an overall decline in the number of individuals volunteering since the beginning of the pandemic (-19% from 2019-2021). Health concerns and the economy certainly contribute to declining volunteers. (3)
Charitable Giving
Individual giving as a percentage of disposable income has remained flat over the past forty years, rarely straying from a narrow range between 1.8 and 2.2 percent. In the past five years, it has declined, according to the new numbers in Giving USA, to 1.77 percent in 2021. (6)
Giving to nonprofit organizations peaked during the pandemic as donors responded to immediate basic needs. Overall, data suggests that giving is returning to prepandemic patterns in terms of the number of donors and size of gifts. The number of donors is declining but the size of the donation is increasing. During the pandemic, small donors chose to give to emergency causes they did not typically support. It is predicted those donors will revert to their pre-pandemic giving levels. (3)
Another financial giving tool greatly increased in usage during the pandemic, donor advised funds. A donor advised fund, or DAF, is a giving account set up by a financial institution or public charity that allows the donor to make a charitable contribution of cash, stock, real estate or
other asset, receive an immediate tax deduction and then recommend grants from that fund over time. Donors can contribute to that fund as often as they like. Although the first DAFs were created in the 1930s, they were not recognized formally until the Pension Protection Act of 2006. They are the fastest growing philanthropic tool. They increased significantly during the pandemic in a strong stock market environment. This large asset growth then contributes to large increases in grantmaking from DAFs. In this one year (2020-2021) the value of DAFs rose from $167 billion to $234 billion, a nearly 40% increase in just 12 months. The number of DAF accounts also rose by 27.6%. The total number of grants from DAFs rose from $35 billion to $45 billion, a 28% increase in one year, and by more than 60 percent in the past two years. DAFs do not currently have any federal minimum payout requirement, unlike foundations that must meet the minimum distribution of five percent of assets in grants or grant related expenditures. (5)
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The Nonprofit Sector: in Boone and Winnebago Counties
Population
According to the 2020 Census, the population of Boone County was 53,448 and the population of Winnebago County was 285,350.
Mapgoose.com
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Nonprofits by Size
Nonprofits by Type
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Boone County Winnebago County Number of registered nonprofits 306 2,203 Number of registered nonprofits (excluding revoked or defunct organizations) 173 1,453 Number of registered nonprofits with at least $1,000 in annual revenue 42 401 Number of registered nonprofits with at least $50,000 in annual revenue 31 325 Number of registered nonprofits with at least $250,000 in annual revenue 15 218 Number of registered nonprofits with at least $1 million in annual revenue 4 109 Number of nonprofits with at least 1 staff member 20 197
Boone County Winnebago County 501(c)(3) public charity 202 1,397 501(c)(3) private foundation 2 187 501(c)(4) civic leagues and social welfare organizations 15 107 501(c)(5) labor, agricultural, and horticultural organizations 7 76 501(c)(6) business leagues etc. 10 130 501(c)(7) social and recreational clubs 7 63 501(c)(8) fraternal beneficiary societies 23 73 501(c)(9) employees associations 21 501(c)(10) domestic fraternal societies 4 42 501(c)(13) cemetery companies 6 12 501(c)(14) credit unions and other mutual financial institutions 17 501(c)(15) mutual insurance companies other than life or marine 1 1 501(c)(19) post or organizations of war veterans 10 46
Survey Responses Organizational Characteristics
Indicate the title that most aligns with your role at the nonprofit organization that you are answering on behalf of.
“Other” titles included human resource director, office manager, chief financial officer, and development director.
What year did your organization receive IRS determination as a nonprofit?
What is your nonprofit classification?
What sub-sector best represents your nonprofit organization (primary mission and programmatic focus based on the NTEE classification)?
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Range: 1897-2017 Average: 1977 (45 years old)
Answer Percent Count 501(c)(3) 94.64% 53 501(c)(4) 0.00% 0 501(c)(5) 1.79% 1 501(c)(6) 1.79% 1 Other 1.79% 1 Total 100% 56
Answer Percent Count Arts, Culture and Humanities 11.11% 6 Education 14.81% 8 Environment and Animals 5.56% 3 Health 5.56% 3 Human Services 46.30% 25 International, Foreign Affairs 0.00% 0 Public, Societal Benefit 7.41% 4 Religion Related 1.85% 1 Mutual/Membership Benefit 3.70% 2 Unknown, Unclassified 3.70% 2 Total 100% 54
Answer Percent Count Executive Director / CEO / President 63.93% 39 Director / Vice President / Senior Leadership 13.11% 8 Board President / Board Member 0.00% 0 Other 22.95% 14 Total 100% 61
Does your organization have a strategic plan?
Governance
How many board members do your organization’s bylaws call for? N=53
How many board members do you currently have? N=53
How often does your organization’s Board of Directors meet?
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Range: 3-40 Average: 14 Mode: 12
Range: 5-31 Average: 12 Mode: 12
Answer Percent Count Yes and it’s current 66.67% 34 Yes but it’s not current 17.65% 9 No but we are working on it right now 11.76% 6 No 3.92% 2 Total 100% 51
Answer Percent Count Monthly 49.06% 26 Every other month 30.19% 16 Quarterly (every three months) 15.09% 8 Semi-annually (twice per year) 0.00% 0 Annually 0.00% 0 Other 5.66% 3 Total 100% 53
Does your organization have a separate advisory board or advisory council?
How would you rate your board’s overall level of activity or engagement in the organization’s fundraising efforts?
Finances
According to your organization’s most recently filed IRS Form 990, what is the total revenue (line 12) of your organization? N=34
According to your organization’s most recently filed IRS Form 990, what percentage of your organization’s total operating revenue comes from the following sources? N=29
What is your organization’s financial outlook anticipated to be in the next year?
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Answer Percent Count Yes 13.21% 7 No 86.79% 46 Total 100% 53
Answer Percent Count Better than average 34.62% 18 Not good, not bad, neutral 36.54% 19 Lower than average 28.85% 15 Total 100% 52
Answer Percent Count Expected to improve 36.84% 14 Expected to stay the same 47.37% 18 Expected to worsen 15.79% 6 Total 100% 38
Mean Contributions and Grants (line 8) 65.66% Program Service Revenue (line 9) 18.5% Investment Income (line 10) 14.69% Other Revenue (line 11) 9.62%
Range: $27,000-$34,095,532 Average: $2,802,141 Median: $987,575 Mode: $280,623
How likely is it that your organization will have the necessary financial resources to adequately provide services for your clients/users/members through the next year?
Which strategies has your organization considered or implemented as a result of financial challenges over the past 12 months? (N=39)
Does your organization utilize volunteers?
What is your organization’s total number of volunteers according to your organization’s most recent IRS Form 990 (line 6)? N=29
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 11
Answer Percent Count Very likely 57.50% 23 Somewhat likely 32.50% 13 Somewhat unlikely 7.50% 3 Very unlikely 2.50% 1 Total 100% 40
Considered Have Not Under Not and Question Considered Consideration Considered Implemented Implemented Staff restructuring 25.00% 37.50% 6.25% 0.00% 31.25% Reduction of physical location size/relocation 68.75% 6.25% 0.00% 12.50% 12.50% Coordinating service delivery with another agency 50.00% 25.00% 12.50% 0.00% 12.50% Merger with another agency 64.71% 0.00% 17.65% 5.88% 11.76% Staff layoffs/furloughs 76.47% 5.88% 5.88% 11.76% 0.00% Staff hiring freezes 62.50% 6.25% 0.00% 18.75% 12.50% Secure short-term debt 68.75% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 12.50% Debt consolidation/ restructuring 75.00% 12.50% 0.00% 6.25% 6.25% Closing the organization 81.25% 6.25% 0.00% 6.25% 6.25% Volunteers Answer Percent Count Yes 89.74% 35 No 10.26% 4 Total 100% 39
Range:
Average:
Median:
Mode:
12-3,000
224
50
50
What are the total estimated volunteer hours these volunteers contribute to your organization in the most recent year?
Which of the following challenges does your organization have when finding or retaining volunteers?
Program Delivery
Does your organization collect any of the following demographic information?
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Total: 583,162 Average: 20,109
Answer Percent Count Finding long-term volunteers 18.18% 22 Finding volunteers in general 14.05% 17 Finding qualified volunteers 11.57% 14 Volunteer retention 11.57% 14 Volunteer recognition and appreciation 11.57% 14 Onboarding volunteers 11.57% 14 Training volunteers 8.26% 10 Finding skilled volunteers 9.09% 11 Finding short-term volunteers (ex: for a single event) 2.48% 3 Other 1.65% 2 Total 100% 121
Of Board Of the People Question Of Staff Members Of Volunteers you serve Age 70% — 20 34.5% — 10 13.8% — 4 86.2% — 25 Gender 72.4% — 21 58.6% — 17 24.1% — 7 82.8% — 24 Sexual Orientation 6.9% — 2 3.4% — 1 0.00% — 0 24.1% — 7 Race 58.6% — 17 51.7% — 15 13.4% — 4 75.9% — 22 Ethnicity 48.3% — 14 41.4% — 12 10.3% — 3 58.6% — 17 Income 20.7% — 6 3.4% — 1 3.4% — 1 41.4% — 12 Disability 27.6% — 8 20.7% — 6 10.3% — 3 58.6% — 17
Which county do most of the people you serve live in? If zero reported, the county was removed from this table.
What ages does your organization serve?
What are your organization’s biggest challenges in service delivery?
In calendar year 2021, did demand for your organization’s programs and services change?
When developing programs and services, does your organization directly engage the people you serve in that process?
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Answer Percent Count Boone County 5.26% 2 Cook County 2.63% 1 Lake County 2.63% 1 Winnebago County 89.47% 34 Total 100% 38
Answer Percent Count Children ages 0-3 14.39% 20 Children ages 4-10 20.14% 28 Youth ages 11-17 22.30% 31 Adults ages 18-64 25.18% 35 Seniors age 65+ 17.99% 25 Total 100% 139
Answer Percent Count Lack of human resources 25.81% 16 Lack of financial resources 19.35% 12 Enhancing visibility and reputation 16.13% 10 Lack of technology resources 12.90% 8 Long term planning 9.68% 6 Serving diverse clients 8.06% 5 Other 8.06% 5 Total 100% 62
Answer Percent Count Expanded 55.26% 21 Stayed the same 36.84% 14 Reduced 7.89% 3 Total 100% 38
Answer Percent Count Yes 89.19% 33 No 10.81% 4 Total 100% 37
Performance Measurement
Does your organization measure any of the following outputs?
Does your organization track outcomes/impact of your programs or services have?
What sources of information does your organization use to measure outputs and outcomes as described in the previous questions?
Does your organization track economic impact data?
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Answer Percent Count Number of clients served 35.79% 34 Number of activities/programs offered 32.63% 31 Client/user satisfaction at the end of a service/program 27.37% 26 Other 2.11% 2 We do not measure outputs 2.11% 2 Total 100% 95
Answer Percent Count Yes 21.05% 8 No 78.95% 30 Total 100% 38
Answer Percent Count Impact of program on person served over time (attitudes, behavior, knowledge) 28.13% 18 Impact of your programs/services on the community 25.00% 16 Long-term satisfaction of persons served 18.75% 12 Comparison of your program results to an industry standard 10.94% 7 We do not measure outcomes 9.38% 6 Other 4.69% 3 Comparison of your program results to a control group 3.13% 2 Total 100% 64
Answer Percent Count Data from individual client/user 35.56% 32 Data from staff 27.78% 25 Community members 14.44% 13 Data from client support person (parent, family member, caregiver) 13.33% 12 Government data 6.67% 6 Other 2.22% 2 Total 100% 90
Collaboration
Do you collaborate with other nonprofit organizations to fulfill your mission?
What are the most important reasons you collaborate with other nonprofit organizations?
Is your organization considering any additional collaborative/strategic alliances?
What are your organization’s greatest challenges to collaboration?
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Answer Percent Count Yes 97.37% 37 No 2.63% 1 Total 100% 38
Answer Percent Count Finding the right partner 45.45% 20 Finding time to devote to collaboration 43.18% 19 Other 9.09% 4 Finding a facilitator to lead collaborative design and analysis 2.27% 1 Total 100% 44
Answer Percent Count Enhance services 25.00% 31 Share resources 22.58% 28 Increase community awareness 20.16% 25 Broaden perspectives 18.55% 23 Increase stability 8.87% 11 Other 3.23% 4 Share risk 1.61% 2 Total 100% 124
Answer Percent Count Shared programming or programmatic alliances 37.50% 24 Shared physical space 20.31% 13 Shared back-office services 17.19% 11 None 12.50% 8 Merger 7.81% 5 Other 4.69% 3 Total 100% 64
Staffing
Does your organization have any paid staff?
Which of the following types of employment does your organization offer? N=39
At present, how many total full-time employees does your organization have? N=38
At present, how many total part-time employees does your organization have? N=38
Is the Executive Director/CEO of your organization planning to retire in the next 2-3 years?
What is the gender of your Executive Director/CEO?
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Counties Nonprofit Study
Winnegabo
Answer Percent Count Yes 100.00% 38 No 0.00% 0 Total 100% 38
Answer Percent Count Female 74.36% 29 Male 23.08% 9 Prefer not to say 2.56% 1 Other 0.00% 0 Total 100% 39
Answer Percent Count Full-Time 97.4% 38 Part-Time 84.6% 33 Contract / Temporary 35.9% 14 Paid Interns 15.4% 6
Answer Percent Count Yes 12.82% 5 No 79.49% 31 Unsure 7.69% 3 Total 100% 39
Range:
Average: 29.8 Mode: 3
0-391
Range: 0-100 Average: 9.1 Median: 3.5 Mode: 0
What is the highest level of education of your Executive Director/CEO?
Does your agency have a succession plan for the Executive Director/CEO?
Has your organization experienced a change in executive staff leadership in the past 2-3 years?
Is it common practice in your organization for supervisors to conduct annual performance evaluations of employees including executive staff?
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Answer Percent Count High School Graduate 0.00% 0 Some college, no degree 5.13% 2 Associate Degree 0.00% 0 Bachelor’s Degree 43.59% 17 Professional Degree (ex: JD) 2.56% 1 Master’s Degree 43.59% 17 Doctoral Degree 0.00% 0 Other 5.13% 2 Total 100% 39
Answer Percent Count Yes 38.46% 15 No 61.54% 24 Total 100% 39
Answer Percent Count Yes 85.00% 34 No 15.00% 6 Total 100% 40
Answer Percent Count Yes - Informal (You have discussed succession strategies and planning) 30.77% 12 Yes - Formal (You have a formal written succession plan) 17.95% 7 No 51.28% 20 Total 100% 39
What are your biggest challenges in terms of human resources? Check all that apply. N=38
What percentage of your employees live in Winnebago County? Please round to the nearest 5%.
What percentage of your employees live in Boone County? Please round to the nearest 5%.
Salaries
According to your organization’s most recent IRS Form 990, how much does your organization spend on salaries, other compensation, and employee benefits (line 15)? N=38
Has your organization increased salaries/pay of your employees any time during the past year?
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Range: $13,600-$24,734,418 Average: $1,621,196 Median: $322,927
Answer Percent Count Offering competitive salaries 73.7% 28 Hiring qualified staff 44.7% 17 Recruiting qualified staff 42.1% 16 Retaining staff 31.6% 12 Providing paid benefits (e.g. Health Insurance, paid time off) 31.6% 12 Achieving gender, age or ethnic/cultural diversity 31.6% 12 Competition for candidates with other nonprofit organizations 28.9% 11 Competition for candidates with the for-profit sector 23.7% 9 Not a challenge at this time 5.3% 2
Answer Percent Count Yes 94.87% 37 No 5.13% 2 Total 100% 39 36 respondents indicated that on average, 83% of their employees live in Winnebago County. 21 respondents indicated that on average, 14% of their employees live in Boone County.
What percentage did you increase your employee salary/pay?
Benefits
Which of the following benefits does your organization offer your employees? N=37
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 19
Answer Percent Count 1-1.9% 5.41% 2 2-2.9% 10.81% 4 3-3.9% 35.14% 13 4-4.9% 13.51% 5 5-5.9% 10.81% 4 6-6.9% 13.51% 5 7% or more 10.81% 4 Total 100% 37
Question Full Time Employees Part Time Employees Total Life Insurance 59.5% — 22 5.4% — 2 24 Paid Vacation Days 73.0% — 27 18.9% — 7 34 Long-Term Disability Insurance 35.1% — 13 5.4% — 2 15 Paid Sick Days 64.9% — 24 21.6% — 8 32 Short-Term Disability Insurance 48.6% — 18 5.4% — 2 20 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 24.3% — 9 10.8% — 4 13 Wellness Program 8.1% — 3 0% — 0 3 Tuition Reimbursement 16.2% — 6 5.4% — 2 8 Paid Time Off (PTO) 91.9% — 34 35.1% — 13 47 Professional Development (internal or external opportunities) 78.4% — 29 29.7% — 11 40 Maternity/Paternity/Family Leave 54.1% — 20 8.1% — 3 23 Flextime 56.8 — 21 29.7% — 11 32 Work From Home 64.9 — 24 29.7% — 11 35 Legal Assistance Programs 2.7 — 1 0% — 0 1 Financial Planning Assistance 2.7 — 1 2.7% — 1 2 Compressed Workweek 8.1 — 3 0% — 0 3 On-site Fitness Centers 10.8 — 4 2.7% — 1 5 Commuter/Transportation Benefits 5.4 — 2 2.7% — 1 3 Cell Phone Reimbursement 40.5 — 15 5.4% — 2 17 Free or Low-priced Meals 8.1 — 3 10.8% — 4 7 Gradual Retirement 0 — 0 0% — 0 0 Sabbaticals 10.8 — 4 0% — 0 4 Job Sharing 2.7 — 1 2.7% — 1 2 Childcare Referrals 0 — 0 0% — 0 0 On-site Childcare 5.4 — 2 2.7% — 1 3
Does your organization offer medical benefits?
What type of health insurance plan(s) does your organization offer to full-time employees? Check all that apply. N=34
Note: No organizations offered health insurance to part-time employees.
What percentage of heath care/premium costs does the employer pay?
Did the overall cost of health insurance for your employees change from your current fiscal year to your previous fiscal year?
20 2023 Boone and Winnegabo Counties Nonprofit Study
Answer Percent Count Yes 80.95% 32 No 19.05% 8 Total 100% 42
Answer Percent Count 0% 3.45% 1 1-10% 3.45% 1 11-20% 10.34% 3 21-30% 3.45% 1 31-40% 3.45% 1 41-50% 10.34% 3 51-60% 3.45% 1 61-70% 3.45% 1 71-80% 34.48% 10 81-90% 6.90% 2 91-100% 17.24% 5 Total 100% 29
Answer Percent Count Increased 77.42% 24 Stayed the same 22.58% 7 Decreased 0.00% 0 Total 100% 31
Answer Percent Count PPO 73.5% 25 HMO 35.3% 12 Point-of-service plan 2.9% 1 Traditional indemnity plan 2.9% 1 High-deductible plan 20.6% 7 Health Savings Accounts/Flexible Spending 29.4% 10 Arrangements/Reimbursement Arrangements 5.9% 2
If health insurance costs increased, was the cost increase passed on to employees?
How important do you believe your medical healthcare plan is to attracting and retaining employees?
How many paid vacation days are offered to staff who have worked for your organization?
What is your organization’s hiring forecast anticipated to be for the coming year?
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 21
Answer Percent Count Yes 41.67% 10 No 58.33% 14 Total 100% 24
Answer Percent Count Very important 77.42% 24 Somewhat important 16.13% 5 Neutral 3.23% 1 Somewhat unimportant 0.00% 0 Not important at all 3.23% 1 Total 100% 31
Answer Percent Count Increase in staff 47.37% 18 Stable/no change 50.00% 19 Decrease in staff 0.00% 0 Hiring freeze 0.00% 0 Undecided 2.63% 1 Total 100% 38
Employed less Employed Employed Employed Question than 1 year 1-5 years 6-10 years more than 10 years No paid vacation days 13.3% — 4 0 — 0 0 — 0 13.3% — 2 1-5 Days 43.3% — 13 6.9% — 2 0 — 0 6.7% — 1 6-8 Days 10.0% — 3 27.6% — 8 5.3% — 1 6.7% — 1 9-11 Days 16.7% — 5 41.4% — 12 36.9% — 7 6.7% — 1 12 or more days 16.7% — 5 24.1% — 7 52.6% — 10 66.7% — 10 Total 100% — 30 100% — 29 100% — 19 100% — 15 Employee Hiring
Do you anticipate hiring staff in the coming year?
If yes, which types of positions do you anticipate hiring in the coming year? Check all that apply. N=28
Employee Retention
In terms of staff retention challenges at your organization, rank the following from 1 (being most significant) to 10 (insignificant).
Reported in percentages. N=29
22 2023 Boone and Winnegabo Counties Nonprofit Study
Answer Percent Count Yes 71.79% 28 No 28.21% 11 Total 100% 39
Answer Percent Count Executive 10.7% 3 Finance 14.3% 4 Fund / Resource Development 42.9% 12 Administrative Support 17.9% 5 Program / Clinical Staff 67.9% 19 Marketing / Communications 14.3% 4 Information Technology 0 0 Other 17.9% 5 Total 28
Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Inability to pay competitively 34.48% 6.90% 17.24% 6.90% 6.90% 0.00% 10.34% 6.90% 0.00% 10.34% Excessive workload 20.69% 0.00% 24.14% 10.34% 6.90% 10.34% 6.90% 10.34% 3.45% 6.90% Inability to offer competitive benefits 22.22% 7.41% 7.41% 7.41% 11.11% 3.70% 7.41% 7.41% 7.41% 18.52% Staff burnout 18.52% 11.11% 14.81% 11.11% 25.93% 3.70% 7.41% 0.00% 0.00% 7.41% Inability to promote/ advance top performing staff 3.70% 3.70% 22.22% 7.41% 29.63% 7.41% 3.70% 7.41% 0.00% 14.81% Lack of formal retention strategy 3.70% 7.41% 7.41% 7.41% 14.81% 7.41% 14.81% 11.11% 7.41% 18.52% External competition 3.70% 14.81% 7.41% 7.41% 14.81% 11.11% 18.52% 0.00% 7.41% 14.81% Lack of childcare 7.41% 3.70% 0.00% 0.00% 18.52% 3.70% 7.41% 18.52% 7.41% 33.33% Lack of reliable transportation 7.41% 7.41% 0.00% 3.70% 11.11% 3.70% 0.00% 18.52% 11.11% 37.04%
What is the average amount of time the typical management-level employee stays with your organization?
Salary Details
For this set of questions, respondents were asked first if they had someone on staff with these titles. If yes, they proceeded to the next question. If no, they skipped to the next job classification. Respondents were asked to covert any salaried staff to average hourly wages so that it would be easier to compare across job classifications.
Executive Salaries
Executive Directors/CEOs/President N=35
What is the Average Hourly Wage they earn?
Range: $18-$84
Average: $41.34
Median: $37.19
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) / Controller / Comptroller / Director of Finance N=15
What is the Average Hourly Wage they earn?
Range: $19.23-$53
Average: $31.79
Median: $29.33
Chief Operating Officer (COO) / Operations Manager / Vice President N=9
Range: $22-$56
Average: $36.79
Median: $31.25
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 23
Answer Percent Count 1-3 years 21.05% 8 4-6 years 26.32% 10 7-9 years 34.21% 13 10 years or longer 18.42% 7 Total 100% 38
Administrative/Support Staff Salaries
Do you have paid administrative / support staff?
If yes, then respondents were asked to complete this section.
Administrative Assistant / Assistant / Secretary N=24
Range: $14-$24.51
Average: $17.89
Median: $17.00
Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary/Office Manager N=4
Range: $17-$23.07
Average: $20.39
Median: $20.75
Receptionist / Office Support Staff N=8
Range: $13-$23.07
Average: $16.87
Median: $17.25
24 2023 Boone and Winnegabo Counties Nonprofit Study
Answer Percent Count Yes 86.49% 32 No 13.51% 5 Total 100% 37
Do you have any communications or marketing positions in your organization?
If yes, then respondents were asked to complete the next question.
What is the Average Hourly Wage they earn? N=16
Range: $17.50-$35.00 Average: $23.89 Median: $22.13
Do you have any education positions in your organization?
What is the Average Hourly Wage they earn? N=8
Range: $21-$27 Average: $23.63 Median: $22.25
Do you have any facilities or maintenance staff positions in your organization?
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 25
Answer Percent Count Yes 53.13% 17 No 46.88% 15 Total 100% 32
Answer Percent Count Yes 40.63% 13 No 59.38% 19 Total 100% 32
Answer Percent Count Yes 86.49% 32 No 13.51% 5 Total 100% 37
What is the Average Hourly Wage they earn? N=8
Range: $15.25-$35
Average: $19.53
Median: $17
Do you have any finance or financial management positions in your organization?
If yes, what is the average hourly wage they earn? N=10 What is the Average Hourly Wage they earn? N=10
Range: $17.50-$43
Average: $25.28
Median: $22
Bookkeeper / Accounting Assistant / Accounts Payable or Receivable N=6
Range: $20-$25
Average: $23.04
Median: $24
Do you have any fundraising or development positions in your organization? N=33
What is the average hourly wage they earn? N=9
Range: $20-$50
Average: $29.76 Median: $25.96
26 2023 Boone and Winnegabo Counties Nonprofit Study
Answer Percent Count Yes 38.71% 12 No 61.29% 19 Total 100% 31
Answer Percent Count Yes 33.3% 11 No 66.67% 22 Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Printed by authority of the state of Illinois. niu.edu 55194 4/23
Methodology
Background:
Every three years, NICNE (Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence) collects regional data to help nonprofit organizations.The data informs organizations and reports on the value of the sector.
The focus of the survey is on organizations serving Winnebago and Boone Counties. The Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies created an online survey in Qualtrics. NICNE distributed the survey link to nonprofit organizations in late August, which stayed open through September 21, 2022.
Data Confidentiality:
No personal information was collected from the survey response to ensure anonymity.
Report Citation: Schatteman, Alicia. 2023. State of the Nonprofit Sector and Nonprofit Salary and Benefits Report for Boone and Winnebago Counties. DeKalb, IL: Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies, Northern Illinois University.
End Notes
1 Urban Institute, 2020, The Nonprofit Sector in Brief 2019 https://nccs.urban.org/publication/nonprofit-sector-brief2019#the-nonprofit-sector-in-brief-2019
2 Salamon, Lester and Newhouse, Chelsea. 2020. Nonprofit Employment Report: Economic Data Bulletin No. 48 . Baltimore, MD: Center for Civil Society Studies, Johns Hopkins University. http://ccss.jhu.edu/research-projects/nonprofiteconomic-data/covid-nonprofit-employment/
3 Independent Sector, 2022. Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector: A Quarterly Review. Washington, DC: Independent Sector. https://independentsector.org/resource/health-of-the-u-s-nonprofit-sector/
4 Williams, Jeff. 2020. In the Time of Coronavirus: How Many Eligible Nonprofits Benefitted From the Paycheck Protection Program?. Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy. Grand Valley State University. https://johnsoncenter. org/blog/in-the-time-of-coronavirus-how-many-eligible-nonprofits-benefited-from-the-paycheck-protectionprogram/#:~:text=Nearly%20182%2C000%20nonprofits%20received%20a,nearly%204.9%20million%20total%20loans
5 National Philanthropic Trust. 2022. The 2022 DAF Report. Jenkintown, PA. https://www.nptrust.org/reports/daf-report/
6 Giving USA Foundation. 2022. Giving USA: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2021
2023 Boone and Winnebago Counties Nonprofit Study 27
8500 East State St Rockford, IL 61108 815-753-8733 niu.edu/nonprofit
Mural in Rockford, Illinois.
