How much do NC nonprofit employees make? See who is making millions at 15 top nonprofits
In North Carolina, some nonprofit employees make millions each year.
Compensation for some nonprofit positions in the state has grown steadily over the years. For fiscal year 2017, Duke University’s former men’s basketball coach Michael Krzyzewski, the state’s top nonprofit earner, made $5,801,407 in total compensation. In 2023, he made $8,983,108. During fiscal year 2016, the Wake Forest University Health Sciences CEO made $2,284,045. In 2022, CEO Julie Ann Freischlag brought in $5,824,024.
The N.C. nonprofits bringing in the most revenue include universities and hospitals, including Duke University, Presbyterian Hospital in Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University Health Science. The nonprofit making the highest revenue in the state is Duke University Health System Inc, bringing in $4,672,834,668 in 2023, and its highest-paid employee that year, former President Eugene Washington, made $3,193,603 in total compensation.
At Samaritan’s Purse, a philanthropic organization with one of the highest revenues in the state, CEO Franklin Graham brought in $882,156 in 2023, the lowest amount of any highest earner at one of the state’s top 15 nonprofits.
Across the country, median compensation for nonprofit CEOs has grown steadily in recent years, according to a 2023 report by Guidestar, a group that publishes nonprofit financial data. CEOs with the highest compensation largely belong to science, technology, engineering, math and health-related fields. Religious institutions are typically the lowest compensated nonprofits.
Where we got the data
Nonprofit data including total revenue and compensation comes from Form 990s, a mandatory IRS form for tax-exempt organizations. The Charlotte Observer looked at the most recent forms for North Carolina nonprofits, either from 2022 or 2023, published via Guidestar. The Observer referenced a list from ProPublica to identify the highest earning nonprofits in the state, and verified the information with Form 990s. The 15 nonprofits listed reported the largest revenue on Form 990s, but may not necessarily be the biggest by assets.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
