Tools to Support NH Nonprofit Workforce: Wage & Benefits Survey
The NH nonprofit sector provides over 85,000 jobs while also boosting the vitality and well-being of the state. Like all other sectors, the number one challenge for nonprofit leaders is building a strong, reliable workforce.
A core pillar of the Center’s strategic plan is strengthening and supporting the nonprofit workforce. This includes providing strategies to help nonprofits retain and recruit staff and advocating for fair compensation.
Every two years, we partner with Common Good Vermont and Maine Association of Nonprofits to produce the report on Nonprofit Wages & Benefits in Northern New England. The report is a valuable tool for nonprofit employers in setting competitive compensation packages and covers a wide-range of nonprofit job categories.
From April 8- May 24, all three organizations collect data through the Survey of Nonprofit Wages & Benefits in Northern New England. It is a confidential survey administered in partnership with the UNH Survey Center. The resulting report illuminates compensation and workforce trends in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
Nonprofit participation in the survey is critical to building useful data. The 2022 report represented the salary and benefit practices of 174 NH nonprofit organizations, employing 4,519 full-time and 2,908 part-time positions, and paying aggregate wages of more than $271 million.
We know that a strong workforce drives nonprofit mission and impact. According to the nationwide survey conducted by the National Council of Nonprofits in 2023, [KR1] “When nonprofits cannot hire enough employees to provide vital services, the public suffers.” The data from that report shows “that along with increased demands for services, there are longer waiting lists, reduced services, and sometimes elimination of services. When any of those happen, the ripple effects cannot be ignored: communities lose access to food, shelter, mental health care, and other vital services on which people depend."
We hope you will participate in this year’s survey. You can access preparation materials, see the FAQs, and more at nhnonprofits.org/wages. Center members who participate in the survey receive the report for free (a $125 value).