Understanding Nonprofit Compensation: A Collaborative Study with Jacksonville University

The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida is excited to announce that we have selected Jacksonville University as our new partners for the Compensation and Perception Study. Read this guest blog post to learn about how the Davis College of Business & Technology is approaching the study.

Addressing Compensation Struggles amongst Nonprofits in Northeast Florida

Guest Blog Post by Dr. Caitlin Sockbeson, Dr. James Simak, Angela McTammy & Noor Ashouri

Nonprofit organizations in Northeast Florida face a critical challenge: compensation packages that struggle to compete with the private sector. Research shows that non-profit workers earn 4-6% less than for-profit workers and 3-6% less than public sector workers. This leads to talent acquisition difficulties and increased burnout.

To address this challenge, the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida has partnered with Jacksonville University to study public perceptions, nonprofit wages, and comparative insights from the private sector.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

This study seeks to deliver timely information on public perceptions of nonprofit compensation, specifically within the Northeast Florida region.

The goals of this study are to:

• Survey nonprofits and community members across the region using validated survey instruments and robust statistical analysis
• Assess public perception of fair nonprofit wages
• Collect accurate compensation and benefits data from nonprofit organizations
• Compare perceptions with gathered salary data to identify gaps
• Conduct a comparative analysis between nonprofit and private sector compensation

Study results will help nonprofits determine fair wages and benefits. Nonprofits in the region benefit by gaining actionable insights into how they can enhance their competitive advantage to recruit and retain top talent.

Moving Forward

Over the upcoming months, the Nonprofit Center will be working closely with Jacksonville University’s Center for Organizational Research and Executive Education (CORE), an applied research and consulting center in the Davis College of Business & Technology, to meet these goals. Jacksonville University’s team is comprised of experienced faculty and doctoral researchers: Dr. Caitlin Sockbeson, Ph.D.; Dr. Jim Simak, EMBA, DBA; Angela McTammany, MBA, ABD; and Noor Ashouri, MSHC, ABD. The results will be shared with members of the Nonprofit Center to enhance workforce development efforts for nonprofits in our region.