Determinants of compensation: A study of pay, performance, and gender differences for fundraising professionals

Is there a glass ceiling for women in development?

“…And, similar to the for-profit sector, women earn less. Although less abundant, research conducted on the gender pay gap in the nonprofit sector (Gemeinhardt and Werner, 1995;Conry, 1998;Gibelman, 2000;Ruhm and Borkoski, 2003;Mesch and Rooney, 2005) indicates that women are paid significantly less in this sector as well.…”

“…Nevertheless, Mesch and Rooney (2005) caution that "without a body of research that specifically focuses on the nonprofit sector, it is difficult to determine whether or not incentive systems that have been successful in the private sector will have their intended effects in the nonprofit arena" (p. 2).…”

“…Studies of gender equity in fundraising over the past decade have increased (Conry, 1998;Mesch and Rooney, 2005). As well, there has been an increase in the memberships of the top three professional organizations representing fundraisers, to the point that the majority of professionals are women (Conry, 1998).…”

“…In the nonprofit sector, women are both underrepresented and underpaid in management (Gibelman, 2000;Hallock, 2002). Although studies have focused on the wage gap between male and female managers (Mesch and Rooney, 2005;Gose, 2004; "Differences in Pay for Men and Women in Top Charity Jobs," 2004;Salamon and Sokolowski, 2005), little has been written on the proportion of women in nonprofit management.…”

“…More women than men are entering this profession as paid employees, occupying all fundraising job categories across all types of nonprofit organizations (Conry, 1998). This phenomenon, referred to as "the feminization of fundraising," could have negative implications for the salaries, prestige, and status of a previously male-dominated occupation in which fundraising is seen as "women' s work" (Conry, 1998;Mesch and Rooney, 2005). According to the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the median salary of U.S. nonprofit fundraisers in 2003 was $72,050.…”