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Our Services

Salary Benchmarking for Charities and Not-For-Profits

Getting pay right in the charity and not-for-profit sector is a balancing act. Budgets are limited, expectations are high and you want salaries to be fair, competitive and aligned with your values. 

Our  Salary Benchmarking Service gives you clear, evidence-based insight into where your roles sit in comparison to the market. It will help you attract, reward and retain brilliant people with confidence – all underpinned by our values of integrity, inclusivity, collaboration and expertise. 

Who is it for?

This service is for charities and not-for-profits that are:  

  • Reviewing pay as part of a people strategy or organisational change  
  • Struggling to recruit or retain people into key roles  
  • Preparing for Board or Remuneration Committee discussions on pay and benefits  
  • Organisations who are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and wanting to ensure pay is fair and consistent   
  • Whether  you’re benchmarking a single role, a handful of roles or the whole organisation, we’ll tailor the scope to your needs and budget.  

How we work with you

Collaboration and transparency sit at the heart of our approach.   

  • Scoping - We meet with you to explore your aims, context and challenges and agree the roles to benchmark and define the level of detail required.  
  • Data gathering - You share role information; we collect and quality check multiple trusted and sector specific external market data.  
  • Analysis - We benchmark each role, identify key patterns and assess risks and opportunities. You can see an example of the kind of report you could receive here.

Report - You receive a clear, trustee-ready report.

Your bespoke report will typically include:

  • Context and aims – your organisational background, objectives and key challenges around pay, recruitment or retention.
  • Executive Summary – key findings, recommendations and headline sector trends by region and charity size where possible.
  • Methodology – how we’ve gathered and normalised data (organisation size, role scope, sector alignment).
  • Findings & recommendations– role by role comparisons with external data, plus suggested ranges or bands, including Compa-ratio analysis.
  • EDI and benefits– equity, diversity and inclusion considerations and, if requested, benchmarking of your wider benefits offer against comparator organisations
  • Sources – a transparent list of the main salary and benefits data sources used.

How Salary Benchmarking benefits your organisation

  • Fair, role appropriate pay   
  • Attracting and keeping great people   
  • A stronger overall offer   
  • Making the most of limited budgets   
  • Building trust and inclusion   
  • Defendable data to present to trustee and renumerations Boards and Committees 

Our approach and methodology

Rooted in expertise and integrity, we combine decades of charity sector experience with robust market data.   

We typically draw on:  

  • Published salary guides and industry reports  
  • Charity People consultants’ specialist sector knowledge and our extensive internal data.  
  • A leading UK salary benchmarking platform  
  • Live data from major relevant job boards  
  • Your internal data, where available (e.g. pay structures, grading systems)   

We then normalise results for organisation size, role scope and sector or subsector to create like for like comparisons that reflect your reality, not just averages.  

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

Inclusivity is one of our core values. We are dedicated to finding the right people for each role, regardless of background, identity or circumstances – and that extends to how we approach pay.   

In our benchmarking work, we will:  

  • Consider internal equity alongside external competitiveness  
  • Highlight where pay practices may create barriers for underrepresented groups  
  • Support fair, transparent and consistent approaches to pay and progression  

As a B Corp certified, employee-owned business, we’re committed to using our platform as a force for good in the sector.   Please take a look at our values page to find out more.

Packages available to suit your needs

Level 1

Light touch benchmarking – quick and pragmatic.  Insight rather than definitive data but can you a clear, realistic salary range so you can go to market with confidence. 
 
Best for: 

  • individual roles
  • smaller charities
  • live vacancies (especially senior hires like CEO roles)  

What it includes:

  • market salary range for the role/s 
  • comparison to similar organisations (size, income, cause area where possible) 
  • recruiter insight (what candidates are expecting right now) 

Can be included as part of a recruitment assignment or a low-cost add-on 

Level 2

Targeted benchmarking – more tailored and still affordable but can help you sense-check a group of roles and make sure you’re consistent and competitive. 
 
Best for: 

  • 2 – 5 roles 
  • teams being reviewed or restructured 
  • clients with some budget but not ready for a full review 

What it includes: 

  • role-by-role benchmarking  
  • lighter context (e.g. overview on charity context internal equity) 
  • summary of key findings and recommendations

Fixed fee per role or bundle 

Level 3

Full Benchmarking Review – more strategic, higher value. We’ll give you a full picture of how your pay  and benefits compares to the market and where you may have risks or gaps 
 
Best for: 

  • whole organisation or multiple teams 
  • clients reviewing structure, pay, or growth plans, defendable trustee reports   

What it includes:  

  • benchmarking across all (or many) roles 
  • pay banding / levelling support 
  • external market comparison + internal consistency 
  • clear recommendations 

Project-based fee, higher value, more consultative 

Pricing 

Our  Salary Benchmarking Service gives you clear, evidence-based insight into where your roles sit in comparison to the market. It will help you attract, reward and retain brilliant people with confidence – all underpinned by our values of integrity, inclusivity, collaboration and expertise. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How accurate is salary benchmarking?

We use multiple trusted data sources, alongside our extensive charity sector knowledge and recruitment market insight. We also normalise the data for organisation size, role scope and sector to provide meaningful comparisons rather than simple averages.

Can you benchmark just one role?

Yes. Whether you need insight on a single vacancy, a small number of roles or a whole organisational review, we can tailor the scope to your needs and budget.

Can you benchmark CEO and senior leadership roles?

Absolutely. Salary benchmarking is particularly valuable for senior appointments where market rates can vary significantly and trustee scrutiny is often high. We regularly support charities with benchmarking senior leadership and executive positions.

What information do you need from us?

Typically, we ask for job descriptions, details of the organisation, reporting lines and any relevant information about responsibilities, budgets or team size. We will guide you through the process during the scoping stage.

Can you help us create pay bands and salary structures?

Yes. Our full benchmarking review can include support with pay banding, levelling and salary structures, helping you build a more consistent and transparent approach to pay.

Do you benchmark benefits as well as salary?

Yes. If required, we can benchmark your wider benefits package and consider how it compares with similar organisations.

How long does a benchmarking project take?

Timescales depend on scope. A single-role benchmark can usually be delivered much more quickly than a whole-organisation review. We will agree timelines with you during the scoping stage.

Can the report be shared with trustees or a Remuneration Committee?

Yes. Reports are designed to provide clear, evidence-based findings and recommendations, giving you robust information to support discussions with trustees, boards and remuneration committees.

How do you take equity, diversity and inclusion into account?

We consider internal pay equity alongside external market competitiveness and can highlight areas where current pay practices may create barriers or inconsistencies. We believe fair and transparent pay is an important part of creating inclusive workplaces.

What if our budget doesn’t allow us to match market rates?

Benchmarking is not simply about increasing salaries. It helps identify where you sit within the market, understand potential recruitment or retention risks, and make informed decisions that balance affordability with competitiveness.

How much does salary benchmarking cost?

We offer different levels of support, from light-touch benchmarking for individual roles through to strategic organisation-wide reviews. Pricing is tailored to the scope of the project, and we’re happy to have an informal conversation to discuss your requirements.

Why use Charity People rather than a generic benchmarking provider?

We combine specialist charity sector expertise with market data and real-time recruitment insight. This means we can provide context, not just numbers, helping you understand what is happening in the market and what it means for your organisation.

Get in touch

If you’d like an informal conversation about salary benchmarking for your organisation, we’d love to hear from you. Â