Background
In 1992, the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, then known as the National Committee on Planned Giving, launched its first state-of-the-field survey to provide gift planners and organizations with the information they needed to remain competitive in the field. CGP conducted this research every few years until 2019. Due to the pandemic, the survey was not conducted from 2020 to 2023. In 2024, a commitment was made to conduct a survey by a nationally recognized research firm to ensure greater objectivity and credibility in the findings. This report offers a deeper analysis of all aspects of compensation in the field of charitable gift planning, including insights into strengths and areas for growth, as well as an in-depth salary analysis by region, experience, field, and more.
With the support of our external consultants, our survey was fielded from August 15, 2024 to September 25, 2024, and received 498 complete responses and 282 partially complete responses from active charitable gift planners across the United States (fig. 1). These gift planners represent both members of CGP (464) and non-members of CGP (43) and represent early-career (133), mid-career (110), and late-career individuals (223). This variation across region, experience, and membership allows for an in-depth understanding of compensation across a variety of factors.
The following report spans over 60 pages and explores 44 research questions impacting the compensation of charitable gift planners. Survey participants responded not only to questions regarding compensation but also to those relating to workplace settings, employment satisfaction, and perceptions and challenges in the field. Check out just a few of our favorite findings below.
Have you ever wondered what a competitive salary would look like in your region of the United States? 466 Gift planners provided their annual salary and we found that the Northeast has the highest median salary, followed by the South, West, and Midwest. We also provided the 25th, 75th, and range of salaries across the region to give ample understanding of the ranges and variability of the salary data within each region.
Continuing education is important in the field of gift planning. We asked how salaries varied by credentialed vs. non-credentialed gift planners. Of the 507 gift planners who responded, nearly 40% held credentials and reported a median salary that is $10,000 higher than their non-credentialed counterparts.
However, we didn’t only explore salary impacts. We wanted to understand how charitable gift planning professionals experience their profession. We asked gift planners if they are considering or preparing to leave the gift planning profession within the next 12 months. Of the 499 individuals that responded we found that 68% were definitely not considering or preparing to leave the profession showing a high degree of stability. In fact, only 1% of respondents were definitely considering leaving the profession within the next year.
Are you considering or preparing to leave the gift planning profession within the next 12 months? n=499; Base: All respondents
Why now? Why CGP?
Professionals practicing gift planning represent a distinct subset of the fundraising field, necessitating a dedicated survey to address the unique characteristics and environment of their work. Gift planners operate within a remarkably diverse array of institutions, making comparisons challenging and data potentially misleading.
CGP engaged McKinley Advisors, a highly respected research firm with national scope and deep involvement in the association and nonprofit sectors, to reaffirm our commitment to providing accurate and sound information on both quantitative and qualitative measures. CGP is dedicated to delivering this unique and essential survey to help gift planners and their organizations gain a better understanding of the overall environment and assess how institutions are supporting charitable gift planners and gift planning programs. CGP is committed to conducting this survey at least every three years and will continue to refine the survey to ensure it remains relevant and provides valuable insights for our profession. Ready to dive into the data?
Find the full report at CharitableGiftPlanners.org/Research
Contact: Jessica Hall Director of Membership and Marketing
National Association of Charitable Gift Planners jhall@charitablegiftplanners.org