The purpose of "Putting People First" is to build a stronger and more effective nonprofit sector – both within and outside King County, WA – so organizations can be better equipped to serve our communities. This project is a result of a partnership between 501 Commons and the King County Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy (VSHSL). We share a common interest in discovering data-driven solutions to chronic under-investment in the people who work in our sector.
Overall workforce shortages make it easy for people to find a new job. Inflation and rising housing and childcare costs are forcing people to leave jobs and teams they love. Community-based nonprofits often lose talented and experienced team members to the larger and better resourced parts of the nonprofit sector, especially unionized workplaces in government, education, and health care.
The nonprofit sector is ill-equipped to deal with the rising salary and benefit expectations of workers. We are, however, well equipped to attract workers looking for jobs that align with their values. We need to catalyze our partner sectors—business, government, and philanthropy—to help us put people first by increasing their investments and changing their contracting and grant-making processes in ways that would allow us to improve nonprofit wages and benefits.
2025 Results
The most recent iteration of this project happened from February to May 2025, when 501 Commons administered two ambitious surveys to collect data on wage and compensation practices, employee satisfaction, and the factors that lead to a great work environment. This is the third iteration of these surveys, which were previously administered in 2021 and 2023. The 2025 reports are available to download:
- Wage & Benefits Survey Report: A critical challenge facing nonprofit organizations is attracting, recruiting, and retaining well-qualified professional and support staff. The purpose of this report is to help our sector offer competitive compensation, attractive benefits packages, and equitable policies. Accurate and comprehensive data on salaries and benefits in the nonprofit field will help organizations evaluate their own compensation and benefits practices and guide these policies moving forward.
Visit the online 501 Compensation Tracker to easily compare compensation data from several job titles (if you are outside King County, stay tuned, we will be providing geographic adjusters that you can use to reflect wages in your community). - Employee Engagement Survey Report: The purpose of the survey is to identify both the wage and non-wage factors that are linked to high employee engagement, attracting and retaining staff, and producing strong client services. The results of this survey, along with the wage survey, can provide King County nonprofits with low-cost ways to improve employee satisfaction and lower the risk of turnover.
"Putting People First" is a call-to-action
Nonprofit workers are at the heart of our community. They are the ones who step forward to provide housing to those who need it, food for the hungry, education to underserved students, connections to resources, lifesaving medical care, access to art and culture, stewardship of our environment, and all the other work that is essential to the well-being of King County residents.
These employees are often on the frontlines of efforts to reduce disparities, pave the way for future generations, and enrich our lives. Yet far too often, the very people who dedicate their lives to service are not compensated with the wages and benefits they need to thrive. Or, organizational policies that meet their professional, personal, and emotional needs.
If we are serious about building a community where everyone can flourish, we must also invest in the people who make that vision possible. “Putting People First” isn’t just a mantra. It’s a crucial call-to-action.
- For funders (including government, foundations, and individual donors), it means supporting the full cost of services provided by nonprofits, including wages and benefits that are comparable to those offered by related fields like government, philanthropy, health care, and education. Contracting for complex human services, housing, and other programs should follow the approaches government uses in procurement of services from businesses where government expects to pay (on-time) the full cost of the service - including a margin!
- For nonprofit organizations, it means working to generate enough revenue to fairly compensate your hard-working employees and avoid practices that attempt to pay employees the lowest amount possible to conserve program resources. This behavior perpetuates discriminatory pay for people of color, people not born in the U.S., people living with a disability, women, and others.
Collective Action
501 Compensation Tracker
Nonprofits and people looking for a job in the nonprofits can search and directly compare wage data for 172 nonprofit job titles in King County, WA. The information reflects salary numbers collected from February through May 2025 from 224 responding organizations.
Explore King County nonprofit salaries2025 King County Nonprofit Wage & Benefits Report
The 2025 King County Nonprofit Wage & Benefits Report provides information on nearly 14,000 employees in 172 jobs at 224 organizations located in King County or serving King County residents. Download the report today!
Access the report2025 King County Employee Engagement Report
Hear the voice of 928 nonprofit employees regarding their job, supervisor, workplace culture, compensation and more. While overall job satisfaction was high, there are lots of opportunities to improve job satisfaction, employee well-being and engagement, and human resource practices.
Listen to the voices of workersInformation on Human Resources
Visit our collection of human resources tools and preferred practices to help you develop and engage your team members. Resources include recruiting practices, compensation and benefits, and preventing sexual harassment. Need hands on help? Our Human Resource Team is here for you!
Learning Connections Catalog and Career Resources
Browse our catalog to find leadership programs, nonprofit degree options, training, and other professional development resources across the Pacific Northwest, as well as resources on finding a job, leadership development strategies, and more.
Access leadership resources