Nonprofit Millionaires

High executive compensation at the nation’s wealthiest nonprofit organizations is creating a class of “nonprofit millionaires” and prompting some calls for restrictions on pay. Citing The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s latest survey on executive compensation at tax-exempt institutions, the article lists several of the chief executives, university presidents, and athletic coaches earning seven-figure pay and notes that some critics are urging a change in Internal Revenue Service regulations that simply require nonprofit CEO’s to receive “reasonable compensation.”
Full text article by Amy Bell is available via Forbes, 12/17/09.

Insurers: Stop payouts to board members

Massachusetts officials revealed plans last week to tighten oversight of nonprofit health-care organizations, including what they pay top executives, The Boston Globe reports. The Attorney General's Office believes one of the cost drivers in health care that has gotten way too little attention in the current debate is the generous way insurers and hospitals pay their top executives.

Full-text post is available via The Boston Globe, 9/7/09.

The Pay at the Top

How much chief executives at 200 large companies made in 2008, based on an analysis of S.E.C. files conducted by Equilar for The New York Times.

Opinion: Why Charity Leaders Should Pay Close Attention to Obama's Pay Guidelines

President Obama’s announcement this week that he plans to limit executive pay and perks at financial companies seeking federal bailout aid should send a message to nonprofit groups’ leaders and their board members.

Full-text article by Ralph De Jong and Michael Peregrine is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2.6.09. [Subscription required.]

IRS Official Offers Preview of Much-Anticipated Compensation Study

A top official of the Internal Revenue Service has given a preview of findings from a much-anticipated study of more than 500 nonprofit hospitals. Under the IRS's
microscope are the compensation provided to hospital executives and the benefits that hospitals provide to the neighborhoods they serve.

Full-text article by Grant Williams is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 1.12.09. [Subscription required.]

Executive Pay

After years of watching the top echelons of corporate management take home billions, shareholders want to know: Will inflated pay packages get slashed?

Full-text article by David S. Hilzenrath is available via the Washington Post, 12.21.08.

Corporate Boards Provide Big Benefits to Presidents but Also Carry Big Risks

Memberships on corporate boards offer college presidents prestige, cash fees, stock bonuses, and access to donors. But these days such service can also bring major time demands, unwanted liabilities, and even legal exposure.

Full-text article by Paul Fain is available via the Chronicle of Higher Education, 11.17.09. [Subscription required.]

Several presidents of Private Colleges Earn $1 million Plus

A dozen presidents of private colleges earned more than $1 million in compensation during the 2006-07 year, including Northwestern University chief Henry Bienen, who was the second-highest paid college executive in the nation.

The annual survey of presidential pay released Monday by The Chronicle of Higher Education found that 89 private college presidents took home more than $500,000 in annual compensation, more than double those who did five years earlier.

Full-text article by Tara Malone is available via the Chicago Tribune, 11.17.08.

Arizona Corporate Executives' Pay Dips for 2nd Straight Year

Pressures exerted by a slow economy and soft stock market increasingly are being felt in corner offices, underscored by a drop in pay for top executives at Arizona public firms for a second straight year.

Chief executive officers and chairmen at 54 firms reported a median compensation package of $868,000 for 2007, down from $1.09 million in 2006 and $1.11 million in 2005, according to an annual pay survey by The Arizona Republic.

Full-text article by Russ Wiles is available via AZCentral.com, 6.29.08.

New from the SEC: Executive Compensation Database

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox launched the first-ever online tool that enables investors to easily and instantly compare what 500 of the largest American companies are paying their top executives. The new database highlights the power of interactive data to transform financial disclosure.

Executive Compensation Database