The ACEVO Pay and Equalities Survey is the most comprehensive source of data on charity CEO pay, benefits and leadership development. For more than 20 years, it has provided a crucial resource for sector leaders seeking insight into trends and challenges in governance, remuneration, and representation.
Each year, the survey reflects the views of charity chief executives who respond to it across England and Wales and through our partners Charity Leadership Scotland and CO3, across Scotland and Northern Ireland. It highlights key patterns relating to gender, race, disability and organisational structures, helping leaders to benchmark their organisations and make informed, equitable decisions.
This short briefing focuses on just one aspect of the findings from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 surveys: CEO salaries at small charities (under £1m in income per year) responding to the survey. For the full data set and analysis of these trends, plus so much more, the Pay and Equalities Survey reports are available for purchase.
| Year | % of respondents leading small charities (<£1m) |
| 2023 | 54% |
| 2024 | 55% |
| 2025 | 59% |
Small charities continue to represent the largest group of survey respondents, with their proportion increasing over time. This means that their experiences of pay have a significant influence on the overall findings presented in this briefing.
Median CEO salary by organisational size
| Year | Small (<£1m) median | N |
| 2023 | £48,000 | 379 |
| 2024 | £50,000 | 381 |
| 2025 | £51,250 | 295 |
The median salary for CEOs leading charities with incomes below £1m increased from £48,000 in 2023 to £51,250 in 2025. Whilst this suggests continued upward movement in pay, the rate of growth has slowed over time, with the increase between 2024 and 2025 smaller than that seen the previous year. Given inflationary pressures during this period, these cash increases may not necessarily translate into significant improvements in real-terms earnings. As small charity leaders represent the largest proportion of survey respondents, these trends are an important indicator of pay conditions across the sector.
There are also signs that the gap between small charities and the largest organisations (>£15m) has narrowed. In 2023, the median salary for CEOs of small charities was around 37% of the median for the largest charities (£129,000). By 2025, this had risen to 48%, with the small charity median rising to £51,250 and the largest charity median standing at £105,780. This suggests that the gap has narrowed partly because pay at the top end of the sector has reduced and therefore should not be interpreted solely as evidence of greater pay equality across organisations of different sizes.
The picture within “small”, in detail
The broad “small charity” category conceals a wide range of experiences. Breaking it down by detailed income band tells a more complicated story. However, please note that the very small sample sizes here can be misleading and therefore caution is advised.
| Income band | 2023 median | 2023 N | 2024 median | 2024 N | 2025 median | 2025 N |
| £50k–£149,999k | £42,000 | 47 | £36,728 | 30 | £37,309 | 32 |
| £150k–£249,999k | £42,210 | 50 | £44,000 | 54 | £43,184 | 38 |
| £250k–£499,999k | £47,000 | 135 | £49,000 | 143 | £51,000 | 127 |
| £500k–£999,999k | £55,900 | 131 | £56,918 | 149 | £56,869 | 96 |
This breakdown shows that the overall increase in pay for CEOs of “small charities” is not being experienced evenly across the category.
The smallest charities (£50k–£149,999k) have the lowest CEO pay and have seen the greatest volatility. The median fell sharply from £42,000 in 2023 to £36,728 in 2024 before recovering slightly to £37,309 in 2025. Even after that recovery, median pay remains well below its 2023 level. This is the only income band, small or otherwise, tracked across the survey to show a net fall in median pay over the three years.
Charities with incomes between £150k and £249,999k show relatively little movement over the three years. Median pay rose in 2024 before falling slightly in 2025, leaving salaries broadly flat overall.
Charities in the £250k–£499,999k band have experienced the strongest and most consistent growth. Median pay increased from £47,000 in 2023 to £51,000 in 2025, indicating a steadier upward trajectory than seen in the other small-charity income bands.
Amongst charities with incomes between £500k and £999,999k, pay appears largely stable. Median salaries increased slightly between 2023 and 2024 before remaining almost unchanged in 2025 at just under £57,000.
Summary
- There is no single story about CEO pay in small charities. Whilst the headline figures show salaries increasing overall, the detailed breakdown reveals very different experiences depending on an organisation’s size.
- Unsurprisingly, the smallest charities appear to be under the greatest pressure. CEOs leading organisations with incomes between £50,000 and £149,999 reported lower median salaries in 2025 than in 2023, making them the only group in the survey to see a fall over the period.
- The increase in the overall small charity median is being driven largely by organisations with incomes between £250,000 and £499,999. This suggests that pay growth has not been felt evenly across the small charity sector.
- Taken together, the findings suggest that discussions about CEO pay in small charities need to recognise the wide range of organisations that sit within this category. Looking only at headline figures risks overlooking some of the very different realities facing leaders across the sector.