ACEVO’s annual Pay and Equalities Survey is the most comprehensive breakdown of the sector’s CEO remuneration packages available. The report examines chief executive salaries, benefits and job satisfaction in detail. It also explores the level of equality and diversity in our sector’s leadership, and satisfaction levels in the make-up and performance of boards.
ACEVO, with its partners, has been publishing a pay and equalities survey for over 15 years. In that time the format of the survey has evolved, and the world in which our sector’s leaders operate has changed enormously.
The ACEVO Pay and Equalities 2025 survey has once again highlighted that key inequalities in charity leadership remain largely unchanged. Despite job satisfaction and commitment amongst our sector’s leaders, this year’s findings reveal persistent inequalities in pay equity and career development, as well as challenges in diversity and wellbeing across the sector.
The survey, which gathered responses from 703 charity CEOs, found that median CEO salaries have declined slightly to £59,850, reflecting a larger proportion of small charities in the sample. Whilst 76% of CEOs received a salary increase in their current role, up from 68% last year, the gender pay gap remains in double figures at 10.6%, with male CEOs earning a median of £64,067 and female CEOs £57,250.
