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People working in the charity sector are driven by the opportunity to make a difference and contribute to something meaningful. But it’s also crucial to recognise the importance of salary.
Offering fair pay is essential to attracting and retaining talent, as well as increasing diversity within the charity sector. And with 88% of adults in Great Britain reporting the cost of living as an important issue facing the UK today (ONS, 2024), a decent salary is key to a healthy lifestyle.
To help charities ensure fair salaries for their employees, we’ve published the CharityJob Salary Report 2024.
The CharityJob Salary Report 2024
The report uses data from over 48,000 full-time vacancies posted on the CharityJob website last year, to provide insights into average charity salaries and trends.
It covers:
- how the charity sector recruitment market has changed over the past year
- salary trends and average charity salaries for different job types including fundraising, support work, finance, HR, and more
- average charity salaries by experience level and charity size
- average charity salaries for in London and outside of London
- how charity salaries measure up to the Living Wage
- what factors influence pay and retention in the sector
- which benefits and other factors matter most to charity sector candidates.
In addition to the CharityJob Salary Report 2024, we also have our very own Salary Checker tool. This lets you search for average charity salaries by job title and location. It can be used by anyone with a recruiter account on CharityJob.
Here are some key insights from the CharityJob Salary Report 2024
1. Last year, the recruitment market stabilised
In 2023, the recruitment market stabilised after the atypical candidate-driven market of 2022, where there were more jobs than candidates available to fill them.
In 2023, the number of jobs posted decreased by 22% from 2022. At the same time, there was a 16% increase in candidate registrations with a 21% increase in active candidates (candidates who clicked on the ‘Apply’ button for at least one job).
The decrease in the number of jobs available and increase in candidates indicates a stabilisation of the recruitment market and a shift towards a more recruiter-led market.
2. Average charity salaries increased from the previous year
The average salary for a role posted on the CharityJob website in 2023 was £36,100. This was 4% increase from 2022.
All of the main job categories included in the salary report saw small average salary increases from the previous year, except finance roles which saw a 1% decrease in average salary.
3. Despite salary increases, many roles still pay below the Living Wage
This year we compared how salaries stood up against the Living Wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. (Note: this is different to the government’s National Living Wage which is not calculated according to the cost of living, and is therefore lower than what people need to afford a decent standard of living.)
Overall, average salaries in or outside of London met or exceeded the Living Wage. However, we found that a shocking 46% of entry-level and junior roles in London paid below the London Living Wage. And 67% of entry-level and junior roles London outside paid below the UK Living Wage, likely due to funding limitations and small budgets.
4. Finance roles have the highest salaries, and admin roles have the lowest
Of the categories included in the report, finance roles paid the most with an average salary of £48,800. Admin roles paid the least with an average salary of £26,400.
5. Jobs in highest demand
Candidate demand across all job categories increased in 2023, with jobs getting 50% more clicks on ‘Apply’ compared to 2022.
Jobs in the ‘policy/research, advocacy, governance and campaigns’, ‘admin’ and ‘marketing, PR and digital’ categories were most in demand. This was the same as in 2022.
6. Hybrid working is on the increase
The proportion of jobs that had hybrid working arrangements increased from 35% in 2022 to 44% in 2023. The proportion of on-site roles decreased from 53% to 44%.
We found that large charities were more likely to have on-site roles, while small charities were more likely to have roles with hybrid working arrangements.
7. Remote working is in high demand from candidates
Jobs with remote working arrangements posted on our site in 2023 were in very high demand from candidates. They got almost eight times more clicks on ‘Apply’ than on-site roles and nearly four times more clicks on ‘Apply’ than hybrid roles.
Want to find out more?
Download the full CharityJob Salary Report 2024. Get further insights into average charity salaries, trends, and other factors that influence candidates’ decisions around jobs.
Tags: charity recruitment, charity sector, charity sector salary, job market, salary report
