Preface

Setting and benchmarking compensation for college and university foundation CEOs poses unique challenges. Foundation CEOs may be employees of the public institution or system supported by the foundation or may be employed directly by the affiliated foundation. While institutions are subject to restrictive state HR policies and salary ranges, foundations can design compensation packages that may include incentive and retention bonuses and a variety of other benefits not available to state employees. The sources of compensation may vary as well, blending institutional and foundation funds.

The diversity of advancement structures and foundation functions also makes it difficult to compare and benchmark foundation CEO compensation. As the data from this survey demonstrate, some foundation CEOs may oversee all facets of advancement, including alumni relations, fundraising, and communications and marketing in addition to overseeing foundation operations. The foundation CEO role may also encompass oversight of subsidiaries or other affiliated entities.

There are enormous differences in scale among foundations. Even foundations affiliated with institutions that generally are identified as peers may differ widely in terms of foundation staff size, functions, assets under management, and other factors informing CEO responsibilities and compensation.

Finally, the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA HR), which collects data on compensation of college and university employees, does not capture compensation data for the CEOs employed by foundations.

The following data are intended to provide foundation boards and institutions with…