Search  
Northwestern
More help... IPR
You are here: IPR home page > Publications > Working Papers



Events
   Colloquia
   Policy Briefings

Research Programs

IPR Centers
   Cells to Society (C2S)
   Q-Center

Publications
   Working Papers
   Books
   Newsletters

People
   Faculty Fellows
   Faculty Associates
   Postdoctoral Fellows
   Graduate Students
   Staff
   E-mail/Phone list

Media Resources

IPR in the News
   
IPR Information
   About Us
   Contact Us
   Job Opportunities
   Directions

Affiliated Groups

Need more help?
   Site Map
   Return to Homepage


 


 

WP-02-11

Peter Frumkin and Elizabeth K. Keating

Abstract

This article examines whether nonprofit executive pay patterns are consistent with the espoused social mission of these organizations. We find that nonprofit CEOs are paid a significant fixed component, and many CEOs also receive additional pay associated with managing larger sized organizations. Our analysis indicates that nonprofit executive compensation is not significantly related to CEO performance, as measured either by improved fund-raising results or better administrative efficiency. This weak pay-for-performance link may be due in part to nonprofits' concern about violating the non-distribution constraint in the sector, which prohibits the distribution of excess earnings. While nonprofits may not be breaching the letter of the law, some organizations appear to be challenging its spirit: We present evidence that CEO compensation is significantly higher in organizations where free cash flows are present, as measured by commercial revenues, liquid assets, and investment portfolios.

Peter Frumkin, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Elizabeth K. Keating,
Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University



Click on the working paper title at the top of this
page to download a free pdf of the paper.*

If You Need to Order a Hard Copy: Hard copies of IPR working papers cost $5.00 each (international orders are $10 each). We only accept checks drawn on U.S. bank and payable in U.S. funds. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Northwestern University and sent to the following address:

Publications Department - WP Orders
Institute for Policy Research
2040 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, IL 60208-4100.

For information, call 847-491-8712 or email ipr@northwestern.edu.
Please note that we do not accept credit cards.

*Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 (or higher) is needed to read the Acrobat pdf. If you need to install Acrobat Reader, click the button below. Once the file has downloaded onto your desktop, run it to install the reader on your hard drive.