Guide Contents

• Chicago, Illinois
• Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN
• Detroit, Michigan
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Cincinnati, Ohio
• Columbus, Ohio
• Akron, Ohio
• Toledo, Ohio
• Dayton, Ohio
• Southeast Wisconsin
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Kalamazoo, Michigan
• Springfield, Illinois
• Lincoln, Nebraska
• Springfield, Missouri

Quick Tidbits

Regional Salary Growth: Midwest executive pay is closing the gap with coastal markets, especially in Healthcare and Higher Ed sectors. Pay transparency laws in IL and MN have already begun to push baseline ranges upward.
Remote Flexibility: 82% of mid-sized Midwest orgs now offer permanent hybrid models for C-suite roles to attract national talent.

Chicago, Illinois •
Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota •
Indianapolis, Indiana •
Milwaukee, Wisconsin •
Southeast Wisconsin (Waukesha • Racine • Kenosha) •
Des Moines, Iowa •
Madison, Wisconsin (Coming Soon) •
Kalamazoo, Michigan •
Springfield, Illinois •
Lincoln, Nebraska •
Springfield, Missouri

Chicago, Illinois

EPICENTER: The Loop. Major hub for MacArthur Foundation and large community trusts.

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Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN

HUBS: Downtown Minneapolis/University District. High corporate-philanthropy integration.

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Detroit, Michigan

HUBS: New Center/Downtown. Key for urban revitalization and healthcare foundations.

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Indianapolis, Indiana

HUBS: Mile Square. Dominant in association management and health equity foundations.

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin

HUBS: Downtown/Lakefront. Leaders in community health and legacy manufacturing trusts.

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Des Moines, Iowa

HUBS: Western Gateway. Center for agriculture-philanthropy and financial services foundations.

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Cleveland, Ohio

If you want a mission and a market with real depth, Cleveland is calling your name, and it is bigger than you think. The Cleveland-Elyria metro is home to roughly 16,280 nonprofits earning more than $48 billion a year and holding about $106 billion in assets, and tucked inside that are nearly 1,930 foundations and grantmakers. At the center sits the Cleveland Foundation, the world’s very first community foundation, born in 1914, now stewarding more than $3.2 billion and sending out over $120 million in grants annually across Cuyahoga, Lake, and Geauga counties. You are not alone in that work. The George Gund Foundation brings another half a billion or so, and health-focused funders like the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation and the Saint Luke’s Foundation pour money into community wellbeing. This is, unapologetically, a health care town. Cleveland Clinic employs more than 48,000 people, University Hospitals around 32,000, and the public safety-net MetroHealth System about 11,300, while Case Western Reserve University anchors academic medicine and research alongside Cleveland State and Cuyahoga Community College. Want the human-service heartbeat? The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, United Way of Greater Cleveland, and Goodwill of Greater Cleveland are doing the daily, dignified work that needs leaders like you. The public sector hires at scale too, with roughly 16,665 federal jobs in Greater Cleveland including the VA Northeast Ohio system at about 6,090, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service near 2,500, plus the City of Cleveland at 7,457, Cuyahoga County around 7,074, and the Cleveland School District near 7,000. So what about your paycheck? Nonprofit executive directors here generally land between about $83,000 and $136,000, with a midpoint near $112,000. That reads modestly below the priciest coastal metros, but Cleveland’s lower cost of living stretches every dollar, and the philanthropic firepower behind you is genuinely national in scale. You can build a serious career here without leaving your values at the door.

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Cincinnati, Ohio

If you have ever wondered whether your mission-driven leadership could find a real home, look at Cincinnati, because this region is quietly one of the deepest nonprofit markets in the Midwest. The greater Cincinnati metro, which stretches across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, is home to more than 15,000 tax-exempt organizations that together employ over 228,000 people, generate north of $40 billion in revenue, and hold roughly $86 billion in assets, so you are not stepping into a small pond, you are stepping into an ocean of purpose. The philanthropic muscle here is serious, with about 1,545 foundations and grantmakers holding close to $10 billion combined, anchored by The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, which gives over $110 million a year and holds more than $820 million, alongside the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, the Greenacres Foundation, and the John J. and Mary R. Schiff Foundation. The health sector is the engine, and it is led by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the region’s largest employer with more than 19,500 people, joined by Bon Secours Mercy Health, the UC Health system, TriHealth, The Christ Hospital Health Network, and St. Elizabeth Healthcare across the river. If education, research, and advocacy light you up, the University of Cincinnati carries an economic impact above $3 billion and pairs with its academic medical center and Xavier University to fuel public health and human service missions. Government work runs deep too, from Hamilton County, which employs roughly 4,500 across thirty departments with Job and Family Services alone topping 800, to the City of Cincinnati and the state agencies woven through the region. Now let’s talk money, because you deserve clarity. For everyday community nonprofits, executive director pay realistically runs about $97,000 to $125,000, with a median near $112,000, in line with the national nonprofit CEO median of roughly $110,000. Ignore the inflated salary-site figures north of $600,000, because those reflect hospital and university chiefs, not the community leaders most boards are hiring. Cincinnati’s lower cost of living means that paycheck stretches further than it would in Boston or Chicago, so your impact and your livelihood can finally rise together.

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Columbus, Ohio

If you have been waiting for a sign that your nonprofit leadership career belongs somewhere serious, let Columbus be it, because this metro is not a quiet capital, it is a powerhouse of purpose with roughly 18,286 nonprofits holding about $75 billion in assets, generating more than $49 billion in annual revenue, and employing nearly 241,000 people. That is a real ecosystem, and you can build a real career inside it. Start with the money behind the mission. The Columbus Foundation, one of the ten largest community foundations in the country, sits on more than $2.7 billion in assets and pushes over $200 million out the door every year, and it is just one of roughly 1,367 foundations in the region. The institutions you would lead alongside are heavyweights too. Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest nonprofit research organization, employs around 48,000 people, while Nationwide Children’s Hospital runs one of the nation’s biggest pediatric care and research centers with more than 17,000 staff. OhioHealth, a not-for-profit system of 16 hospitals with more than 35,000 associates and $6.3 billion in net revenue, and the Catholic Mount Carmel Health System round out a not-for-profit hospital landscape that is genuinely deep. On the health education and advocacy side, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center carries more than 23,000 employees and anchors cancer and mental health research, and groups like the American Cancer Society fund nearly $12 million in local cancer research. Government is the other giant here. As the state capital, Columbus hosts the State of Ohio with more than 21,000 workers, plus the Ohio State University leading all employers at more than 47,000, alongside county and municipal agencies. Now the part you actually care about. Community nonprofit executive director pay in Columbus typically runs about $95,000 to $130,000, slightly above the Ohio average, which means your dollar and your impact both stretch further here than in higher-cost coastal markets. Go lead.

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Akron, Ohio

If you are eyeing a nonprofit leadership seat in Akron, understand the scale of what you would be stepping into, because this is no small pond. The greater Akron metro is home to roughly 4,769 nonprofits holding about $21 billion in assets, generating more than $9 billion in annual revenue, and employing 76,522 people, and layered on top of that is a philanthropic engine of 383 foundations and grantmakers with a combined $10 billion. Your funding map starts with Akron Community Foundation, an endowment of nearly $260 million that pushed out more than $15 million in grants in 2025 across arts, education, health and human services, and civic affairs, and you will want to know the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation by name too, because they shape what gets built here. The heavyweights you will partner with and recruit from include health systems like Summa Health, the largest employer in Summit County with more than 7,000 people, and Akron Children’s Hospital, a pediatric anchor with 78 locations across Northeast Ohio. The University of Akron, with around 2,845 employees, feeds research, public health, and advocacy talent right into your sector, and the public payrolls are real leverage, from Akron Public Schools at roughly 3,050 to Summit County government at nearly 3,000. Now, the money question. National listings will wave a figure near $119,400 at you, but be skeptical, because that number is puffed up by hospital and college chiefs who do not look like the community ED you probably are. Candid’s actual 990 data, the gold standard drawn from real filings, pegs the national nonprofit ED median closer to $98,000 and Ohio averages run lower still, around $91,000. So plan on a real community-nonprofit range of roughly $85,000 to $130,000, with the larger health and education institutions reaching well above that. Akron pays a touch under pricier Ohio metros like Columbus and Cincinnati, but your dollar stretches further here, and the density of mission and money means your work can land with serious force.

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Toledo, Ohio

If you are eyeing a nonprofit leadership seat in Toledo, understand the field you are stepping into, because it is bigger than the city’s modest reputation suggests. The greater Toledo metro is home to roughly 5,000 tax-exempt organizations that together employ nearly 54,000 people, pull in more than $7 billion in annual revenue, and hold about $12 billion in assets, so this is real institutional muscle, not a few scrappy storefront charities. Money flows through 329 foundations and grantmakers holding around $1 billion combined, anchored by the Greater Toledo Community Foundation with its $510 million-plus in assets across 1,000 funds and roughly $25 million granted into the community each year, alongside heavyweights like the Stranahan Foundation, the Owens Corning Foundation, and United Way of Greater Toledo. The center of gravity, though, is health. ProMedica, the not-for-profit system headquartered right here with about 17,000 employees and its 794-bed flagship ProMedica Toledo Hospital, sits beside Mercy Health Toledo and its roughly 8,800 workers across St. Vincent and its sister hospitals, which means mission-driven executive talent in development, community health, foundation relations, and operations is always in demand. Layer in the University of Toledo, the region’s second-largest employer and home to an academic medical center that fuels health research, training, and advocacy, plus Toledo Public Schools and Lucas County government, and you have a deep bench of public and quasi-public employers that constantly partner with and poach from the nonprofit world. Here is what you came for. A nonprofit executive director in Toledo earns a median near $111,000, with the realistic band running about $96,000 to $124,000 for established community organizations. That tracks closely with Cleveland and Cincinnati, where medians hover around $112,000, so you are not taking a geographic pay cut to lead here. Be skeptical of headline figures north of $160,000, which usually reflect hospital and college chiefs, not the community-nonprofit role you are likely chasing. Toledo wants leaders with purpose. Bring yours.

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Dayton, Ohio

If you are a nonprofit leader weighing where your next chapter belongs, look hard at Dayton, because the numbers here are real and the runway is longer than you think. The greater Dayton-Kettering metro is home to roughly 5,559 nonprofits that together hold about $36 billion in assets, employ nearly 87,558 people, and move more than $25 billion in annual revenue, so this is not a small pond, it is a genuine sector with room for ambitious people. The money infrastructure is mature too. The Dayton Foundation, founded in 1921 and one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country, manages around $649 million and granted nearly $36.8 million in 2024, and it sits alongside the Kettering Foundation, the Mathile Family Foundation, and roughly 332 grantmakers holding about $3 billion combined. The charitable employers are anchors you already know by reputation. Premier Health employs about 14,000 people, Dayton Children’s Hospital posts $741 million in revenue with 4,505 staff, and you have Kettering Health, Atrium Medical Center, and Upper Valley Medical Center rounding out a deep health system bench. On the health education and advocacy side, lean into Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and its Master of Public Health, the University of Dayton, Cedarville University, and Public Health-Dayton and Montgomery County with its workforce of nearly 280. Government is the quiet giant. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is Ohio’s largest single-site employer at about 38,000 people, and Dayton-based CareSource, a nonprofit Medicaid managed-care plan with over $13 billion in revenue, employs roughly 4,000 in Ohio. On pay, be clear-eyed. Real community-nonprofit executive directors here generally land between $75,000 and $125,000, with Ohio’s statewide median near $112,000, which stretches further against Dayton’s low cost of living than the same dollars would in Columbus or Cincinnati. Ignore the $12 million CareSource CEO headline, that is a health-insurance outlier, not your market. This is a place where your leadership can actually move the needle.

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Kalamazoo, Michigan

If you are eyeing a nonprofit leadership move, hear this clearly: Kalamazoo punches far above its size, and your skills can land somewhere they actually matter. This is not a sleepy market. The Kalamazoo-Portage metro is home to thousands of tax-exempt organizations that together employ more than 24,000 people, generate over $4 billion in annual revenue, and hold roughly $15 billion in assets, including 144 human-service organizations and 125 arts and culture groups hungry for sharp, mission-driven leaders. The philanthropic muscle here is remarkable. The Kalamazoo Community Foundation sits on about $698 million in assets and granted more than $24 million in 2024, while the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation holds roughly $291 million and gives over $13 million a year, joined by heavy hitters like the Ronda E. Stryker and William D. Johnston Foundation and the Kalamazoo Promise. That kind of capital means real budgets, real ambition, and real room for you to build. Healthcare anchors the job market, led by Bronson Healthcare, the region’s largest employer with more than 9,000 people and 747 beds, alongside the former Ascension Borgess, now Beacon Kalamazoo after its 2025 sale. On the health education and research side, you have WMed and the nonprofit, nonpartisan W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, which has studied labor markets since 1945, plus United Way of South Central Michigan stitching the safety net together. Major public employers round it out, with Western Michigan University and its nearly 18,000 students, county and municipal agencies, and the public-health infrastructure that keeps this community whole. Now the money question, because purpose still has to pay your mortgage. Nonprofit executive director pay in Kalamazoo runs roughly $100,000 to $145,000, with an average near $119,000, which lands a touch above the Michigan statewide range of about $98,000 to $126,000 and well below big coastal metros where cost of living eats the difference. Ignore the inflated half-million-dollar hospital and college chief figures floating around. Your real comparable is community leadership, and here it is solid, livable, and waiting for you.

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Springfield, Missouri

Let’s be honest about what you’re walking into in Springfield, Missouri, because it is bigger than most people give it credit for. This metro is home to roughly 3,468 registered nonprofits that together employ more than 37,000 people, pull in about $7 billion in annual revenue, and hold around $11 billion in assets, and that is real ground to build a career on. The gravity center is healthcare, where two not-for-profit giants dominate. CoxHealth, anchored by Lester E. Cox Medical Centers, employs more than 13,000 people and runs over $1.8 billion through its system, and Mercy Springfield adds another 9,000-plus jobs around its 886-bed hospital. Around them you have mission-driven powerhouses like Convoy of Hope, the global disaster-relief organization headquartered here with more than $435 million in revenue, plus Burrell Behavioral Health serving 45,000 clients across 25 counties with roughly 2,775 employees, Jordan Valley Community Health Center, and The Arc of the Ozarks. If you want philanthropy, you want the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the region’s largest grantmaker with about $480 million in assets, more than 3,100 charitable funds, and over $25 million granted in a single year, and it stewards names like the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation. It is one of roughly 203 foundations across the metro. Education and advocacy run deep too, from Missouri State University with over 3,000 employees and 26,000 students to Drury and Evangel Universities, while the public sector, including the State of Missouri, Springfield Public Schools, and city and county government, keeps tens of thousands more on payroll. Here is the part you actually need to hear. Nonprofit executive directors here average around $111,000, with a real working range of roughly $93,000 to $135,000, which lands between the Missouri statewide average and Kansas City’s higher number. So you give up a little against the big metros, but your dollar stretches further and your impact lands closer to home. That is not a consolation prize. That is leverage. Springfield is where ambitious, purpose-driven leaders can run something that matters and still afford a life. Go take it.

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