Memphis, TN Nonprofit Executive Jobs: 2026 Leadership Guide
A Mid-South city where world-class medical philanthropy anchored by St. Jude meets a deep, relationship-driven network of human-services and community organizations.
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Key Highlights · Memphis 2026
Anchor philanthropy: St. Jude and ALSAC give Memphis a national fundraising profile. Deep human services: food security, youth development, and faith-based work. Pay reality: reported CEO compensation runs roughly $185K to $429K at established organizations, with smaller nonprofits below.
Market Intelligence: Memphis in 2026
Memphis runs on a distinctive mix of world-class medical philanthropy and deep grassroots human-services work. St. Jude and its fundraising arm ALSAC give the city a national philanthropic profile, while a dense network of food security, youth-development, and faith-based organizations serves one of the highest-need urban markets in the country. For an executive, Memphis offers outsized impact and a tight, relationship-driven nonprofit community where trust is everything.
The roles that open most often cluster around healthcare and medical philanthropy, food and housing security, youth and family services, and community foundations. Leaders who succeed here are visible in the community, fluent in equity and economic-mobility work, and steady through the lean cycles that define smaller-market nonprofit budgets. A low cost of living and a strong sense of civic mission keep good leaders in Memphis for the long run.
Nonprofit Executive Pay
These figures come straight from the IRS Form 990 filings of named Memphis organizations, pulled from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. We do not invent salary numbers. Pay at smaller community nonprofits sits below these established-organization marks.
| Organization | Role | Reported Total Compensation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation of Greater Memphis | President & CEO | $429,177 | IRS Form 990, FY April 2025 |
| Agape Child & Family Services | CEO & President | $280,783 | IRS Form 990, FY September 2024 |
| United Way of the Mid-South | President & CEO | $241,998 | IRS Form 990, FY June 2025 |
| MIFA (Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association) | President & CEO | $187,977 | IRS Form 990, FY June 2024 |
| Mid-South Food Bank | President & CEO | $185,410 | IRS Form 990, FY June 2024 |
Reported compensation from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (IRS Form 990). Youth Villages, a roughly $400M national organization based in Memphis, reports CEO pay above $1.5M; that figure is an outlier and is left out so the table reflects the typical Memphis market.
For market context, Salary.com reports a Memphis nonprofit executive-director average near $108,100, and a Memphis nonprofit program-director figure near $69,900. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put the Memphis metro management-occupations mean near $131,500 a year (May 2024). We leave out Salary.com’s six-figure nonprofit-CEO model number, which is inflated well beyond what local 990s show.
Health Systems
Healthcare and medical philanthropy are the largest nonprofit employers in Memphis, recruiting senior clinical, administrative, and development leaders.
St. Jude / ALSAC
The Memphis-based fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
A Memphis-based system spanning six hospitals across the Mid-South.
Regional One Health
The public safety-net teaching hospital affiliated with UT Health Science Center.
Church Health
A Memphis faith-based clinic serving uninsured and underserved residents.
Colleges & Universities
Memphis colleges hire across advancement, finance, and administration.
University of Memphis
The city’s public research university.
Christian Brothers University
A Catholic Lasallian university in Memphis.
Major Nonprofits & Human Services
This is the deepest sector in Memphis, spanning food security, youth and family services, and workforce development.
Memphis Goodwill
Workforce development across retail, contract services, and The Excel Center.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis
A youth-development organization across the city.
Foundations & Arts
Memphis grantmaking and cultural institutions hire program officers, directors, and chief executives.
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
The region’s largest community foundation.
National Civil Rights Museum
The museum at the Lorraine Motel.
Public Sector & Public Health
Government and schools are among the largest mission-driven employers in the city.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools
One of the largest school districts in Tennessee.
Local & Regional Search Firms
Memphis has thin local nonprofit-search infrastructure, so we are candid: the strongest options are a regional Tennessee specialist and a Memphis generalist, not a deep bench of local mission-focused firms.
ThinkingAhead Executive Search
https://thinkingahead.com/service/nonprofit/
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a nonprofit CEO earn in Memphis?
Reported Form 990 pay for established Memphis organizations runs from roughly $185,000 at the Mid-South Food Bank to $429,000 at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. Salary.com puts the broader executive-director average near $108,100, with smaller organizations lower.
Which firms run nonprofit searches in Memphis?
Dedicated local nonprofit search talent is thin. The strongest options are ThinkingAhead, a Nashville-based regional specialist, and Vaco Memphis, a local generalist. See the section above.
Who are the largest mission-driven employers?
St. Jude and ALSAC, Methodist Le Bonheur and Regional One Health, the University of Memphis, and major human-services groups including United Way of the Mid-South, Mid-South Food Bank, and MIFA.
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