Tennessee Nonprofit Executive Jobs: Leadership and Salary Guide
Tennessee’s nonprofit leadership jobs sit mostly in four metros, Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga, with Ballad Health anchoring the Tri-Cities in the northeast. This guide covers who hires nonprofit leaders across the state and what their IRS filings show they pay.
Updated November 2, 2026
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Key Highlights · Tennessee
Anchor employers: Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported $8.7 billion in revenue on its Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 2025, the largest nonprofit filer in the state. In Memphis, ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude, reported $3.3 billion. Pay: the median chief executive of a Tennessee nonprofit with $1 million to $10 million in revenue earns about $117,000 in reportable compensation. Prices: 91.9 on the federal price index (U.S. = 100), with Nashville at 96.3. Taxes: no state income tax on wages.
The Tennessee Nonprofit Market
Health care dominates. Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, St. Jude and Methodist Le Bonheur in Memphis, the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, Erlanger in Chattanooga and Ballad Health in Johnson City report the largest revenues in the sector. Nashville also hosts the headquarters of HCA Healthcare and Community Health Systems; both are investor-owned companies, so their executive pay does not appear in Form 990 data and they are not counted as nonprofits here.
Each metro has its own scale. Cause IQ counts about 14,000 nonprofit organizations in the Nashville metro, about 5,200 in the Knoxville metro and about 3,600 in the Chattanooga metro (all checked November 1, 2026). Memphis stands out for national organizations headquartered there, including ALSAC, Youth Villages and Ducks Unlimited.
Below the big institutions sits a long tail. Our count of the latest IRS filings found 1,094 Tennessee community nonprofits under $1 million in revenue that report a paid chief executive, more than in any other size band, and 733 with budgets between $1 million and $10 million.
Nonprofit Executive Pay in Tennessee
These figures are reported, not estimated. They come from the IRS Form 990 filings of Tennessee 501(c)(3) organizations for fiscal years 2023 to 2026, one figure per organization, taken from the highest-paid person in the role. The measure is reportable compensation, as listed in Part VII of the Form 990, from the organization and its related organizations. It is close to salary for most people but can include bonuses; benefits and deferred pay are reported separately and are not included. We show a median only where at least 10 organizations report the role; otherwise the cell reads n/a. Government agencies do not file Form 990, so public-sector pay is not in these tables.
Table A: Chief executive reportable compensation by sector and size
| Segment | Organizations | Median reportable compensation | Middle half (25th to 75th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community nonprofit, revenue under $1 million | 1,094 | $56,000 | $33,000 to $83,000 |
| Community nonprofit, revenue $1 million to $10 million | 733 | $117,000 | $90,000 to $159,000 |
| Community nonprofit, revenue over $10 million | 206 | $225,000 | $159,000 to $343,000 |
| Of those, revenue $50 million or more | 53 | $399,000 | $252,000 to $530,000 |
| Hospitals | 23 | $873,000 | $253,000 to $1,641,000 |
| Colleges and universities | 25 | $238,000 | $130,000 to $320,000 |
| Education nonprofits, all | 324 | $130,000 | $67,000 to $211,000 |
Table B: Other senior roles
| Role and segment | Organizations | Median reportable compensation | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief financial officer, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 96 | $102,000 | $76,000 to $132,000 |
| Chief financial officer, community nonprofits over $10 million | 113 | $144,000 | $113,000 to $228,000 |
| Chief operating officer, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 56 | $110,000 | $90,000 to $127,000 |
| Chief operating officer, community nonprofits over $10 million | 61 | $168,000 | $131,000 to $233,000 |
| Development director, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 13 | $127,000 | $110,000 to $153,000 |
| Development director, community nonprofits over $10 million | 33 | $131,000 | $113,000 to $180,000 |
| Program director, community nonprofits $1 million to $10 million | 13 | $114,000 | $113,000 to $125,000 |
| Program director, community nonprofits over $10 million | 10 | $125,000 | $117,000 to $136,000 |
Table C: Chief executive reportable compensation in Tennessee’s four largest metros
Median reportable compensation, with the number of organizations in parentheses.
| Metro | Under $1 million | $1 million to $10 million | Over $10 million |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville metro | $63,000 (444) | $125,000 (314) | $231,000 (72) |
| Memphis metro | $63,000 (166) | $133,000 (134) | $301,000 (49) |
| Knoxville metro | $54,000 (126) | $110,000 (97) | $190,000 (28) |
| Chattanooga metro | $52,000 (111) | $109,000 (79) | $221,000 (24) |
Source: IRS Form 990 e-file data, fiscal years 2023 to 2026 (ExecSearches analysis of Tennessee 501(c)(3) filings). n/a: no reliable public source for this figure (fewer than 10 filings). Memphis and Chattanooga metro figures include filers across the state line in Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia.
Read the metro table against prices. A $125,000 offer in Nashville, where housing runs above the national average, buys less than a $133,000 offer in Memphis, where the price index is 92.2 and housing is 79.8.
Health Systems and Health Care
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville. Tennessee’s largest nonprofit by revenue, with $8.7 billion on its Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memphis. Pediatric research hospital with $2.2 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025. Its fundraising organization, ALSAC, is listed under community organizations below.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Memphis. Its Memphis hospitals reported $2.0 billion in revenue for 2024.
Erlanger
Chattanooga. Chattanooga’s teaching hospital system, with $1.6 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Ballad Health
Johnson City. The Tri-Cities health system. Its two largest filers, Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System, reported $1.3 billion and $933 million for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Baptist Memorial Health Care
Memphis. Baptist Memorial Hospital reported $1.1 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending September 2025.
Regional One Health
Memphis. The Memphis safety-net teaching hospital, filing as Shelby County Health Care Corporation, with $809 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Knoxville. Filing as University Health System, with $1.6 billion in revenue for 2024.
No public careers page we could open; check the organization directly.
Colleges and Universities
Private colleges hire advancement, finance and enrollment leaders on a steady cycle. Public universities, including the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis, do not file Form 990 and are not in the pay tables.
Vanderbilt University
Nashville. $2.8 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Belmont University
Nashville. $579 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending May 2025.
Lincoln Memorial University
Harrogate. $285 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Lipscomb University
Nashville. $272 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending May 2025.
The University of the South (Sewanee)
Sewanee. $246 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Community Organizations and Foundations
ALSAC
Memphis. The fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, with $3.3 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Youth Villages
Memphis. A national children’s behavioral health organization, with $483 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Ducks Unlimited
Memphis. Wetlands conservation, with $380 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Centerstone
Nashville. Mental health and addiction services; Centerstone of Tennessee reported $172 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee
Nashville. $157 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Nashville. The region’s community foundation, home to more than 1,600 charitable funds, with $240 million in revenue for 2024.
Community Foundation of Greater Memphis
Memphis. $171 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending April 2025.
The state association for the sector is the Tennessee Nonprofit Network, which runs a statewide job board.
Public Sector
State, city and school jobs are posted directly by the employers. Public agencies do not file Form 990, so their pay is not in the tables above.
Metro Nashville and Davidson County
Nashville. The consolidated city-county government.
Search Firms Serving Tennessee
We list these as resources, not endorsements, and make no claims about a firm beyond what it publishes itself.
Buffkin / Baker
Brentwood firm with nonprofit, healthcare and higher education practices among its industry groups.
ThinkingAhead Executive Search
Nashville firm with a dedicated nonprofit specialty.
Glick Davis & Associates
Has a Middle Tennessee office in College Grove and reports more than 25 years of executive search for healthcare and nonprofit chief executives.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the cost of living affect nonprofit executive salaries in Tennessee?
Prices in Tennessee stood at 91.9 in 2024 on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities index, where the national average is 100. Housing statewide was 79.1. Nashville is the exception: 96.3 overall and 104.6 for housing, above the national level. Memphis was 92.2, Knoxville 92.6 and Chattanooga 91.5. Tennessee also has no state income tax on wages, so the same offer leaves more take-home pay than in most states.
What does a nonprofit CEO earn in Tennessee?
IRS Form 990 filings for fiscal years 2023 to 2026 put median chief executive reportable compensation at about $56,000 for Tennessee community nonprofits under $1 million in revenue, $117,000 for those with $1 million to $10 million, and $225,000 above $10 million. Hospital chief executives have a median near $873,000 and college and university presidents near $238,000.
Who are the largest nonprofit employers in Tennessee?
By revenue on their latest Form 990, the biggest are Vanderbilt University Medical Center, ALSAC and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Vanderbilt University, Methodist Le Bonheur’s Memphis hospitals, the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Erlanger and Ballad Health. HCA Healthcare and Community Health Systems are also headquartered in the Nashville area, but both are investor-owned.
Does Tennessee tax income, and how does that affect nonprofit pay?
Tennessee does not tax wage income. That raises take-home pay for a nonprofit leader compared with most states, which matters most in Nashville, where housing costs now run above the national average.
Where are Tennessee nonprofit executive jobs posted?
Current openings are listed on ExecSearches.com Tennessee nonprofit jobs, with a Memphis search for that city, and on the Tennessee Nonprofit Network job board. Hospital systems and universities also post on their own career sites, linked in this guide.
Your next leadership role in Tennessee
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Sources
- IRS Form 990 e-file data, fiscal years 2023 to 2026 (ExecSearches analysis of Tennessee 501(c)(3) filings; revenue figures from each organization’s latest return). irs.gov
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area, 2024 (released February 19, 2026). bea.gov
- Cause IQ metro nonprofit directories for Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, checked November 1, 2026. causeiq.com
- Founder, ExecSearches.com (since 1999)
- Publisher of the ExecSearches state and city salary guides