How Much Do They Make?
Writer-at-Large Jane Eisner December 8, 2011
The third annual Forward survey of the leadership and compensation of the top national Jewish not-for-profits will be published tomorrow. In it, you’ll find answers to questions such as:
Are more women running these organizations this year?
Why is it so financially advantageous to be a Republican?
Which top executive also has his wife and son on his payroll?
This survey began in 2009, when I asked the staff to answer two simple questions: Who runs the largest federations, religious and educational institutions, and advocacy and service groups? And how much do they earn?
We put together a list of 75 top organizations, and went about searching public databases for the answers, trying to verify as much information as possible. Since these organizations are not-for-profit, they are obligated to disclose basic information to the Internal Revenue Service, so we were only asking for data that we had every right to see. You, the reader, could do the same thing, but believe me — it’s confusing and time-consuming. You’d rather have professional journalists do the tedious work.
The first story reported that only 11 women were in charge — three of them in temporary roles — and that they were paid only 61 cents for every dollar earned by men. The second story reported that the number of women decreased to 9, though the wage gap narrowed slightly. This inequality is especially concerning since about three-quarters of the people who work in the Jewish communal world are women. They just don’t get the top jobs, or the top salaries.
And what will this year’s numbers show? Check back tomorrow.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
