The chair of a high-profile charity wanted to ensure that the CEO and CFO were remunerated competitively. She commissioned Research Europe to conduct remuneration research into the UK charity sector.
Using publicly available data and via phone or face-to-face interviews with willing participants, we were able to produce a broad comparative survey of executive compensation in the sector. The research covered all aspects of remuneration, including basic salary, bonuses, pension contribution and other benefits, such as accommodation. We conducted deeper research to establish links between characteristics of charities (age, activities, number of employees, income, etc), their executives (tenure, extent of private sector experience, gender, etc) and their compensation levels, and found some interesting and surprising relationships. Armed with this research, we were able to advise the board on appropriate remuneration levels. The results prompted a 10% alteration in the relevant executives’ overall remuneration.