What is the median Senior Director salary at Washington nonprofits?

The median reported total compensation is $158,000, across 60 Form 990 filings from 2021–2025.

Is this figure enough to document a pay decision under §4958?

No. A single median is a market read, not comparability data. The §4958 rebuttable presumption also requires a matched peer set, advance approval by an independent body, and contemporaneous documentation.

Where does the number come from?

Reported total compensation on IRS Form 990 Schedule J and Part VII, filed by nonprofit organizations in Washington for tax years 2021–2025. It is the figure as filed, not a modelled estimate.

Nonprofit salary benchmark

Senior Director pay at Washington nonprofits

Name: Senior Director compensation at Washington nonprofits
Creator: CauseComp

$158,000

Median reported total compensation. Based on 60 IRS Form 990 filings from Washington nonprofits, tax years 2021–2025. Figure as filed, rounded to the nearest $1,000.

How Washington compares

Below the national median for this role by $13,000 (7.6%) — the national figure is $171,000.
Across those states the median ranges from $133,000 (Tennessee) to $228,000 (Missouri).

The same role in other states

State	Filings
Alabama	26
Alaska	39
Arizona	45
Arkansas	24
California	677
Colorado	118
Connecticut	64
District of Columbia	605
Florida	86
Georgia	67
Hawaii	24
Illinois	282
Indiana	26
Maine	38
Maryland	117
Massachusetts	216
Michigan	88
Minnesota	120
Missouri	97
Nebraska	22
New Hampshire	21
New Jersey	72
New York	600
North Carolina	60
Ohio	103
Oregon	36
Pennsylvania	193
Rhode Island	20
Tennessee	27
Texas	169
Virginia	341
Wisconsin	33

Every state shown clears the same 20-filing minimum as this page. This cell has too few filings for us to rank it among the states by pay.

What this page does not tell you

One median is a market read. It is not a matched peer set, and it cannot on its own document a pay decision: the §4958 rebuttable presumption of reasonableness also needs comparable organizations selected on budget, sector and geography, approval by an independent body, and contemporaneous records. We publish the single figure and keep the comparability set behind the paid product — see what comparability data actually requires.

Sector and budget-band detail is not published at this depth. Narrower cuts are where a median stops being a market read and starts being the answer to a specific board's question, and that is the paid product rather than the free page.

Need the peer set, not just the number? The Executive benchmark tool matches comparable filers on budget size, sector and location and produces a board-ready report with the organizations named. See plans and pricing.

Method: the median of reported total compensation across matching IRS Form 990 Schedule J and Part VII filings, with no cell published below 20 filings. Figures are as filed and are not adjusted or projected — full methodology. Explore other roles from the Senior Director national overview or the salary benchmark index.

Documented comparability data like the above supports — but does not by itself establish — a board's rebuttable presumption of reasonableness under IRC §4958 (intermediate sanctions). The presumption also requires advance approval by an independent board body and contemporaneous documentation. CauseComp provides comparability data for informational purposes and does not provide legal or tax advice.