The average salary for a charity boss has increased since last year, but they are working many hours of overtime a week
The average charity chief executive works the equivalent of three months in unpaid overtime.
The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) Pay and Equalities Survey 2019 reveals the average salary for a charity chief executive is £52,000 a year- up from £50,000 for the previous year but still down on the 2013 rate of £60,000.
The study - carried out in the English charity sector - found that on average charity bosses work an additional 10 hours a week – which amounts to an extra three months’ work across the year.
Despite this, 89% of those who took part said they would recommend a career in the third sector.
One-third of respondents to the Pay and Equalities Survey head up organisations with an income of under £500,000 and a further 19% with an income of between £500,000 and £1 million.
For the third year running, the number of female respondents increased. This year 63% of respondents were female and 36% male. There is however still a gender pay gap of 13.8%.
ACEVO has said it is not possible to identify a definitive reason for this but cumulatively slightly more male chief executives in large charities, in older age brackets and with post-graduate qualifications, may be having an effect.
Vicky Browning, chief executive of ACEVO, said: "Most CEOs in our sector see leading their organisations as a privilege. Long hours are often accepted as a symptom of limited resources facing unlimited demand.
“But working an extra one and a half days over the standard five can seriously impact wellbeing and even lead to burnout. Trustees need to take seriously their duty of care to chief executives as well as the organisations and beneficiaries they serve."
