A charitable support body has found that many of the island’s non-profit organisations are running on “lean staffing models while delivering complex, high-impact services” requiring significant expertise.

The Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda reported that Bermuda’s third sector followed international trends, with non-profit salaries lagging behind public sector compensation — for executive and specialist roles in particular.

Its Toolkit for Setting Non-profit Salaries in Bermuda draws on the alliance’s 2026 workplace survey.

The alliance said that the pay disparity posed risks for recruitment and continuity, highlighting that clinic directors took home an average of $140,000 in the public sector compared with $110,000 for non-profits.

Additionally, it reported that social workers and counsellors typically earn $117,000 compared with $61,000 in the non-profit sector.

The alliance said its toolkit offered practical guidance for “fair, transparent, data-informed and financially responsible compensation decisions that can support sustainable non-profit recruitment and retention”, while keeping non-profits sustainable.

It said survey data showed a growing trust overall of non-profits among Bermuda residents, at 65 per cent — up from 59 per cent in 2023.

It said reduced trust was “often linked to concerns about effectiveness, management and financial oversight”.

The salaries guidelines are available online at the NAB site.