Save our allies CEO salary: Examining Executive Pay

Ernest Brokowich
2 min readDec 11, 2023

Let's examine the save our allies CEO salary. Save Our Allies is a nonprofit known for relocating and resettling Afghan refugees who supported U.S. interests. Their leadership role coordinating major humanitarian efforts requires complex expertise — but does that warrant the over $300K/year Save our Allies CEO salary garnering scrutiny?

As a trusted nonprofit, Save Our Allies has to balance attracting top-tier talent to fulfill their vital mission with maintaining strong bonds to the people and communities they serve. So as their CEO compensation sparks questions, let’s analyze pros and cons of current pay structures:

Bridging Resource Gaps Requires Resources

  • Leadership Impacts Reach*

Save Our Allies facilitates pathways and partnerships between communities to drive large-scale global impact for refugees in danger. The expertise to ethically navigate diplomatic hurdles and relocate thousands internationally is specialized…and costly.

Talent Standards Similar to Big Nonprofits

Major nonprofits require proven skills managing substantial budgets, fundraising at scale, overseeing huge global programs, and stewarding public image. Save Our Allies operates in a comparable weight class as top international groups like IRC and MercyCorps.

Preventing Mission Distraction

Undercompensating leadership of an intensely complex nonprofit often backfires through high turnover costs or insufficient guidance. Fair pay helps executive attention stay fixed on serving refugees vs personal finances.

Perception Mismatches Reality

Salaries vs Aid Money

When the public sees refugee families still facing profound struggle, a Save our Allies CEO salary over 3x the US average household income can seem outrageous regardless of rationale. Donors want confidence their contributions directly impact aid.

Questions Around Self-Interest

High nonprofit salaries also spur skepticism around personal motives, especially with celebrity ties at Save Our Allies prompting media buzz. Are key decisions driven by ambition rather than refugee welfare? It invites scrutiny.

Who Gets a Seat at the Table?

Hefty pay requirements tend to attract those already highly educated and well-off rather than people who relate to refugees through shared experience. This risks narrow perspectives in problem-solving.

Seeking Ethical Balance

This tension between fiscal pragmatism and community connection arises in many nonprofits. Here are a few ways Save Our Allies could reassess their executive compensation through an ethical lens:

  • Gather salary data from peer refugee resettlement nonprofits globally as comparison baselines in decision-making.
  • Increase grant funding aimed at refugee family support services to complement existing administrative budget allocations.
  • Boost transparency around pay structure/policies and clarify exactly how roles translate into real-world value for refugees.
  • Expand volunteer, internship and entry level programs for wider community members/former refugees to diversify decision-making bodies.
  • Audit expenditures regularly to maximize donations channeled directly to refugee housing, employment, healthcare etc.

In navigating fair pay, the core question remains clear: how can compensation allow skilled leaders to focus on the mission of saving lives — without losing touch of the humanity behind it? There are rarely perfect answers, but through collaborative communication and transparency, the Save Our Allies community can keep this important balancing act ethical on all sides.

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