Non-Profit Employee Benefits Benchmarks

What non-profit employers actually offer across medical, ancillary, leave, and retirement, benchmarked against the wider market.

89% offer vision cover
76% of the single medical premium covered

Mission has to be matched by the offer

Non-profit employers recruit people motivated by the work itself, and they lose them when the practical offer stops being sustainable. Benefits are where the organization demonstrates it takes that trade seriously.

1. Medical

What medical benefits do non-profit employers typically offer?

Medical provision is the hardest part of the non-profit offer to fund and the part staff weigh most heavily when deciding whether they can afford to stay.

76%
Employer share, single
Against 81% across all industries
59%
Employer share, family
Against 69% across all industries
19%
Offer an HSA
Against 40% across all industries

How this industry compares on medical

Mployer benchmark data for this industry against the market, with the unlabelled bars showing how far the figure moves across employer size.

Axis truncated. The floor is shown on the scale. Cohort low and high are drawn but not labelled.

Industry medical measureBenchmark
Medical care benefit availability by size cohortSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Average monthly employer premium, single coverageSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Average monthly employer premium, family coverageSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Median monthly employee contribution, single and familySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Average deductible by plan type: PPO, HMO, POS, HDHPSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Maximum out of pocket by plan typeSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Enrollment mix across PPO, HMO, POS, and HDHPSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Funding split: fully insured, level funded, self fundedSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Average employer HSA and HRA contributionSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Section 125 healthcare and dependent care FSA availabilitySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Waiting period distribution for new hiresSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Medical plan participation rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All

These figures are available for this industry across all 50 states and 7 size cohorts inside Mployer Insights+.

See my benchmarkRate my plan free

2. Ancillary

What ancillary benefits do non-profit employers offer?

Ancillary lines are a comparatively affordable way for a non-profit to build a credible package without a commercial budget.

71%
Offer dental
Against 71% across all industries
89%
Offer vision
Against 89% across all industries
63%
Offer short-term disability
Against 69% across all industries

How this industry compares on ancillary

Mployer benchmark data for this industry against the market, with the unlabelled bars showing how far the figure moves across employer size.

Axis truncated. The floor is shown on the scale. Cohort low and high are drawn but not labelled.

Industry ancillary measureBenchmark
Employer contribution share for dental, single and familySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Employer contribution share for vision, single and familySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Average total monthly dental and vision premiumSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Short-term disability offer rate and benefit designSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Long-term disability offer rate and maximum monthly benefitSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Basic life benefit multiple and flat dollar medianSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Share of plans where life is fully employer paidSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Voluntary life offer rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Critical illness and accident offer ratesSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Long-term care insurance offer rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All

These figures are available for this industry across all 50 states and 7 size cohorts inside Mployer Insights+.

See my benchmarkRate my plan free

3. Leave

What is the typical paid leave structure for non-profit employers?

Leave is often the most generous part of a non-profit offer and one of the clearest ways the sector competes without matching salaries.

43%
Consolidated leave plan
Against 46% across all industries
63%
Offer paid family leave
Against 67% across all industries
64%
Sick leave carries over
Against 65% across all industries

How this industry compares on leave

Mployer benchmark data for this industry against the market, with the unlabelled bars showing how far the figure moves across employer size.

Axis truncated. The floor is shown on the scale. Cohort low and high are drawn but not labelled.

Industry leave measureBenchmark
Consolidated plan accrual at 1, 5, 10, and 20 years of serviceSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Non-consolidated vacation accrual by tenureSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Paid holidays offer rate and median daysSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Paid sick leave offer rate and median daysSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Sick leave carryover treatmentSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Unpaid family leave offer rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Paid personal leave offer rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Funeral, jury duty, and military leave offer ratesSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All

These figures are available for this industry across all 50 states and 7 size cohorts inside Mployer Insights+.

See my benchmarkRate my plan free

4. Retirement

What is the typical retirement plan structure for non-profit employers?

Retirement is where non-profits most often fall behind, and it is the gap experienced staff cite when they move to commercial employers.

48%
Offer a defined contribution plan
Against 64% across all industries
17%
Vest immediately
Against 36% across all industries
44%
Offer auto enrollment
Against 42% across all industries

How this industry compares on retirement

Mployer benchmark data for this industry against the market, with the unlabelled bars showing how far the figure moves across employer size.

Axis truncated. The floor is shown on the scale. Cohort low and high are drawn but not labelled.

Industry retirement measureBenchmark
Median and percentile employer contribution ratesSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Automatic enrollment availability and default rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Automatic escalation availabilitySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Vesting schedule distributionSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Minimum age and service eligibility requirementsSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Plan loan and in-service withdrawal availabilitySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Defined contribution participation rateSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Retiree healthcare availability before and after age 65See 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All

These figures are available for this industry across all 50 states and 7 size cohorts inside Mployer Insights+.

See my benchmarkRate my plan free

5. Additional optimizations

What additional plan design optimizations are available to non-profit employers?

Optimization attention belongs on mental health provision and on flexible working, both of which respond to sustained workload pressure.

Industry additional optimization measureBenchmark
Waiting period distribution: none, 30, 60, and 90 or more daysSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Fertility medication, IUI, and IVF coverage ratesSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Cryopreservation and adoption assistance ratesSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Mental health resource expansion in the past yearSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Telehealth and in-person provider additionsSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Wellness programs: coaching, weight management, biometric screeningSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
GLP-1 coverage and preauthorization requirementsSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Remote and hybrid work availabilitySee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All
Retiree healthcare availability, under 65 and 65 plusSee 50 State DetailSee 7 Size Cohort DetailSee All

These figures are available for this industry across all 50 states and 7 size cohorts inside Mployer Insights+.

See my benchmarkRate my plan free

FAQ

Questions non-profit CFOs and HR leaders ask most

How much of the medical premium do non-profit employers pay?
Mployer benchmark data shows non-profit employers cover 76% of the single coverage premium and 59% of the family coverage premium, against all-industry figures of 81% and 69%. On family coverage non-profit employers sit well below the market.
Do non-profit employers offer a health savings account?
Mployer benchmark data shows 19% of non-profit employers offer a health savings account, against 40% across all industries. That places the sector well below the market on tax-advantaged medical saving.
How do non-profit ancillary benefits compare to other industries?
Mployer benchmark data shows dental at 71% against an all-industry 71%, vision at 89% against 89%, and short-term disability at 63% against 69%. Dental and vision vary little between industries, so short-term disability is where non-profit employers separate from the market.
How much paid time off do non-profit employers provide?
Mployer benchmark data shows 43% of non-profit employers run paid time off through a consolidated leave plan rather than separate vacation and sick banks, against 46% across all industries. Sick leave carries over at 64%, against 65% across all industries, and paid family leave sits at 63%, against 67% across all industries.
What retirement plan do non-profit employers typically offer?
Mployer benchmark data shows 48% of non-profit employers offer a defined contribution plan, against 64% across all industries, with automatic enrollment available in 44% of plans. Immediate vesting of employer contributions runs at 17%, against 36% across all industries.

Related benchmarks

Evaluate other parts of the market

Figures on this page are drawn from Mployer benchmark data, all region and all size averages unless stated otherwise, and are rounded to the nearest whole point. Values shown in the tables are available inside Mployer Insights+. Read the full benchmarking methodology.

{"floors":{"medical":0,"ancillary":25,"leave":25,"retirement":0},"m":[[76,81,75,77],[59,69,56,66],[19,40,11,41]],"a":[[71,71,62,75],[89,89,77,93],[63,69,34,73]],"l":[[43,46,41,44],[63,67,51,75],[64,65,56,73]],"r":[[48,64,37,78],[17,36,16,22],[44,42,34,50]]}