Editor:
Thanks, Indy, for publicizing the salaries of Laguna’s nonprofit executives (“Top Nonprofit Execs Earn 6 Figure Salaries,” Aug. 29).
I assume the salaries you reported were accurate, otherwise the people listed on your chart would have complained by now. Having said that, here are a few observations from someone who has raised millions of dollars for nonprofit museums, health organizations and universities:
First, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, the acceptable ratio of salaries and operating expenses to income is 20 to 25 percent. Based on the chart you published, it appears virtually all local nonprofits in town are in compliance with this formula.
Second, how does one earn more than $300,000 a year by working only 5 hours a week? Was that a typo? Did you know that the Salvation Army’s Commissioner, Todd Bassett, receives a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing a $2 billion dollar organization?
Lastly, I noticed the Laguna Art Museum declined to disclose how much its director makes. LAM cited IRS form 990 instructions as a reason to withhold the information. Talk about silly. Every other nonprofit in town could have said the same thing, right? This is an affront to the many Laguna residents who fought to maintain the museum’s independence more than a decade ago. I wonder why LAM didn’t answer the question?
Charts like the one you published serve as a valuable resource to the community. Keep up the good work.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
