Since 2006, the State of the States report by the Equality Federation has documented the strength and sustainability of state-based advocacy organizations that advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Over the past seven years, our movement for equality has celebrated wins and sustained losses; we’ve forged ahead, and we’ve stepped back; we’ve thrived, and we’ve faltered. Each year, State of the States has faithfully documented these triumphs and trials as reflected in the capacity of our state-based organizations.

This year, instead of releasing a 30-plus page report, State of the States will consider the strength and sustainability of our movement’s front line leaders through a series of three blog posts.

In the posts that follow, we’ll review the highlights from the most current data we have, and we’ll also look back across years to consider the trends we’ve seen ebb and flow over time.

For Part 1, we look at the leaders of our state-based movement -- Executive Directors of statewide advocacy groups.

Executive Directors are the heart of our movement. They take on incredibly challenging roles that demand a broad and diverse skill set. They face the most difficult of situations, from an over-involved board to an attack from right-wing opponents. They must inspire and motivate a community while making tough political decisions that never leave everyone happy. The strength and leadership of state-based Executive Directors has fueled our fight for equality for years.

In the years since we’ve been collecting State of the States data, we’ve seen exciting growth as many volunteer-led organizations expanded and hired Executive Directors to lead them.

• In 2006, of the groups surveyed, only 22 had an Executive Director.
• Currently, 34 organizations have Executive Director positions -- 73% of groups.

Over the years, Executive Director tenure has significantly improved -- with current leaders who have been serving their organizations twice as long as those at the helm in 2011.

• Currently, of the organizations with Executive Directors, 44% have a tenure of 3 years or more while 47% were hired within the past year.

Executive Director salaries make up a significant percentage of budgets, and over the years, we have seen an increase in these salaries beyond what is expected from inflation.

• In 2006, the median salary was $56,250 -- with the lowest at $14,400 and the highest at $85,000.
• In 2012, the median salary was $80,000 -- with the lowest at $39,000 and the highest at $150,000.

In 2012, of the organizations that responded to the survey, 21 reported Executive Director salaries. As shown below, we see a wide range of salaries among organizations with similar budgets. This range may be due to differences in the local cost of living, the level of experience and tenure of the executive, and the competitiveness of the local market for non-profit and political professionals.

‍Methodology
The State of the States survey is distributed in the spring of each year to all current Equality Federation member organizations. The survey is sent by email, and responses are collected over several months. The most current data was submitted by 30 organizations, while in prior years, more than 40 members responded. Each year, the survey includes approximately 25 questions, some with multiple responses. Some organizations choose not to complete every question, leaving some answers blank. We report both the mean and median scores to allow for most accurate understanding and use.