How much do Silicon Valley nonprofits pay their executives?
Leslie Bacho, chief operating officer of Second Harvest Food Bank is pictured. File photo.

In Silicon Valley, leading a nonprofit fighting for a noble cause can be a profitable business.

Many of these organizations receive millions of dollars in public funding to solve homelessness, feed the needy, build shelters, help troubled youth and alleviate other social problems.

Earlier this year, San Jose authorized $11.3 million to pay for homeless assistance provided by several community-based organizations. Abode Services received a little more than $1 million for an emergency shelter, while $3.1 million went to HomeFirst Services Santa Clara County to operate the South Hall shelter on Market Street.

Destination: Home also got $1 million for its work on a homelessness prevention program.

At the county level, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County has at least 20 active contracts with different departments for consulting services, some of which cost up to $1.2 million. Second Harvest has two contracts with Santa Clara County, ranging from $120,000 to $392,000.

Despite receiving millions in public funding, 501(c)(3) organizations are exempted from some public scrutiny measures, including San Jose’s lobbying rules that require disclosing meetings with city officials and politicians.

So, exactly how much money is going into top nonprofit executives’ pockets?

San José Spotlight examined the latest publicly-available tax filings of ten prominent social services nonprofits in Silicon Valley.

Here’s a look at how much some top nonprofits are paying their leaders in the South Bay:

SV@Home

Mission: An affordable housing advocacy group in Santa Clara County. Among other initiatives, the nonprofit is a vocal supporter of the county’s ambitious Measure A plan, which aims to provide 4,800 units of affordable housing.

Revenue: $1,022,762

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • Executive Director Leslye Corsiglia: $175,255
  • Deputy Director Michael Lane: $134,800

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 16%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 117%

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

Mission: A food bank providing meals to Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. According to its estimate, the nonprofit organization now serves about half a million people per month, twice as many people as it did pre-pandemic.

Revenue: $135,662,149

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • CEO Leslie Bacho: $368,307
  • Vice President of Development and Marketing Catherine Cvengros: $266,078
  • CFO Sally Petersen: $240,582
  • VP of Operations Ralph Maltese: $233,587
  • VP of Programs and Services Bruno Pillet: $228,231

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 10%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 12.4%

Housing Trust Silicon Valley

Mission: Key player in providing affordable housing in the area and one of the nation’s largest housing trusts.

Revenue: $14,912,402

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • CEO Kevin Zwick: $297,155
  • CFO Julie Mahowald: $192,123
  • Chief Lending Officer James Mather: $181,550
  • Chief Development Officer Julie Quinn: $120,480
  • Chief Compliance and Risk Officer Craig Mizushima: $116,565

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 33.8%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 18%

Destination: Home

Mission: A nonprofit that works to end homelessness and provide housing in the South Bay. San Jose and Santa Clara County recently tapped the nonprofit to distribute rent relief amid the pandemic.

Revenue: $18,470,056

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • President/Chief Executive Director Jennifer Loving: $293,369
  • Director Erica Wood (primarily paid by related organization): $321,858
  • CFO Paul Velaski( primarily paid by related organization): $327,669
  • CFO Sarah Valencia (primarily paid by related organization): $246,901

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 24.4%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 6.7%

Sacred Heart Community Service

Mission: A nonprofit that works to end poverty in Santa Clara County. The organization worked closely with Destination: Home and others to provide housing assistance and distribute rent relief throughout the pandemic.

Revenue: $25,984,455

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • Executive Director Poncho Guevara: $174,990
  • Deputy Director Darren Seaton: $113,154
  • Finance Manager Michael Soukup: $96,411

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 6.7%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 21.8%

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County

Mission: A faith-based organization that provides a number of health care, disaster, youth and immigration services, among others. It has more than 20 active contracts with Santa Clara County, many for its consulting services, in addition to other contracts with San Jose.

Revenue: $35,983,444

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • CEO and board member Gregory Kepferle: $269,248
  • CAO and CFO Margaret Williams (former): $208,106
  • Chief Development Officer Susan Taylor: $219,466
  • Nurse Practitioner Anna Tran: $189,567
  • Chief HR Linda Velasquez: $177,751

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 6.9%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 69.6%

Law Foundation of Silicon Valley

Mission: A nonprofit that provides legal advice and representation to low-income individuals and families in the South Bay. It has been at the forefront fighting evictions in Santa Clara County during the pandemic.

Revenue: $11,405,208

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • CEO Alison Brunner: $191,881
  • CFO Jennifer Uchida: $168,895
  • CPO Jennifer Cloyd: $159,799
  • Development Director Kelley Conway: $141,747
  • Directing Attorney Hilary Armstrong: $134,667

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 10.2%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 67.9%

The Health Trust 

Mission: An organization that works to build health equity in Silicon Valley through health-related grants, policies and services.

Revenue: $21,558,760

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • CEO Michele Lew: $314,986
  • COO Todd Hansen: $283,898
  • VP of Programs Paul Hepfer: $193,438
  • VP of Housing Dorcas Rosado-Chan: $159,731
  • HR Director Irene Segura: $158,527

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 19.6%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 35%

HomeFirst Services of Santa Clara 

Mission: One of the largest homeless shelter providers in the county, serving around 6,000 people every year.

Revenue: $17,720,938

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • CEO Andrea Urton: $175,979
  • CFO James Ptak: $167,847
  • CDO Stephanie Demos: $139,315
  • COO Rene Ramirez: $116,729

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 6.6%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 50.9%

Abode Services

Mission: A nonprofit that provides services and programs to low-income and homeless people in the Bay Area.

Revenue: $63,603,688

Name, title and salary of top paid executives:

  • Chief Executive Director Louis Chicoine: $231,504
  • COO Vivian Wan: $171,172
  • Director of Community Relations Bronwyn Hogan: $145,844
  • Director of Real Estate Development Jonathan White: $142,683
  • CFO David Blohm (former): $133,429

Executive salaries’ percentage of total payroll: 6.8%

Total salaries’ percentage of total revenue: 29.1%

Contact Tran Nguyen at [email protected] or follow @nguyenntrann on Twitter. 

Editor’s Note: Jennifer Loving, executive director of Destination: Home, serves on San José Spotlight’s Board of Directors.

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