Planning for Growth Means Planning for People
As foundation leaders plan for their next fiscal year, findings from both the 2025 FFE Industry Survey and the 2024 Compensation & Benefits Survey reinforce a shared conclusion: planning for growth means planning for people.
Based upon the 2025 Industry Survey data, nearly half of participating foundations anticipate hiring this year (slight variance based upon fiscal year). Roles most frequently identified for future hiring include development, annual giving, data/operations, and communications—positions that support donor engagement, stewardship, and institutional effectiveness.
For foundation leaders navigating budget decisions and staff planning, this insight reinforces a critical planning question: Is staffing aligned with strategic priorities, or reacting to today’s demands?
While the 2025 data tell us staffing stability improved year over year, turnover remains concentrated in revenue-driving roles, underscoring the importance of aligning compensation, benefits, and growth expectations.
This is where the most recent FFE Compensation & Benefits Survey can add context, helping leaders understand compensation practices, benefits structures, and professional development investments across the sector, while also evaluating their own talent strategies through a peer-informed lens.
Together, these FFE surveys offer a more complete picture of organizational capacity industry-wide—highlighting not only where foundations are investing in people but begin to illustrate how those investments may need to evolve to sustain fundraising performance, retain talent, and support long-term mission impact.
These insights are made possible through participation in the FFE surveys and help inform peer benchmarks as leaders plan for growth, stability, and organizational resilience. See the full list of participating organizations in 2025 Industry Survey and 2024 Compensation & Benefits Survey.
Foundation Operations: Staff Retention Benchmarks (2025 Industry Survey)
- ~50% of foundations plan to hire new staff in the next fiscal year
- Overall staff attrition: 10%, down from the prior year
Women’s groups
- 66% experienced staff turnover
- Average attrition: 18%, with higher churn in development roles
Men’s groups
- 31% experienced staff turnover
- Average attrition: 4%
Most anticipated hires
- Development / Major Gifts
- Annual Giving
- Data, Operations, or IT
- Communications
