Development salaries are not great but are getting better. The Association of Fundraising Professionals 2019 salary survey showed the average salary is about $84,000, and that’s a 7.7 percent improvement! The median—“most middle”—salary is $72,500. What are the proven methods to reach financial independence on a relatively modest salary?

Coming from a missionary family, I was shocked at the age of 16 to read a letter from my parents’ mission board that read, “Dear Missionaries, Due to adverse economic conditions, the funds in your retirement account are depleted.” That’s it. Good luck. I vowed that was never going to happen to me, and I spent most of my life working with missionaries, clergy, social workers and teachers who are ridiculously underpaid attain a dignified retirement. [Read more…]