C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group

What C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group does

C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group is a boutique professional services firm exclusively focused on compensation and workforce strategy for nonprofit organizations. Founded in May 2023 in Chicago, Illinois, C3 operates as a dedicated division of SullivanCotter and serves more than 220 nonprofit clients across private and community foundations, policy and advocacy organizations, research institutes, higher education and K-12 schools, arts and cultural institutions, and service and charitable organizations. The firm's portfolio spans executive compensation, board compensation, employee compensation, investment team compensation, development staff compensation, pay fairness, benefits, and organization and talent development advisory, supplemented by proprietary branded content including the "Thriving Wage" concept and the C3 Vantage Points thought leadership platform.

C3's core technology is its proprietary survey and benchmarking methodology, inherited and extended from SullivanCotter's 30-plus years of compensation consulting. The firm operates three named surveys — the Annual Nonprofit Salary Planning Survey, the Foundation Board Practices Survey, and the Endowment and Foundation Investment Staff Compensation Survey — which together function as a nonprofit-specific compensation data platform. Distinctive methodologies include the Thriving Wage assessment framework and an IRS Section 4958 executive compensation reasonableness framework that supports the rebuttable presumption of reasonableness for nonprofit executive pay. Headcount is 12, with Nanci Hibschman serving as President and Managing Director (Managing Principal and Division Leader).

Commercially, C3 runs a high-touch, enterprise-field-sales consulting model with no self-serve or productized distribution. Engagements are project-based or retainer professional services, custom-quoted based on scope, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue is not disclosed. The go-to-market is thought-leadership-driven: C3 Vantage Points blog, video library, podcast appearances, on-demand webinars, conference speaking at SHRM and the Foundation HR Alliance Summit, and annual survey publications generate leads among nonprofit boards, compensation committees, and HR leaders. All engagements are delivered through direct consultant involvement.

Name

C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group

Legal name

C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group

Website

https://c3nonprofitconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group is a Chicago-based boutique consulting firm spun out of SullivanCotter in 2023 that exclusively advises nonprofit organizations on compensation, pay equity, benefits, and workforce strategy, serving 220+ foundations, research institutes, universities, and advocacy groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Compensation Consulting

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAGAF

Compensation, Benefits & Rewards Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

SECONDARYBPAHAGAL

Performance Management & Productivity Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

Keywords

• Nonprofit compensation consulting
• Executive compensation advisory
• Pay equity consulting
• Total rewards strategy
• Board compensation design

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Compensation Consulting Services: Advisory consulting engagements providing compensation program design, market benchmarking, pay equity analysis, and total rewards strategy for nonprofit organizations. Engagement model is project-based or retainer consulting with close client collaboration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group provides boutique compensation and total rewards advisory services exclusively to nonprofit organizations. Core engagements cover executive compensation, board compensation, employee compensation, investment team compensation, development staff compensation, organization and talent development, pay fairness, and benefits design. The firm supplements consulting with proprietary annual surveys that produce nonprofit-specific compensation benchmarking data.

Product overview

C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group is a consulting firm that offers a portfolio of compensation and rewards advisory services exclusively for nonprofit organizations. The core offering includes Executive Compensation, Board Compensation, Employee Compensation, Investment Team Compensation, Development Staff Compensation, Organization and Talent Development, Pay Fairness, and Benefits consulting. The firm supplements its consulting services with proprietary research surveys including the Annual Nonprofit Salary Planning Survey, Foundation Board Practices Survey, and Endowment and Foundation Investment Staff Compensation Survey. Additional resources include Living Wage and Pay Transparency toolkits. All services are built on the resources and expertise of parent company SullivanCotter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• C3 Vantage Points: Thought leadership content platform featuring articles, videos, and insights on nonprofit compensation and workforce topics.
• Thriving Wage

Products and services

• Executive Compensation Consulting Consulting services for nonprofit organizations to design tailored executive compensation programs balancing competitive pay with reasonable outcomes and IRS Section 4958 compliance.
• Board Compensation Consulting Program design services to recognize nonprofit board members for their time, expertise, and contributions through board compensation structures.
• Employee Compensation Consulting Compensation strategy services leveraging workforce insights to attract and retain nonprofit employees through competitive pay structures.
• Investment Team Compensation Consulting Consulting for internal nonprofit investment groups to design competitive salary and incentive structures aligned with investment and people objectives.
• Development Staff Compensation Consulting Consulting services for nonprofit development and fundraising organizations to evaluate and design competitive salary and incentive programs for development staff.
• Organization and Talent Development Consulting Advisory services for nonprofit organizations on developing organizational talent and workforce capabilities.
• Pay Fairness Consulting Pay equity program evaluation and design supporting fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity, with focus on pay equity, representation, and living/Thriving wage strategies.
• Benefits Consulting Assessment and design of competitive benefits and rewards programs reinforcing nonprofit employee health and wellbeing.
• Annual Nonprofit Salary Planning Survey Annual proprietary survey providing market intelligence on nonprofit salary planning and compensation trends, available to nonprofit organizations and subscribers.
• Foundation Board Practices Survey National proprietary survey highlighting the evolution of modern governance practices among foundations, including board term limits and compensation.
• Endowment and Foundation Investment Staff Compensation Survey Annual proprietary assessment of compensation practices for investment staff positions at colleges, universities, private foundations, and other nonprofit organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 220+ nonprofit organizations served
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SullivanCottercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2023SullivanCotter launched C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group as a distinct business unit devoted exclusively to nonprofit compensation and workforce solutions. C3 leverages SullivanCotter's 30+ years of compensation consulting expertise, data products, and resources while operating as a specialized nonprofit-focused entity. The parent company's established infrastructure and methodologies support C3's service delivery.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Payscale: Compensation data and software company providing benchmarking, pay equity analysis, and survey products used by HR and compensation teams. Comparable to C3 on data products and pay-equity methodology, but technology-delivered rather than high-touch consulting.
• Salary.com: Provider of compensation data, software, and analytics tools including nonprofit-relevant benchmarking. Adjacent competitor on the data/benchmarking layer of C3's proprietary survey offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global advisory firm providing HR, compensation, and benefits consulting including dedicated nonprofit practice areas. Directly comparable on executive compensation, pay equity, and benefits design engagements for foundations and tax-exempt clients.
• Mercer: Global consulting arm of Marsh & McLennan offering compensation, benefits, and talent consulting with a dedicated nonprofit sector practice. Overlaps directly with C3 on executive compensation benchmarking, benefits design, and total rewards for foundations and tax-exempt organizations.
• Aon (Radford): Global professional services firm whose Radford practice provides compensation benchmarking and total rewards consulting with significant nonprofit and life-sciences coverage. Competes with C3 on investment-staff, executive, and employee compensation benchmarking for foundations and research institutes.
• Arthur J. Gallagher (Gallagher): Large insurance and risk-management brokerage with a significant HR/compensation consulting practice serving nonprofit, public, and corporate clients. Overlaps with C3 on benefits, total rewards, and compensation advisory engagements, though tied to a brokerage parent (a key differentiator where C3 emphasizes independence).

Direct peers

• Segal Group: Independent consulting firm specializing in HR, compensation, benefits, and retirement strategy for multiemployer, public-sector, and nonprofit clients. A directly comparable boutique-style peer with deep specialization in tax-exempt and foundation compensation work.
• Pearl Meyer & Partners: Boutique compensation consulting firm focused on executive and broad-based pay programs, including a substantial nonprofit and tax-exempt client base. Closest direct competitor to C3 on executive compensation reasonableness and board pay work.
• SullivanCotter: Parent company and originator of C3's nonprofit practice. Provides compensation and total rewards consulting across both healthcare and tax-exempt organizations, including the same nonprofit foundation, hospital, and research-institute clients that C3 now serves.

Regional players

• Foundation Strategy Group: Consulting firm dedicated to serving private foundations and family philanthropies across governance, strategy, and talent. Adjacent to C3's foundation-focused practice, sharing customer base though focused on broader foundation management rather than pure compensation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@c3nonprofitconsultinggroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c3-nonprofit-consulting-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C3 Nonprofit Consulting Group