Trust in a nonprofit is built on more than the cause it serves. Donors also want to know how an organization handles money, pays its leaders, and explains those choices. Under President and Global CEO Yael Eckstein, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has made that kind of disclosure part of its public record.
The Fellowship, commonly known as IFCJ, was founded in 1983 by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. Its mission is to build bridges between Christians and Jews while providing humanitarian care and aid to Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. The organization serves people through relief, security, immigration, and resettlement programs across dozens of countries.
That work operates at a scale that makes financial oversight especially important. Since its founding, The Fellowship reports raising $4.4 billion to support Israel and Jewish people in need, with more than $303 million donated annually in recent years. IFCJ provides assistance reaching millions of people through food, medicine, emergency relief, security support, and aliyah programs.
For Yael Eckstein, who oversees ministry programs and serves as the organization’s international spokesperson, accountability includes setting leadership compensation and being transparent with donors and partners. Rather than treating questions about executive pay as off limits, IFCJ has published an explanation of its salary philosophy, review process, and public reporting practices.
A Public Process for Executive Compensation
Executive compensation can be a sensitive issue for charities because donors may compare salaries without considering an organization’s size, budget, staffing, or international responsibilities. IFCJ addresses that issue by explaining the process used to set compensation instead of asking supporters to rely on a single figure without context.
According to the organization, Eckstein’s compensation is reviewed against market data, job responsibilities, performance, and peer organizations with similar budgets, staffing, program reach, and geographic complexity. IFCJ says it works with Willis Towers Watson, an outside consulting firm, to test compensation against regulatory requirements and nonprofit sector practices.
The review also considers Internal Revenue Service standards for reasonable compensation and intermediate sanctions. Salary bands across the organization are reviewed annually, while total rewards such as benefits, incentives, and retirement contributions are considered as part of the broader compensation picture.
IFCJ states that its board and an independent compensation committee review and approve executive pay recommendations. That step is intended to reduce conflicts of interest and keep the decision out of the hands of the executive whose compensation is being considered. The organization documents decisions, supports them with third-party data, and reviews them each year.
Public disclosure is another part of that process. IFCJ directs donors to its latest Form 990 for reportable CEO compensation and related benefits. It also publishes audited financial statements and other reports that let supporters review financial decisions rather than rely only on organizational summaries.
Why Salary Transparency Matters to Donors
Questions about nonprofit salaries are not unusual. A donor may see a compensation number online and wonder whether it is appropriate relative to the organization’s mission. A clear explanation helps readers understand who approved the amount, what comparisons were used, and what safeguards were in place.
That does not mean every donor will reach the same opinion about executive pay. Transparency serves a different purpose. It gives people enough information to make their own assessment and shows that the organization expects its financial decisions to be examined.
IFCJ’s approach also connects compensation to governance. An independent review, annual benchmarking, board oversight, and public tax filings create several points to evaluate leadership pay. Each step gives donors another source of information about how the organization manages money entrusted to it.
For a large international charity, that level of explanation can be as important as the compensation figure itself. The numbers tell only part of the story. The review process explains how the organization reached the decision and who approved it.
Financial Accountability Goes Beyond Salaries
Leadership pay is only one part of nonprofit financial management. IFCJ also makes its audited financial statement, IRS Form 990, annual report, and financial summaries publicly available. Those documents allow supporters to examine revenue, expenses, program spending, governance, and other information that shapes a fuller view of the organization.
The Fellowship frames stewardship around using donor funds to support Israel and Jewish people in need. Its programs include help for elderly people and Holocaust survivors, support for children and families, emergency assistance tied to war and terror, and immigration and resettlement services.
The organization’s bio reports assistance to more than 2 million people annually worldwide. The 2025 Annual Report now says over 2 million people were helped in 2025 and that more than 780,000 Jewish people have been helped to return to Israel since IFCJ’s founding.
That relationship matters because accountability is not only about limiting costs. It also shows how resources connect to the mission. Financial statements provide formal records, while program reports show the people, locations, and services connected to those expenditures.
Independent Recognition Adds Another Layer
IFCJ also points to outside organizations that have reviewed its governance, transparency, workplace, and charitable practices. IFCJ’s ratings and review materials list accreditation from the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, which evaluates charities against standards covering governance, results reporting, finances, and truthful communication.
The Fellowship has also earned GuideStar Platinum Transparency. Charity Navigator has recognized IFCJ as a top charity with a 4/4 rating, with its evaluation model covering impact and measurement, accountability and finance, culture and community, and leadership and adaptability.
Recognition has extended beyond charity accountability ratings. In 2025, Forbes placed The Fellowship on its Top 100 Charities in America list for the fifth consecutive year. IFCJ ranked number 66, which the organization described as its highest position on the list at that time.
The NonProfit Times also named The Fellowship one of its 2025 Best Nonprofits to Work For. It was the fifth time IFCJ received that recognition and the third consecutive year it placed in the top 10 among midsize employers.
Workplace recognition has continued in other settings. The Fellowship was named a Best Workplace in Illinois for 2026, its second consecutive year receiving that honor. In 2025, it also appeared on the Chicago Sun-Times list of Best Workplaces in Chicago, placing among the top five midsize employers.
IFCJ was also named a 2026 Top-Rated Nonprofit by GreatNonprofits and has received the America’s Best Charities Seal of Excellence. The organization lists additional recognition from the State Solicitation Registration Charities of America and the ANA Nonprofit Federation.
Awards Do Not Replace Transparency
Awards can give donors useful context, but they are not a substitute for disclosing financial documents and practicing transparency. Independent recognition offers an outside view, while tax forms, audited statements, compensation reviews, and board oversight provide records that donors can examine directly.
For supporters, this combination creates a path to read salary explanations, review tax filings, examine audited statements, and compare outside assessments. It gives them documents, processes, and independent reference points to consider.
Mission and Management Are Connected
For Yael Eckstein, leadership rests at the intersection of mission, fundraising, program delivery, and public trust. She oversees ministry programs while representing an organization that serves vulnerable populations, including Holocaust survivors, low-income families, victims of terror, and immigrants beginning new lives in Israel.
Her background within IFCJ includes previous service as global executive vice president, senior vice president, and director of program development and ministry outreach. That history gives her experience with both the public mission and the internal work required to carry it out.
IFCJ’s transparency policies suggest that leadership accountability is treated as part of that internal work. Compensation is reviewed. Financial records are published. Outside evaluators are cited. Donors are given places to look for more information when they want to understand how decisions are made.
Keeping Accountability Tied to the Mission
For a nonprofit supported by donations, trust depends on both purpose and practice. IFCJ’s stated purpose is to build cooperation between Christians and Jews while delivering humanitarian assistance to Jewish people in need. Its financial policies show how the organization manages the resources used to pursue its mission.
Salary transparency is only one part of the picture. By explaining how Eckstein’s compensation is benchmarked, reviewed, approved, and disclosed, IFCJ goes beyond most non-profits. Its financial reports and third-party recognition give people more information when deciding how to view the organization.
In the nonprofit sector, where every contribution carries an expectation of responsible use, openness about leadership pay and financial management gives supporters a clearer basis for judging whether an organization’s practices match its stated values over the long term.
That clarity matters when public trust and fundraising are involved. In 2025, The Fellowship helped over 2 million people worldwide, and in 2026 and beyond, the organization looks forward to changing more lives to support relief, outreach, and solidarity with Israel.
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