What Percentage of Income Can Nonprofits Use for Administrative Costs? Nonprofit organizations typically raise money to offer community programs or to engage in charitable endeavors. However, nonprofits do have overhead costs, such as employee salaries, building and equipment maintenance, utility expenses and supplies. While there is no standard percentage requirement, typical nonprofits spend from 15 to 40 percent of revenue on administrative costs. An August 2012 survey by Grey Matter Research & Consulting indicated that the average nonprofit organization spent 36.9 cents of every dollar raised on administrative costs.