16 people, loaded costs of 100-200k each, plus facilities, legal, contractors, etc. A lot of non-profits have high costs of fundraising, too.
There's an argument that non-profit employees should take lower than market salaries to support the cause, but also there's an argument that they need above-market compensation since there's no equity or potential for an exit.
(I'd take a lower than market salary for a non-profit I really believed in, if I could, but it's not necessarily the case that the best designer or engineer for a non-profit is necessarily going to be willing or able to do so.)
There's an argument that non-profit employees should take lower than market salaries to support the cause, but also there's an argument that they need above-market compensation since there's no equity or potential for an exit.
(I'd take a lower than market salary for a non-profit I really believed in, if I could, but it's not necessarily the case that the best designer or engineer for a non-profit is necessarily going to be willing or able to do so.)