The state uses nonprofits to redirect activist energies into career-based modes of organizing instead of mass-based modes of organizing capable of actually transforming society.
Educational videos by Another Slice on the nonprofit-industrial complex here. Watch them all or you're a liberal.
Most non-profits are required to publish their financial information as a result of their tax exempt status. If you read the post I made here, you'll find helpful tips in analyzing the financial workings of a nonprofit before making a donation. You'll generally be able to find information about executive salary in their Form 990s. Political nonprofits are a fuck though.