Nonprofit folks have long claimed to be underpaid compared to their contemporaries in the for-profit and government sectors. Anecdotal evidence has seemed to support this claim, and some relatively loose salary survey data we’ve seen has been somewhat supportive of this claim but also largely inconclusive on the whole. And we’ve found that the reality certainly depends on the organization, as many nonprofits are able to offer relatively competitive salary and benefit packages.
And, many of us who work in nonprofit do it for more than just the money – we get “paid” both in dollars and in the “emotional and spirit-feeding” income we receive from knowing that the fruits of our labor each day are helping people in need, enriching our community, and providing a valuable public service.
Some new data (thank you Jan Masaoka and Blue Avocado!), though, might give you the fodder you need for that next conversation with your board/boss about a bigger salary, and the data might even be useful for your next grant application too. Check it out at: http://www.blueavocado.org/node/460.
Filed under: Economy, Leadership, Miscellaneous | Tagged: Blue Avocado, nonprofit, salary
Greenlights
Tara Kirkland
Ann Starr
Kim Wilson
Tara Levy
Matt Kouri
Taylor Overstreet
Haila Yates
For more fuel to add to the conversation / grant proposals, check out one of Dan Pallotta’s recent blogs as well – http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/pallotta/2009/10/show-me-the-money-why-psychic.html – which also partly debunks the “emotional and spirit-feeding” benefits of working in the nonprofit sector.