Don't Lowball It: How Guidestar Can Help You Negotiate the Nonprofit Salary You Want

by Rosetta Thurman

categories: Job Hunt Strategy, Salaries & Benefits

Published May 20, 2009 @ 08:11AM PT

Many young professionals get freaked out by the idea of having to figure out the salary ranges for the nonprofit jobs they apply for. You don't want to ask for too much, but you definitely don't want to lowball it either. The goal in any salary negotiation is to obtain the target salary that you would need in order to accept the job. You don't want to accept the first number the organization throws out if it's too low for your needs. But you also don't want to come off as being uninformed about what your position is actually worth. Many job descriptions post a salary range in the ad, but if they don't, you'll have to do some sleuthing to find out what others are earning within the organization. At the very least, you want to be sure you're not asking for more money than the CEO.

Guidestar is a great website to check out the financial information for 1.8 million U.S. charities. Not only can you find out the budgets of these organizations, but you can also view salary data here, too. You can see the salaries of the highest paid employees at nonprofits by looking at their IRS Form 990s that are posted to the site. Usually the most common salary information listed is for the CEO or Executive Director, Deputy Director, Chief Financial Officer, and Development Director.

To get started using Guidestar's resources, you will need to:

1. Register for a free account at Guidestar.org
2. Search for the name of the nonprofit
3. Click on the "Form 990s and Docs" tab of the report
4. Click on the link to the 990 for the most recent year (top of the list)
5. A PDF will come up: page 1 will tell you how much assets the organization has
6. Scroll down to Part V-A, which will tell you the compensation of the CEO (if it is a few years old, calculate for a 3% increase over each subsequent year)
7. Scroll down to Schedule A - Part I, which will show you the compensation of the 5 highest paid employees, as well as how many employees make over $50,000

This obviously won't tell you exactly how much the nonprofit is willing to pay you for your skills and experience, but it does give you a clue as to how much they are compensating everyone else in the organization. If you do your research and find that no one in the organization makes more than $50,000 and your salary goal is $55K, you may be barking up the wrong tree. Do your homework, and you'll save yourself a lot of heartache when negotiating the nonprofit salary you want.

Fight for the Nonprofit Salary You Need

by Rosetta Thurman

category: Salaries & Benefits

Published July 02, 2009 @ 06:10AM PT

So you've been offered your dream nonprofit job. The problem is that the salary they offered you isn't even enough for you to pay your rent every month. What do you do?

Negotiate until you get the salary you need. Notice I said "need" not "want" because in this economy, it's unlikely that you'll get exactly the monetary salary that you want. And if you're a woman, it's even LESS likely, according to a new study of nonprofit salary disparities between men and women: Male Nonprofit Executives Earn 27% More Than Female Leaders, Study of Fla. Executives Finds

Male executives at charities in Central Florida earn nearly 30 percent more than their female counterparts, according to a new study.

The survey of 145 nonprofit groups in the region found that men who held the top job at a charity earned an average of $110,962, compared with $80,987 for women.

Are lower salaries just a problem if you live in Florida? Uh uh.

The situation in Florida mirrors those found in a national study released last year by Guidestar. At the biggest organizations, female CEO's earned 34.8 percent less than their male counterparts, according to Guidestar.

The bright side is that even if you don't end up geting the exact salary you want, you can opt to negotiate for other benefits to make up for the monetary compensation. At the end of the day, no matter what the mission, or how much you may like your co-workers, there really are only four reasons to accept a low nonprofit salary.

• Generous vacation time - if they initially offer you 2 weeks, ask for 4 weeks as a trade-off
• Fully paid health benefits - meaning health, dental, vision
• Flexible scheduling - offers the option to work from home or hold a slash career (part-time job to supplement the low salary)
• 403b retirement account - employee set-up to offer at least 3% match to your contributions

How have you handled salary negotiations when accepting a new nonprofit job?

Before You Get Laid Off: What Every Nonprofit Employee Should Know

by Rosetta Thurman

category: Salaries & Benefits

Published July 21, 2009 @ 10:08AM PT

Recently, I received this heartbreaking question from a reader on Jobs for Change:

I just started working a nonprofit and they're laying people off. How do I not get cut?

These days, many nonprofit employees are worried about getting laid off due to budget cuts within their organization. The economy is hitting most organizations pretty hard, and I'd go so far as to say that no one's job is 100% secure in this uncertain environment. But that doesn't mean you have to feel helpless - there are a few things you should know about the process of being laid off and what to do if it happens to  you.

This article by Jean Chatzky offers some ways to recognize the warning signs of an impending layoff:

If you see signs that the budget is tightening, there are hiring freezes, or other people are being let go, that's always a tip off. You should be sure to follow any news stories about the organization. One sign that they might be gunning for you in particular is if your workload gets significantly lighter.

Jean also offers advice about what you should do when you're told you've been laid off:

If and when you get called into that dreaded meeting, you need to be ready to negotiate your severance package. Employers expect you to negotiate, so long as you do it professionally. If you're unsure what to ask for, consult an employment attorney before signing on the dotted line.

Suze Orman also gives some great advice on how to manage your finances if you think you have a chance of losing your job:

Bolster your savings fund. Make it a priority to have at least eight months of living costs set aside in a federally insured bank or credit union account. Never invest emergency savings in the stock market.

I hope you never have to deal with getting laid off from your nonprofit job, but if you do, at least you'll be prepared. Be sure to read Jean Chatsky's Layoff Survival Guide for more advice. Do you have other tips for nonprofit employees who think their job is in jeopardy? Please share in the comments!

Photo credit: Time Out Chicago

Beyond Salary: Five Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Ideal Nonprofit Job

by Rosetta Thurman

categories: Job Hunt Strategy, Salaries & Benefits

Published October 07, 2009 @ 01:07PM PT

You: a brilliant, energetic young professional who wants to make a difference in the world. What you're looking for: a nonprofit job that can turn into a fulfilling career with a salary that doesn't put you into the poorhouse. If you're reading this blog, chances are you already know where to find a nonprofit job: Jobs for Change, Idealist.org, and Opportunity Knocks, just to name a few. The problem is that you may not know what to look for once you apply for the job and start the process of determining whether you want to take the job or not. And salary is only one factor. While you may be offered a great salary, you may end up with crappy benefits or a toxic workplace. You may find a job you're really excited about, but the end of the day, no matter what the mission, or how much you may like your co-workers, you have to make sure the job will be beneficial to your long-term career goals and personal wellbeing. If you dive in headfirst without thinking it through, you could end up hating your nonprofit job. Here are ten things (beyond salary) that you should look for in a nonprofit job. Try to negotiate them into your offer before you agree to take a position.

• Generous vacation time: meaning at least four weeks off a year. Your work will, at times, be very difficult and you will need a break. A long one. More than just two weeks once a year. Make sure you have enough time allocated so that you can enjoy your time off. If you're offered just two weeks, ask for four as part of a counter offer, especially if the salary is not ideal.
• Fully paid health benefits: meaning health, dental, vision covered by the organization. You don't want to worry about how your doctor bills are going to get paid. I once met a young woman who worked in an arts organization that refused to provide her with even basic coverage. She was broke, miserable, and resented her job every time she got sick and had to come out of pocket. It was a lose/lose situation for everyone.
• Flexible scheduling: offers the option to switch up your hours when you need to, work from home periodically, or hold a slash career (part-time job to supplement your salary or learn new skills). What if you need to leave at 3pm to pick up your sick kid? You don't want to work in a place that frowns upon work/life balance, even if that means you need to come into work on Tuesdays at 10am because you have a personal trainer or do yoga those mornings
• 403b retirement account: an employer plan set-up to allow you to save for retirement. It's best if the organization offers some kind of match in addition to your contributions. It makes your money grow faster! And knowing that your nonprofit cares about your long-term financial future will only make you more loyal to the organization.
• Professional development opportunities: a set amount in the budget for staff to attend conferences or workshops to hone their skills. In these tough economic times, many nonprofits will tell you they've cut their professional development budgets. But if there's an annual conference you really want to attend (like one hosted by your state's nonprofit association), work the cost into your salary negotiations. Or offer to come back to the office and train all the other staff on what you learned at a particular workshop session.

In my nonprofit career, I've learned that everything is negotiable, especially if you have the kind of exceptional talent that the organization needs to succeed. If you can sell yourself really well, the door will be open to getting the best benefits to accompany your salary. In the end, it's all about what's important to YOU/ What are some other factors you've used in choosing the ideal nonprofit job?

Photo credit: Woman's Day