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