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Is there a rule of thumb with respect to non-profit salaries? I'm applying to a job as a CFO/VP finance for a nonprofit. I don't want to insult them by asking for what I'm used to being paid, however, I don't want to be a chump and ask for far less than what they are willing to pay. I was thinking about 25% off of market rate? or 50%? My market rate would be $150,000 to $250,000 depending on the size of the company I would work for. want to move to nonprofit world
My perspective is that non-profits are mission driven and tend to focus on the folks who are providing direct services. Rarely do they put their money in finance - it is a very different mindset. In addition to not paying top people well, this extends to staffing levels. I met lots of CFOs who were doing very basic things like accounts payable, payroll, etc. So the workload can be extreme (and inappropriate) as well.
For this reason, I think $150-$250 is completely out of the range - $80-125k is the range I saw for CFOs in my industry (healthcare). anonymous
Hi, Does anybody knows how to start a non-profit organization bussiness? and the benefits of it over the convential bussiness. I am interested in opening a store with a loan or through being a partner in a non-profit organization. Thank you , Fafy
Now that I'm contemplating re-entering the work force after some time at home with my son, one of the areas I wanted to explore was the nonprofit sector. After college, and before moving into publishing, I spent two years as the publications coordinator for a think tank/nonprofit and enjoyed the sense that I was making a contribution to the larger world, as well as the flexibility the job afforded me. It has been eight years since I left, and the organization was in a different region, so both my contacts and familiarity with the current state of the nonprofit sector are rusty, at best.
For those who are currently involved in this sphere, I'd like to find out a few basic things: 1) what the current employment picture and opportunities are (severely impacted by the general downturn in the economy?) and 2) the names of any nonprofit clearinghouses or professional groups in the area.
I'm looking for flexible, part-time work (aren't we all?), and am particularly interested in organizations concerned with the arts, women's health, or children's issues, ideally in the East Bay.
Thank you for any and all advice! LK
If you are interested in a Bay Area nonprofit networking group, you might want to check out the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network at www.ynpn.org. They have several listservs, including one for job listings, and also sponsor monthly networking events. Good luck! Tonya
Your first stop should be Opportunity NOCS, which is available online and at the Berkeley libraries. These list only nonprofit sector jobs in California, with Bay Area leading the way. Online there are several nonprofit job clearinghouses the names of which I don't remember off-hand. Opportunity NOCs, the Center for Nonprofit Management, or the Center for Community Change websites should all have good links to these other sites.
CompassPoint is a nonprofit that trains staff of nonprofits, based in SF if you want to brush up on skills.
You can also find nonprofit jobs most readily in the East Bay Express Classifieds, or go to the ''community directories'' links on Yahoo.com or Craiglist.org, or just do a search: Nonprofit Berkeley womens rights (or whatever).
Many groups of course have volunteer opportunities, and this is a good way to work your way into part-time paid work if you are patient.
Good luck! Betsy
Young Nonprofit Professionals Network: ynpn.org
Craigslist
Opportunity Nocs: opportunitynocs.org
Idealist.org
Some of these sites also have a lot of information about the sector in general.
Good luck in your search! Veteran Nonprofit Worker
(1) The downturn in the economy is seriously impacting many non-profits and they are barely hanging on to staff they have and thus, not hiring new folks. That may be a challenge. This is not universal, however. Larger organizations may have more resources to fall back on. Those organizations that rely on state funding and that are the most ''grass-roots'' are probably hurting the most.
(2) As far as finding a job, the three best online resources (and where my non-profit always lists when we are hiring) are www.opportunitynocs.org, craigslist and also www.ynpn.org. I find that even reading what is available each week for a couple of weeks on a site like opportunity nocs will give you an idea of some of the organizations that are out there and jobs you might be suited for and just how much or how little you will make. Also use any alumni job listings services you might have through your alma mater.
(3) Personally, found it difficult to break into the non-profit community here in the Bay Area, even with experience and a relevant graduate degree. It may have been particular to the issue area I was looking to work with at the time, direct services for low income teens, but it took me a long time to get colleagues and potential employers to trust me. I worked a bunch of part-time jobs and did lots of volunteering which helped me get where I wanted to go eventually. I love my job now. You may find that volunteering (if you can afford it) is a good track into an agency or that volunteer experience may help another agency take you more seriously.
(4) Right now there are many, many unemployed people with for-profit experience trying to make the transition to the nonprofit sector. It can be hard for people who have been committed to service work for many years to be receptive to these newcomers.'' I think we often judge their motivations and perhaps not always fairly. I guess this is just a warning that you may not be as warmly recieved as you might have guessed.
(5) One set of job skills that is always needed in nonprofits is fundraising. If you are a good writer and if you would be interested in development work, you are in a good position. There are always, it seems to me, plenty of development jobs to be had and generally, they pay better than direct service and even managment often. Good luck! Whitney
I worked at one organization for 13 years and it was a very good experience--challenging and interesting work, a great group of people, warm fuzzies from doing work that I felt ''made a difference'', and reasonably generous compensation and benefits.
I worked at another organization for one year and it was sheer Hell--a mean-spirited penny-pinching administration, politically-motivated backstabbing among the senior staff, and constant staff turnover. I was initially warned against going there and didn't listen much to my eventual regret. There were 13 resignations in the 12 months I was there plus I had 4 different supervisors in the same time period.
So, based on my experiences, I would try to determine whether the
organization I wanted to work for has the following:
--staff stability
--funding stability
--a charismatic leader (they can be really terrific
or really a nightmare to work for)
If you get a sufficient network established of folks who are currently working in the sector, they can help you target the organizations where you are likely to enjoy the work you are doing and feel good about making a difference. Hopefully, they can help you avoid the bad organizations too because they are definately out there. All the best! sj
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