Nonprofit groups pay competitive salaries
As people become more disillusioned with corporate America, they look to nonprofit America for hope.
"I want to work in a place where I'm doing more than making the head guys of our corporation richer," more workers tell me these days.
Indeed working for one of the thousands of nonprofit organizations lets you make a difference for children, animals, the hungry, the arts and people with diseases and mental disorders, to name a few.
But does it allow you to make a decent living? Most people don't think so. But that's not necessarily the case - especially for top executives in certain types of nonprofit organizations. More on that in a minute.
Depending on the organization, you might be able to join a nonprofit at your same salary or you might have to take a bit of a hit. But the same skills, knowledge and business acumen that the business world demands are a requirement in nonprofits - and there's lots of opportunity with great demand for higher level professionals in marketing, communication, finance, operations, information technology and human resources, according to Lyn Brennan, partner and head of Non-Profit Practice at executive search firm Battalia Winston Amrop Hever.
Just scour journals and job sites and you'll find openings for a social entrepreneur for a new organization in support of homeless animals. Salary: competitive. Director of Development for a children's advocacy group in Tucson. Salary: $60,000-$70,000. Positions for accountants, lawyers, project directors, fundraisers, grant writers and receptionists, Most advertise competitive salaries.
Salaries for senior executives vary, ranging from $197,000 or less to more than $2 million. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's 2006 annual survey showed the highest paid executives in hospitals and medical centers, with arts organizations being the next highest paid and where executives received bonuses for leading renovation projects and capital campaigns.
Many experts expect executives' salaries to jump significantly over the coming decade, says The Chronicle, due to the growth of the organizations and as younger leaders put "pressure on organizations to increase salaries." By 2016, more than 80,000 new senior managers will need to be hired at nonprofit organizations, according to a study by the Bridgespan Group.
What's it take to be a leader at a nonprofit? Much of what it takes to be a good corporate leader. Agility, creativity, compassion, strong commitment to the mission and strategic and leadership skills, explains Brennan.
Experience should match the purpose of the organization. For a group providing international health or education programs, you should have international experience and, preferably, have lived abroad. To be in a cultural or arts organization, you should speak knowledgeably about the arts.
You also must be savvy at procuring funding, Brennan points out, which entails looking for donors, being visible and learning the ins and outs of philanthropy.
The best way to compete with people with not-for-profit experience is to not compete, she says. Be honest about what you don't know while highlighting skills that will help the organization. And know that if you're used to making quick, independent decisions, you've now got a board and regulatory and financial reporting requirements to contend with.
The best way to search is to focus thematically on the missions that are most compelling to you, she says.
There will be fewer short-term rewards than in the corporate world. Fulfillment comes from long-term success, adds Brennan. And there are countless ways to do that with people, animals and communities counting on you to help them eat, build shelter and live healthier lives.
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