Real-life MMD: Should I try to boost my salary at a charity?
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Yes, worth a go, they are still an employer... charity or not0
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Yes it is unreasonable to haggle with a charity, no you shouldn't try to boost your salary.
You have a job that pays well, is a comfortable commute and has straightforward working hours. Why on earth are you looking to change jobs ? :huh: Unless your present company is folding, laying off 85% of staff or likely to kick you out - why not just stay put?
Taking a cut plus considerable inconvenience makes no financial sense. How would you explain this to a future employer?
They would think - however good the job I offer, she could just up sticks and do something random. Too risky!
Better charity to let someone else take the role, someone for whom it will be a positive career move (hopefully).0 -
... they are a charity but you are not.
QFT.
http://www.internetslang.com/QFT_20-meaning-definition.asp0 -
The fact that you want to work for the charity and they want you to work for them is a promising starting point to negotiations. I would suggest telling them that you are really keen to accept their offer of the job and explain that you cannot afford a reduction in your salary. If they offer you either an increase in the starting salary or a written promise of a substantial increase after, say, six months it may make the salary more acceptable. If they say they cannot offer you a higher salary you are the only person who can decide whether you can live on what they have offered. Another consideration would be promotion prospects. A lower starting salary might be acceptable if you have good prospects there.
I agree with others that you should not accept a lower salary just because you would be working for a charity. It is run as a business and you need to earn enough to live on.0 -
In this case 'charity really does begin at home'.
Although, Gordon the Moron does have a valid point. Anyone can take a 5k drop on 100k but certainly not on 20k.
Not enough info you see, my lovely. Percentages and statistics is all....0 -
I used to do a lot of contracting work for charities. Obviously it varies from charity to charity, so I'm not trying to paint them all with the same brush however in the majority that I've worked for the 'top' people in those charities pay themselves far more than the going rate for people with their skill set/experience. So don't feel bad about trying to get more money.
I work for a charity and have responsibilities for recommending pay levels for all levels of staff. We carefully benchmark against others in our sector and it is definitely not true to say that we pay far more than the going rate. I would say that the opposite is true. We pay fairly, sufficient to attract people with the right skills/experience but not more than the going rate. Personally I could get higher pay if I went to the public or private sector, but at the same time I am paid a reasonable pay rate. If someone with higher pay wants to work for us, we will consider negotiations with them, but we have to also consider the fairness of that with established employees. We openly advertise our rates of pay so people will know in advance what the range is for that post - so we wouldn't expect people to ask for pay outside that range.0 -
You need to work out what you can afford to live on and if the charity is offering less than this you cannot afford to take the post. Try to negotiate a deal which accommodates both sides' needs. There is nothing immoral whatsoever about doing this and they would probably expect such a 'conversation' anyway as charities are very savvy about money and know about and exploit their tax exempt status on the basis of financial knowledge and clout. Also, you might take into consideration that many charities now are paying six figure sums to their directors (something which they do not advertise to those who donate!) and it might well be considered that you will be more valuable to the charity than those who turn up, make a few decisions and collect their salary and expenses.0
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Don't take it, let someone who is committed to the charity take it instead as they won't be motivated by money.
This a really mean thing to say! We all have to earn a certain amount to survive. It doesn't mean you are motivated by money or, worse, greedy, which is what your post seems to imply.
I'm in a similar position myself right now. I'm temping and have been offered the same position on a permanent basis at £4.5k less that I earn as a temp. I really want the job, but I am finally in a better place financially after years of being in and out of temporary contracts and taking a salary cut of this size will take me, if not back to square one, then certainly backwards!
Good luck to the original poster. I hope you can make a decision, the right one for you. I can't give you any advice though as I'm stuck too...ha!0 -
Hi I worked for a charity for over 10 years. I took a pay cut and relocated to do it. For me it was a mistake. I took the job because I cared about the charity and because of that I worked longer hours than employed for (for no pay), found most of my social life taken over by the charity (through no fault of the charity - but simply the fact you are working for a charity makes it hard to say NO). Also I was under the misguided illusion that because it was a charity that everyone would be 'in it together' when in fact some were 'in it' for the kudos but actually didn't really care. They seemed to be the higher positioned staff who left the hands on 24 hr staffing cover to the rest of us (but they were happy to attend the Balls). Now I know I sound a little bitter - but the truth is if you can afford to do it - go for it - but I would suggest you have a 2 year plan and can get out before getting 'sucked in' My first 2 years were great but after that me and the people I worked with started getting 'burnt out'/exhausted. With hindsight it was at that point I should have moved on. It's only one persons perspective but I hope it helps. Good luck.0
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My daughter is in exactly the same situation, albeit in Australia. Offered fixed week Sun to Thurs, therefore she can never have a Sat and Sun off when her partner is off, longer working hours, longer commute and $150 a week less than she is currently earning (which is not a huge salary). Regrettably she will turn the job down - at the end of the day sometimes working for a charity is not enough to put bread on the table and have a little left over for savings.
This person should negotiate with the charity - after all the charity is in effect a business and you wouldn't hesitate to negotiate with a non-charitable business.0
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