Real-life MMD: Should I try to boost my salary at a charity?

AliBaliBee_2

I think its ok to haggle, after all you have to live on what they pay! If you cant afford to drop salary now, you could always plan to work for them later in your life when you retire or have more time or take a career break for a set period of time.

Another thing to consider is not only how well they pay, but what happens when staff are off sick because they are trying to continually save money. My friend is the manager at a well known charity shop and when a manager at the shop in the next town went off sick all the other managers were expected to cover between them with no extra pay - and care for their own shop too! This went on for weeks. They never hire temps to save money. This happens routinely in this particular charity. If it happens in your charity too, then not only would you have longer hours and less pay for what you are expected to do, but also even longer hours for no extra pay to cover for others off sick for lengthy periods. You have to be strong to work for a charity or they will take advantage of you and you will end up ill and off sick yourself. Id say stay in your present job until such time as you can 'afford' to work for the charity.

bmf

Unless you can comfortably afford the drop in salary and extra costs, I think you should negotiate a better package before accepting the job. Don't feel guilty just because it is a charity - they shouldn't expect people to work for less. After all, you are not a charity despite wanting to work for one. I expect the ceo/director/ top managers etc get paid top/good wages comparable with the market place, so why shouldn't you expect the same? I know that doesn't sound very charitable, but they are a business after all and you have to think of yourself first and foremost.

lyndorset

Charities need good staff these days and they know they have to pay for the best staff. There is some good advice here. but my feelings are they should pay you close to what you would get elsewhere, as someone said if you are commited to the extra commute, they should commit to a bit more money to meet you part way.

Good Luck - go for it!

scoobydoobydoo

My sister took herself out of the recruitment process for a job she really wanted on the basis that she couldnt afford the drop. She to had increased commute costs and longer hours, it was also much more responsibility.

They rang her and offered an increase above what she had said she would do it for plus an increment to cover the commute. She took it and has been promoted twice since, is now a director.

You know your worth and charity or not, they need to pay a realistic salary in order to get someone who is best for the job.

queline

I have just been offered a job with a charity, its a step up for me with more responsibility and not actually the job I applied for but on reading my CV and interviewing me, they decided I would be suitable for the more senior post. However at the interview no conditions of employment were mentioned at all so I had to contact them with a list of questions to ask such as salary (yes really), leave and all the usual stuff because its important to get these sorted before you start the job but I was made to feel that I had got my priorities all wrong by asking these questions, as they implied that surely the job offer and my ability to do the job was more important but how can you accept a job without knowing what salary you are going to be on? I still don't know as it has to go to the board of trustees. Yes I care about the charity and realise how important it is but it's also my livelihood, I wouldn't work if I didn't have to. There's too many sarcastic comments been given here and no doubt more in response to my post

Delta_bravo

Based on my recent experience working at the National Trust I strongly suggest that you quantify the true value of your skills and and compare it to the offered salary. I joined the Trust at a significantly lower salary and moved location because I felt passionate about their cause and honestly felt I could add value. I assumed they were a strategically aligned organisation that shared the same vision and goals. Boy was I wrong. I fell into a disorganised array of inflated egos with intentionally blinkered and disconnected departments. If you build in the significant time delay (and resultant frustration) caused by this, I definitely would have asked for more!

freckled24

elsien wrote: »

I disagree. I work for a charity but I still need a certain amount of money to live on to get by. They may be a charity but they are also a business and if they want good staff they may have to pay comparable wages to non-charities. I don't see why you can't try to negotiate - if that's not a route they wish or are able to go down then you can decide if it's worth it or not for you and your personal circumstances.
I have to be honest I do get a bit fed up of the emotional blackmail that can come along with working for a charity. A good cause is not always enough, not with a mortgage and a family to support.[/QUOTE





Here here and well said! It's a lifestyle choice to work for a charity yes - but that does not mean you should write off the value of your skills, knowledge and experience, just because it's a charity. If you've done your sums and need to negotiate then do - they can say yes or no. If they say no, then you need to work out what you want to do. The professionals who work in charities are as entitled to ask for pay rises for the skilled work they do as others are in other businesses.


We get very little (if any at all) benefits working for a charity but we do it because we care and choose to put our skills to good use for others - but you can't pay bills and support yourself on 'feeling good' and you have to think of yourself too and what you need to live.

Savvy_Sue

There is no way that the charity I work for would pay one person £5000 more pa than another doing a similar job, however we'd rather you discussed openly with us what you needed than accepted the job and then said you weren't coming.

We do offer a pension plan (although all employers will have to do that before long) and have (IMO) reasonably good terms and conditions. But I know there's mutterings about increasing the length of our working week, so even if you haggle with them now, there's no guarantee they won't haggle with you in a few months' time.

marich

OK , so you like the aims of the charity BUT (if you like them that much) why haven't you been donating £5,000 a year to them as well as putting in some voluntary hours you'd have a long commute to ?

Think about it ! Stick to the easier money - you can always be charitable if you want .

KBel

There's nothing wrong with negotiating, charity or not.

Most companies, when they make the initial offer, know that this is likely to happen and leave some room for it. The only time I did not negotiate a starting salary was at my very first job - to find out months later that a colleague doing exactly the same thing, also with zero previous experience, was paid 20% more. Lesson learnt!

I think there's nothing wrong with making some small sacrifices to do something you love, but not if it's going to put you into debt and leave you no time to do other things you enjoy. Decide for yourself what conditions would make you happy to take this, then stick with it.