The Nonprofit FAQ

Are NPO wages too low?
Cher Hesrud wrote:

"Now, if we could all work together to change the ever present mind set
that to work for a nonprofit means dedication, hard work, and little
pay. To the majority of the people in this country, people work for
noprofits just because they are committed--not thinking far enough about
it to realize that we all have bills to pay, children to raise, food to
eat. The attitude is perpetuated by the sector itself."

Mary Ellen Barnes, Ph.D, a board member of the Harbor Free Clinic in San
Pedro, CA added:

"I totally agree with what Cher Hersrud wrote regarding nonprofit pay. I
worked in the non profit sector for many years (am now self-employed,
but on a non-profit board). I always figured that non profit applied to
the organization not me. Seriously, I really think we do ourselves a
great disservice by accepting jobs where the pay is exceedingly low for
the responsibility, experience and/or educational level they require for
the job. Saying that we aren't in it for the money, begs the question -
we all work for money - that is how we live. Otherwise we would all work
as volunteers all the time (and some people do).

"I have always felt that if we wouldn't take the jobs that offer
insulting low wages, then the organizations would have to pay a
respectable wage to get someone good in the job. (that's how it works
in the private sector) Why do so many of us go ahead and accept the poor
pay anyway? I have never understood this. Teachers do the same thing.
Why is this?"

Which inspired this from "Dave Matthews" (dmatthews@acf.dhhs.gov):

Dear Friends,

Great post by Dr. Mary Ellen Barnes on the subject of outrageously low
non-profit wages, as reproduced above !!

Perhaps from an economist's perspective, it could be argued that the
"tools and techniques" available to practitioners in many public service
professions have traditionally been relatively primitive and inefficient
in relation to the tasks which are being attempted -- such that the
economic utility of their output tends to be relatively low. It could be
further noted that SOME of these professions are structured in such a
way that "almost any durn fool" can enter them and drag down aggregate
productivity by inexperience and/or incompetence.

We all might hope that our tools and techniques are gradually improving
-- becoming more powerful and productive -- and that our RELEVANT
professional education, training, and certification are becoming better
developed. To be sure, many SUCCESSFUL projects DO produce splendid
community economic amd/or social benefits -- completely apart from
whether their operators are properly recognized & compensated.

From my limited perspective, persons who severely sacrifice their
personal and/or economic well-being on the pretext of altruism or
humanitarianism need to carefully ask whether they are doing themselves,
the rest of us, and -- ultimately -- their target clientele(s) a
disservice. The negative as well as positive effects of what I have
reluctantly come to describe as "the Jesus Complex" on the professions
in question could stand some detailed analysis. Obviously, I have no way
to know what Jesus might say to us about such matters, but I'm inclined
to think He would favor highly developed, productive, appropriately
compensated professional competence, as compared with its opposite.
Thus, it would seem perfectly ethical to seek fairness for one's self
and one's family in the course of working to help others achieve greater
measures of well-being for themselves. (If my views on this subject are
in serious error, I'm sure there are knowledgeable biblical scholars
among our ranks who can offer contrasting opinions.)

Further, to participate professionally in idealistic/ambitious projects
which are flawed from the outset by hopelessly inadequate resources --
either in terms of personnel, pay, equipment, facilities, methodologies,
etc. -- is merely to set the stage for ignoble failure and reinforcement
of conventional wisdom stereotypes that "do-gooder" social & community
service projects don't work and are a waste of resources.

Precisely because our profession and its projects can SOMETIMES operate
in such a marginally productive and/or half-baked fashion -- with
accompanying low public/political esteem and accompanying inadequate
remuneration -- my own belief is that every true professional in the
field would be well-advised to fortify him/her self with the necessary
vocational alternatives and personal self-confidence to be able to
decline or walk away from "vast new enterprises that are being
implemented on the basis of 'half-vast' planning, preparation, and/or
resources."

It can be argued, of course, that this might lead to abandoning our
chosen field(s) of endeavor to the "boobs" who will remain regardless of
such circumstances. But, in some specific cases, this may be seen as
preferable -- and ultimately more socially responsible -- than
continuing to participate and thereby sacrificing one's self in an
ultimately unsuccessful effort to "save an ill-provisioned and sinking
ship." This, of course, requires tough judgement calls which affect not
only individual practitioners, but their families & significant others
as well.

At least for purposes of discussion, social service providers in certain
specific instances might be well advised ask themselves whether there is
any instructive analogy to be found in Ayn Rand's fictional account of
what happened to the world one fateful day when an accumulation of
factors caused all of the world's capitalists -- temporarily -- to
"throw in the towel" and quit.




Reposted with minor changes 1/19/00 -- PB