You: a brilliant, energetic young professional who wants to make a difference in the world. What you’re looking for: a nonprofit job that can turn into a fulfilling career with a salary that doesn’t put you into the poorhouse. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you already know where to find a nonprofit job (here’s a list of 97 nonprofit job boards, just in case you don’t). The problem is that you may not know what to look for once you apply for the job and start the process of determining whether you want to take the job or not.
Here’s the thing: being satisfied with your salary, while important, is just one factor.
Even though you may be offered a great salary, you may end up with crappy benefits or a toxic workplace. You may find a job you’re really excited about, but at the end of the day, no matter what the mission, or how much you may like your co-workers, you have to make sure the job will be beneficial to your long-term career goals and personal well being. If you dive in headfirst without thinking it through, you could end up hating your nonprofit job. Here are five factors (beyond salary) that you might consider in a nonprofit job. Your goal should be to negotiate the ones that mean most to you into your offer before you accept a position!
- Generous vacation time: meaning at least four weeks off a year. Your work will, at times, be very difficult and you will need a break. A long one. More than just two weeks once a year. Make sure you have enough time allocated so that you can enjoy your time off. If you’re offered only two weeks, ask for four as part of a counter offer, especially if the salary is not ideal.
- Fully paid health benefits: meaning health, dental, and vision covered by the organization. You don’t want to worry about how your doctor bills are going to get paid. I once met a young woman who worked in an arts organization that refused to provide her with even basic coverage. She was broke, miserable, and resented her job every time she got sick and had to come out of pocket. It was a lose/lose situation for everyone.
- Flexible scheduling: you want to have the option to switch up your hours when you need to, work from home periodically, or take on a slash career (part-time job to supplement your salary or learn new skills). What if you need to leave at 3pm to pick up your sick kid? You don’t want to work in a place that frowns upon work/life balance, even if that means you need to come into work on Tuesdays at 10am because you have a personal trainer or do yoga in the morning.
- 403b retirement account: an employer plan set-up to allow you to save for retirement. It’s best if the organization offers some kind of match in addition to your contributions. It makes your money grow faster! And knowing that your nonprofit cares about your long-term financial future will only make you more loyal to the organization.
- Professional development opportunities: ideally, there would a set amount in the budget for staff to attend conferences or workshops to hone their skills. But, in these tough economic times, many nonprofits will tell you they’ve cut their professional development budgets. However, if there’s an annual conference you really want to attend, work the cost into your salary negotiations. You can also sweeten the deal by offering to come back to the office and train all the other staff on what you learned at a particular workshop.
In my nonprofit career, I’ve learned that everything is negotiable. Everything. Especially if you can prove that you have the kind of exceptional talent that the organization needs to succeed. If you can sell yourself really well, the door will be open to getting the best benefits to accompany your salary. In the end, it’s all about what’s important to YOU.
What are some other factors you consider in choosing the ideal nonprofit job?
