What Do You Do When Your Nonprofit Staff Want Raises We Can’t Afford?
By Sara Hudson
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Dear AANE,
During its formative years, our organization prioritized equity over expansion and made decisions to positively impact the compensation and work-life balance of our staff. There seems to now be a culture, if you will, among us wherein the enhancements have now raised the expectations.
Some of us simultaneously pride ourselves on working outside of (and often against) societal power structures and corporate mindsets, while expecting retirement plans, guaranteed cost-of-living raises, and an overabundance of transparency in the employment/compensation arrangements of our coworkers.
While we are making efforts to raise and diversify our development capacity, much of our funding is level, public, and predictable. We want to provide for our staff to the degree that we can, but without risking negative impact on the sustainability of our mission. It can be challenging, at times, to see these priorities as congruent (which they are), as even the most dedicated professionals among us must prioritize our own personal needs and goals as well.
The question, then, is: What are some ideas on how to frame or lead conversations surrounding this issue?
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