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Making a Difference and Making a Living: Finding a nonprofit Job in the Bay Area
table of contents
acknowledgements acknowledgements
foreword foreword

 
part 1: the nonprofit sector background information
chapter 1: rewards and challenges of nonprofit work rewards & challenges of nonprofit work
chapter 2: understanding the nonprofit sector understanding the nonprofit sector  
chapter 3: education education
chapter 4: who are you and where do you want to go? who are you & where do you want to to go? 
part 2: job search strategies
chapter 5: managing the job search process managing the job search process
chapter 6: getting your foot in the door without starving getting your foot in the door without starving
chapter 7: gathering information gathering information
chapter 8: informational interviews informational interviews
chapter 8: informational interviews marketing yourself
part 3: the job search process. nuts and bolts
chapter 8: informational interviews getting an interview
chapter 8: informational interviews the job interview
chapter 12: negotiating negotiating
chapter13: following up and staying in the loop following-up & staying in the loop
 
appendix 1: common nonprofit job titles appendix 1: 
common nonprofit job titles
appendix 2: assessment of nonprofit wages and benefits appendix 2:
assessment of nonprofit wages & benefits
contributors contributors
   

 

While nonprofit work has many rewards, salary is a very real factor in determining the sustainability of a position. The best way to make a difference in the world is to make sure that you take positions that can hold your interest and enthusiasm!

As a general rule of thumb, total nonprofit compensation tends be 25% to 50% lower than similar positions in the private sector, although this number is obviously subject to variation from job to job and from location to location. Benefits and especially bonuses (either end-of-year or project-specific) generally represent an even larger share of this difference than do straight salary levels in the nonprofit sector. When you do receive an offer, be sure to ask about the potential for the position's salary.

The guidelines below are very approximate. They are intended as "orders of magnitude" estimates and should not be used to evaluate specific salary offers or individual organizations' compensation of specific staff members.

While the salary figures below are specifically for the Bay Area, these numbers can help to determine how various types of nonprofit positions compare throughout the country. Please note that salaries in the nonprofit sector vary even more than in other sectors, and the numbers below only represent general averages of the "middle 50%" of such positions at Bay Area nonprofits with an annual budget of less than $2 million (larger organizations typically pay more, although variations obviously occur).

For individuals new to the nonprofit sector or new to these specific positions, it is safe to assume that the lower number of this range represents a realistic target for most initial job seekers.

Table I. Middle Range of Base Salaries in the Nonprofit Sector

Position   Annual Salary Range
Executive Director   $41 K - $86 K
Development Director   $40 K - $50 K
Office Manager   $25 K - $40 K
Administrative Assistant   $20 K - $30 K
Program Manager   $25 K - $60 K
Information Systems Manager   $30 K - $50 K
Licensed Clinical Social Worker*
* Requires Master of Social Work (MSW) degree		   $27 K - $42 K

The source of this information is The 1999 Wage & Benefit Survey of The Northern California Nonprofit Organizations, produced by The Management Center. This survey is also the most comprehensive source of nonprofit salary information in the Bay Area.

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