What does this mean?

19 Comments

1. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 7:01PM UTC

   NFP's are notorious for high turnover. People take the job, get experience and move on for higher paying jobs. Usually when people see you work for an NFP they know the pay was low and that budgets are really tight.

2. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 8:15PM UTC

   In the right city, you can make six figures in most manager/director-level jobs, and some of the top positions, such as executive directors and C-suite, can make salaries competitive to the private sector. I have spent my whole career in nonprofits, and with the exception of my very first position, I have always made more money than my friends and have had greater job flexibility and growth.

3. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 7:16PM UTC

   Nonprofits are generally stepping stones and not where you build a career (generally). So directors are generally not going to remain very long.

4. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 8:10PM UTC

   That's not true at all. You clearly don't know many nonprofit lifers.

5. AnonymousFebruary 16,2024 at 3:14PM UTC

   Nonprofit development work is highly specialized and takes a specific skillset. I suppose some people may treat it like a stepping stone but I’ve been in the field for 20 years and really don’t see this as a thing.

6. AnonymousFebruary 17,2024 at 2:10PM UTC

   Definitely not at the Director level.

7. AnonymousFebruary 19,2024 at 3:21PM UTC

   Just as many finish their careers in non-profits when they have a nest egg to fall back on before they retire, they often get hired into director-level positions and don't have the background or training for it, and some step up, but others crash and burn.

8. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 7:59PM UTC

   Coming in with a tech perspective and I'm not a director but I'm seeing the same trend.

   From my vantage point, they've also been one of the top groups hit by layoffs. Honestly, anyone with a manager title (people manager and non-people and above) that's the group that's also been exiting on their own or getting cut...a lot it seems.

   I actually had a Sr. Manager (non-people manager) recently quit without notice the other day and I still don't know why. I agree with what someone said below about manager burnout is real and it's prevalent in this group.

   There was an article I read on LinkedIn recently that discussed how a lot of managers & directors are having a tough time with leading + motivating teams (may it be remote, hybrid or in-person) in this job climate.

   It really is a lot of variables involved but burnout is being felt across all industries. It's also a challenge for them because with reduced staffing or resources, a lot of them are absorbing new responsibilities without compensation . And somehow, its on them to motivate their teams to get behind taking on more work too without compensation as well. It's all a trickle down effect here!

   I certainly hope work/life balance starts to improve for folks all around. We need it!

9. AnonymousFebruary 16,2024 at 2:52PM UTC

   I would agree with the burnout. I'm only a supervisor but I'm struggling every day with trying to keep my teams motivated to do anything more than the bare minimum. They don't see rewards for taking on more work, so they've shut down any of the 'extras'. I get it but someone has to take it on and if they won't, I Have to. I'm working 55-60hr work weeks while the rest of my team is doing their bare 40. Upper Management is in the same situation, they can't keep dumping things on those under them because they know what our situation is, so they take on more as well. Even in the best companies with great managerial support it's exhausting. So, the options are quit and try to find something different or keep going until you just can't do it anymore.

   I don't expect anyone to kill themselves for their job or even work more than their 40hrs but when they have no interest in taking on new responsibilities or job duties, don't rate yourself a 4/5 on your review and don't complain that you're getting the bare minimum of an increase. They'll complain about not being rewarded but how can I reward them when they are only doing the bare minimum?

   The whole shift of everyone to 'all about me', especially at the workplace will be a big factor as to why even good companies fall.

10. AnonymousFebruary 16,2024 at 11:04PM UTC

    Oof! I felt every word you wrote and I'm sorry this is happening. Just wanted to acknowledge you were heard and seen, and hope things do get better for you. I do not envy having your job no one bit!

11. AnonymousFebruary 18,2024 at 3:17PM UTC

    Did they quit or where they “let go”

    I know several companies that when they want to get someone to leave but can’t find a valid reason they then - Eliminate the position to lay them off and nobody else on the team or company seems to know what happened to them. How did they just up and quit. But that wasn’t the truth

12. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 8:09PM UTC

    They're chasing bigger paychecks. People who make it director have usually stayed in the field longer than the 1-3 years that people who use the profession as a stepping stone do. Since many nonprofits have no layer in the hierarchy between Director and Executive Director levels, and if they do, it's one position like an Assistant Executive Director, those who want to either get a bump financially or to the ED slot keep moving on until they find something right. I have been in nonprofits for 15 years (this year), and have held Director-level roles for ten years at various orgs, each time I have left, it has been for more money first, more growth opportunities second (moving from a very grassroots org to a small but national org), and third work/life balance last. Although, in my most recent transition, work/life balance and a positive work environment were second on my list because frankly, I'm just too old for a lot of the nonsense that goes on in many nonprofits.

13. AnonymousFebruary 15,2024 at 8:17PM UTC

    I agree that there's a lot of nonsense going on in non-profits. I also don't have the energy for this kind of tom-foolery and small paychecks.

14. AnonymousFebruary 17,2024 at 2:10PM UTC

    Some of it is that directors can make more in the for profit sector with fewer headaches, but many non-profits are also facing succession issues where directors are nearing retirement with no obvious successors because non profits aren’t attracting young candidates because of low pay.

15. AnonymousFebruary 17,2024 at 4:19PM UTC

    I just left a nonprofit ED role.

    I led the organization through COVID and a changing fundraising environment, and important increased calls for racial equity after the murder of George Floyd.

    in some cases, EDs and director-level staff left after self-reflection over the need for black leadership. Some of them realized they didn’t have the skills to lead an anti-racist organization.

    There’s also a huge change happening in the workplace-staff are unionizing and demanding more work life balance and emotional support from managers. In my opinion, this is an important pendulum swing in the right direction. However, many managers don’t have training on how to manage this changing workforce for performance.

    Staff members are breaking long-held norms by talking to the press and posting on social media about workplace environments, layoffs, racial and gender equity expectations, often naming naming managers and executives in tweets, posts and takedown articles.

    All important steps toward accountability for people in power and workplaces, certainly.

    But when these increased expectations are combined with active boards of directors and a challenging fundraising environment, it requires a leader with great self-reflection and resilience.

    The other posters are right, you can be paid more in other sectors, without the expectation of fundraising to meet payroll for the organization.

16. Amy Miller, Psy.D. - Career CoachFebruary 18,2024 at 2:18PM UTC

    Thank you for this balanced insight - this is useful to think about.
    I have been having a lot of conversations lately about the importance of change, when people are avoiding it because it seems hard/uncertain. I work mostly with individuals so have been advocating for necessary and positive changes in people's individual career paths, but it sounds like what you are describing here is times when change is needed in an organization - and is assumed to be negative (so much turnover is stressful) but ultimately may be necessary and maybe the new leadership at these organizations are a better fit for the changes needed to those workplaces.

17. AnonymousFebruary 18,2024 at 2:17PM UTC

    I was recruited from a manager position into a director role and was in way over my head. Within 4 months I was told I was "not thriving" in the role. Being a director can have a steep learning curve and a lot of these orgs want you to hit the ground running. Without the exact right background, it can set you up for failure, like what happened to me. I gave 150% in the role and did not succeed. I left the organization after 4 months and switched industries. (I'm OK - I've gotten over it and chalk it up to a tough learning experience). My point is, a lot of these director roles want a LOT for not much money and they can be very hard to succeed in!

18. AnonymousFebruary 18,2024 at 3:16PM UTC

    The Directors have had their tittles for the correct amount of time and now they are moving on to make much more money either in government or private sector. Non-profits are notorious for paying very low salaries. People will take low pay to capture a “title” to sweeten up their resume then move on.

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