I recently interviewed for a job at a local nonprofit in my small town. It was for a program manager position and the program in question is very well known in our area. People come from across the state to use this program. It's very involved and complex. My experience is exactly in line with the job and the manager who was interviewing me seemed like a decent person to work for. Our personalities meshed well.
The manager was very upfront about the pay of this position being low when compared to the private sector and said the salary was fixed. I've worked in nonprofits before so this was not unexpected. She also mentioned that the position involved a lot of pandering to the board of the nonprofit (again, expected) because they make the final decisions. The manager also told me that the board had a new president who started a month earlier, so she wasn't able to give me a lot of insight into what the president wanted like she normally would be.
The offer for the job came in on a Friday. The pay was lower than I was hoping for. I told the manager I needed the weekend to think it over. On Saturday I met up with my in-laws and mentioned the job offer. My MIL told me that she knew someone on the board (small town, my MIL has lived here forever and knows everyone) and said she'd talk to them to see if they had any insight on the job.
My MIL called me on Sunday. Her friend on the board told her that the offer I'd received was half the salary that the board initially approved. The role has had a lot of turnover because of its complexity and low pay, so the board had approved a salary slightly above the average private sector pay for a similar role in order to retain their next hire. The new board president came in and slashed it in half because they believed nonprofit employees were there for the mission and not the money.
I called the manager on Monday and told her what I knew and turned down the job. She said she understood and I could tell she was upset with the situation. She asked if I'd be willing to take the job if she was able to convince the president to raise the salary back up to the initial rate. I told her I might consider it but at this point I was turned off by the idea of working under a board president who thought so little of my work and the importance of the role. The manager said she'd give me a call whenever the board got a new president and straight up said she wasn't optimistic about any new hire staying in the role as it stands.
Anyway, this is your friendly reminder that companies don't give a fuck about you and your livelihood. Do what you gotta do to get money in your pocket and food on the table.