For anyone who has worked in the nonprofit setting, I don't have to tell you how everyone is overworked and underpaid. But this week hit a new low.
We're having a lot of staff leave/looking for jobs due to how low the pay is (myself included, I've only had one raise in three years – 2% lol and I am covering for 2 other managers who have left their jobs). We're talking like each position paying at least 15k-20k less than folks could get by taking the same job at competing nonprofit. I'm a supervisor at my job and I had a staff who does a mix of direct work and supervision ask me to be a reference since she's applying elsewhere. I mentioned to her that I'm likely leaving my role in the next 3 months and if she was interested in my position she would likely be promoted if she stayed. Then she goes on to tell me that she has already had a conversation with my boss about stepping into a full time supervisory role with us and was told that she would only be paid 2k more per year for this promotion. I couldn't believe it when she told me this, because I know I make like at least 15k more than she does.
Hearing this also shed some light on what happened to me in the past. I left my last agency for this one because the exact same thing happened to me there — I was doing a mix of direct work and supervision and was only offered 2k for becoming a full time supervisor, while competing nonprofits offered me 35% more for the same role.
The whole thing just disgusts me and it makes me want to leave even more now. There's a reason we can't hire or retain any staff, and my program deserves to shut down and I'm sure it will happen in the next year or so given the way things are going. Our CEO literally said at a luncheon that our agency can't keep staff because “people don't want to work anymore.” Well maybe people are willing to work if you pay them a living wage and give them literally any reason to stay. And internal promotions shouldn't be punishments but clearly that's exactly what they are.