Taking Pay Cuts

Q. I am a technology executive with more than 20 years experience in executive management, sales, marketing, and finance. Typically, salaries in my field range from the mid-$100,000s upward. If I want to switch to the nonprofit world, what kind of job opportunities could I step into immediately, with my experience? What credentials should I highlight, to show my talents despite my meager background in philanthropy? And do nonprofit employers usually pay executives relocation expenses?

A. Do you really need to make a salary in the six figures? If so, you might be disappointed. Salaries in the nonprofit world do tend to be lower than salaries in corporate America. And while people who hold the reins at the largest and most well-financed organizations make a good living, fat salaries are not the norm in most charities. (Learn more by checking out the Chronicle’s most recent salary survey.)

In fact, your salary requirements will be one of the first concerns that a nonprofit organization is going to have, says Bart A. Charlow, executive director of the Silicon Valley region’s National Conference for Community and Justice, in San Jose, Calif. They’ll worry that they can’t afford you, he says, so you should be prepared to answer that question in an interview.

If you really feel that you must maintain that kind of salary, be honest with yourself, he urges. Your best bets will be large, national organizations. Larger organizations may also be more willing to pay relocation expenses, but you should be aware that you face a steep uphill climb. Even organizations with large bankrolls are going to question investing their payroll budget into a person with limited nonprofit experience. “Executive skills are transferable, but market-segment experience is not so easily and immediately transferable,” says Mr. Charlow. There are key differences, he says, between the for-profit and nonprofit world. “Many of your expectations and practices will need to undergo adaptation in order to do justice to these differences,” he says.

This is not to say that your sales, marketing, and finance skills wouldn’t be well appreciated at a charity, but you should build some experience before you look to leap into an executive job. Volunteer work is often the best way to do just that, allowing you to make connections while building your résumé — and to get an up-close look at the inside of organizations you think you’d like to join permanently. Many large corporations, Mr. Charlow notes, will support a “loaned executive” for a few months in a nonprofit placement — literally, temporarily loaning out an executive to a charity to fill an empty staff seat. “Most often this is a severance situation, but if it’s available to you, then take it seriously,” he suggests, adding, “If you like it and are suited to it, you’ll have begun transferring your references more realistically to the nonprofit sector.”

Got a question about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world? Send it to us at hotline@philanthropy.com.