Is $120,000-plus too much for a charity worker salary?

this is ludicrous...Ive just made up my mind not to donate to anymore large charities...must be a proven local or nothing

Charities are big business and as complicated, if not more so, than private businesses. They have to compete with government and business to hire competent executives and managers. If you have a complaint against the salaries, complaine about government and the private sector equally with the charities.

How smart do you have to be to hire a call center to ask for money? They ca spin it any way they want but my charity donations will be local and only if all of it goes to the cause. goes to the cause.

This article is somewhat misleading and people need to look further. It makes it looks like the people being paid are organizing the charity and that's not always true. The stats are being manipulated here. Some of the charities are things like Universities and Research Institutes. I don't mind donating towards paying the very best doctors in the world to conduct cancer research - and that is the kind of person who is making over $350,000 at UBC. It's not the people in their fundraising department (although they may make $100,000).

Thank you Myth Buster!

I work for a charity. There are four employees who provide FREE educational services to adults. Our annual budget is $120,000 and less. We are all underpaid for what we do. If I worked in the FOR PROFIT I would be making double. However, I love my job and I know I make a difference in our community. For some charities you have to pay people to provide the services such as educators.

Also the 6000 people who make over $120,000 makes up less than 0.5% of the charity workers.

My wife has done a lot of charity work for many organizations over the yrs!
I've(for yrs. asked why so many folks can live so well off charities!
I'm not talking about the Top people but more the next three levels or so(you just have to look at the lifestyle the wages these jobs support)!
Sometime It would appear that it's just so that folks who can best afford to pay thier fair share of taxes don't have to& by doing some charity work the well off folks can feel a little better off about themselves!
Shouldn't hospitals,schools ect. be fully funded out of tax dollars?
Why should the elderly,disabled& family with children get so little money that they are forced to rely on clothing drives, food banks ect!
When you leave things like this up to the whims of the public, a lot of folks get left out!!

I used to volunteer for the Winnipeg Humane Society. I am a professional, with good education and experience and never worked in such fancy, expensive offices like the leeches at the shelter do.
You would not believe the environment and the money coming in. Most of it never goes to the animals in need, like they say. People, stop donating to those parasites. Bring in food, linens, supplies, but not money. They even have a boutique, where the prices are unbelievable high. They pretend they help animals. They live in a luxurious hotel there. They have three coordinators for volunteers. Why would they need that many? They sit there and do nothing. Oh, I forgot, interview people. Greed, arrogance to the extreme and laziness. That is the name of that "Charitable organization". A lot of the people in the back don't even have animals or never petted one at the shelter.
Now, you will see a lot of comments coming in from them. Very defensive ones. Just wonder why.

I have close family who work "at the top" for a charity.
It's all a facade for finding an easy way to scam people out of their hard earned money.
Remember, charities come in many different forms.
My opinion is, noone should be making money at any charity. Every cent should be going to the ppl in need. It should be all volunteer work, done from the heart. That being said, if you are going to pay anyone, noone, including the CEO, should be making more than minimum wage and each person making any money should be closely monitored. In the event they feel their rights are violated by being monitored, they have the right to leave.
After my experiences, I am now against charities.

I work for PLEA Community Services in Vancouver. Just a few months, the board approved pay increases for senior management. We have at least 5 managers making 100,000 plus. This is in addition to the 2 executive director making over 130,000 ea.

Why do you think there are no cures? These people and many like them would lose there wonderful jobs.

I have worked for a NPO for the past 23 years in a management position and I make under 50k a year plus I am on call 12 weeks a year.

Salation Army is the only charity that deserves donations

I only donate to salvation army, money and clothes, household goods etc.
Most charities are a scam, after I found out about their salaries.

I think that alll you haters need to look into what a charity is for CRA purposes. A few have mentioned univerisities, etc., but there are many more that impact the average and are outside of the organizations that typically come to mind. For example, many service providers for the developmentally disabled are non-proift and qualify for charity status with CRA. These are complex agencies that require qualified, competent leaders. In the major urban centres (which is by far the majority of the population), $120,000/year may be a 30%+ discount to what an indivudual could earn in the for-profit sector. I've worked in both and am now currently employed by a non-proift. My previous position paid me total compensation of around $195,000/year and I now make $115,000/year. Guess what, the new job is harder, I still work around the same hours and it is way harder to leave the "job" at the office when it's peoples lives that are in the balance. My real payment comes from making a difference, so i gladly accept the lower pay. I'd love to know what the haters think I should be doing...work for $50,000/yr? And I don't really care if "that's a lot of money for lots of people", it's not for me, not even close. It's peole like me who are the vast majority of the "high earning" non-proifit workers. If society was willing to do all of the work on a volunteer basis then i would be free to make double my income and live the easy life...

I work for an non profit organization. Our CEO make $120000 plus and have increasment every year, whereas the worker only received minimum paid and have increasemnt of 1 - 2% every two years.

I was astounded to read that so many exeuctives workin g for Charities make over $120,000.
I am well educated with both public and business experience. I worked for CESO where we
were only paid our travel and livin g expenses. I was a business expert and lectured to
the Aboriginal business community. I enjoyed my work , however when I was asked to
contribute to our assignments I quit. I don"t know what the top executives made however
there has been a change to the top management. I do not subscribe to the theory that
Charities have to pay high wages to get good executives- most people work for charities
because they feel they are doin g something worth while for society.

What a load of parsimonious crap Darcy J attempted to unload on us. As an educator for 37 years, I VOLUNTEERED to coach several sports during the school year without thought of any extra remuneration or "compensory" time off (as there would be none forthcoming anyway) and at the great personal expense of quality family time. This would consume most evenings for most of the school year as well as weekend tournaments and meets. After practices or games I would then have to prepare for the next day's/week's classes and mark any tests, assignments, projects, etc., also "unpaid time". Were I the only one doing so, I would class myself as a supreme idiot but I am in the company of a host of other teachers who DEDICATE themselves to their students, athletes, and their schools, and all of us earn nowhere near a six-figure salary as Darcy does. Darcy -- have ykou heard of the word "dedication" or does everything you do carry a price tag? I find your use of the term "haters" particularly offensive and your entire demeanor reeks of secularismn and greed. "Community spirit" in your eyes appears to be a foreign and undesireable trait. Try VOLUNTEERING your services, whether at your rather well-paying job, in your community, place of worship, ar even at home and see what true elation and satisfaction feels like. Everything done does NOT have to carry a price tag.

I have had experiences where people who have a tremendous amount of money have been able to utilize resources from charities to take trips to forein contries for there whole family vacation paid for in full 1 case in perticular is a family of 5 who owns 2 houses no mortgage 3 mustang cars 2 horses, private schools, athletic trainers, 1 mustang was custom built and transported, owned there own buisness and was able to use charity money for a vacation in Aulstraila for no cost whatsoever the charity picked up the tab for everything. because of this I refuse to donate even 1 dollor to any charity. I will donate my time and energy and even my household items but never money they obviosly do not have a priorty system.

80% of all donated money goes into salaries and bills, approx 20% is used towards the actual deed of the charity, no point of donating, instead go out and give someone a helping hand, at least you know it was done.

Rick, I volunteer for a lot of things...about 5 hours per week (all I can do with 3 kids under 12), so spare me the "price tag" BS, I give up most of my non-work/non-family time already.

Rick, would you have been willing to go from $75,000/yr to $40,000 as a teacher to do so in a "non-pofit" manner? More work, more pressure, way less pay? I for one think that teachers are underpaid and over worked. It's a tough job and one of the most important professions we have. The problem though, is that you have limited choices to do anything else. There isn't a private sector that will pay you $150,000/yr. You knew that when you signed up and did so anyways...it was obviously your calling.

Now, just because I have a different salary reality doesn't make me uncaring and all about the money. I am making about $47,000 less (net after tax) than I used to per year, but do so happily. And no one held a gun to the heads of the people doing the hiring. The cardinal rule is that you are paid based on how difficult it is to replace you...and for people like me we can be hard to replace, not because I'm special, but because there are so many more options that pay a lot more. If they could have found the expetise at $75,000/yr, don't you think they would have?

Darcy J,
for $115,000.00 you could send some one to college who would normally not be able to go to college to learn your skills with a 10 year contract to follow at a much lower rate of pay, after 2 years of college an 10 years of work at a lower rate sy maybe 40 or 50 grand the charity would save a ton of money and also give someone a opertunity that they would be greatfull for. your decrease in salary hold no sympathy here.

I've been working for a for a non-profit organization for more than 1 year, and there's one thing that is shocking: The for-profit companies targetting the non-profit organizations as their core business. And believe me, their prices have nothing "charitable"...

Wow, this is my last post, no way to spend my week off.

Lynda, you know not of what you speak. A 4 year university degree is pretty easy to find in the job market...it's the 15+ years of experience and my CA that dictates my salary. I knew nothing after I left UBC...

Your plan sounds great for soviet style administration...who is going to teach these new graduates on the job? The degree is about 10% of it, at most.

And Lynda, your plan gives you a bookkeeper at the end, and I pay mine $44,000/yr.

I really wish the world was as easy to navigate as some in these comments make out. I'm sorry, but the ignorance is impossible to deny...

Well Darcy, it appears YOU are the ignorant one.
If you can't afford to "work" at a charity by volunteering, than please go and find a better job that would suit your needs better. In the meantime, I agree fully with Lynda here. That salary you are making could be put to much better use, used for the people you claim to be working for in this charity.

While CRA regulations state that 20% on admin is the MAX a charity can spend - it's often not the case. Most fundraising companies charge a minimum of 30% on fundraising they do on behalf of a charity. Many charities will 'max out' to the 20%. All a charity has to do is inform the CRA in writing that they will exceed the 'max' - and that they will try to improve in order to get the 'OK'. REmember - charity LAW is sketchy in Canada, there are guidelines that have been arrived at through court cases.

This is NOT a new scenario - The Lords of Pover (The Business of International Development) by Hancock goes back almost exactly to this day in 1985 in his research on this (the book was the result of what he saw through his journalism work during the 'Live Aid' Era) - and things haven't changed.

People NEED to start researching where there donor dollars are going and make educated choices on where they put their donations. If that were to happen, the wasters would soon disappear.

We are Not Canucks, we are Canadians.

Nawww... I like Canucks !!

As another CA, I have to side with Darcy here. If you are not a professional then you know not of what you speak.

Hey Rick, would you have been willing to go to jail if something went wrong like a CEO of a chairity might ? I sit on as a director on 2 boards for charities and I sure as hell would not if I was not paid. If there is a scandal or an investigation my name gets dragged through the mud. If there is theft or some other breach of duty of care I could risk going to jail. I am not going to put myself on the line for free.

Additionally as a professional if I could otherwise be making $250+ an hour doing what I normally do why would I work for free on something just as complex ?

Lydia, the fallacy in your logic is that once the person you paid and trained sees that they can make a lot more for the same amount of work in the private sector for the same responsibility they will leave and you have to replace them all over again.

I don't know why you people think someone who picks up the trash, or fixes a car, or something like that is qualified to give advice on what someone who has real responsibility should be paid.

As usual, most of the posters here are the jealous "Waa he has more than I do" type that make people who DO have the skills to make a difference avoid putting them to use where they could be of the most benefit.

Here is a question for some of you:

Would you let a random person off the street manage your retirement, and your finances, as well as all the major decisions you have to make such as buying a house, getting married, having children, medical treatment etc ?

The answer from every single one of you would be "NO". You would find someone quailified to make the decisions. A banker or accountant for your finances, a doctor for you medical care, a contractor and/or a building inspector and a realtor for a house.

I love how everyone says they would do the job for less than the guy doing it. Yes, you might very well do so, but you lack the proper skills and he/she does not and THAT is why they are being paid what they are.

A CEO of a charity doesn't just sit around and make calls asking for money. He has to coordinate people, and for a national or even tougher still an international charity that means a huge amount of time spent figuring out where resources are best used. These people have to forcast demand for services (from disaster, recession or what ever other pursuit the charity is working with) They have to balance budgets, address staffing and be knowledgeable of the laws and regulations governing their charity, again not just locally. Laws for the same charity can be different over territorial lines.

Withholding your donations is not going to hurt people like Darcy or myself. We will get paid no matter where we take our talents. By depriving a charity of donations, and the skills of people like us because you disagree with the pay, you are only hurting those who need it the most....the people that these charities support.

People get paid the big bucks to make the big decisions. The views expressed here show that almost none of you are able to see the big picture beyond the salary and THAT is why you make the salary you do, and those of us with the skills to see the big picture and make the big decisions get paid what we do.

Chazz: I think the real problem here is that people, like myself, view charity as "something that is given to those in dire need, those that are destitute." That means food or clothing, for example. I think in many people's opinion, you don't need a degree for that. That is the argument here.
As for you asking would you get a random person to manage your finances or your health. My answer is "yes, i would" and "I do." No, I am not in debt and I research myself for the health of my family. We are all quite healthy.
I also think you mentioned about the regulations of charities and you make this sound difficult to follow. I think they should be regulated much better and yes, I've researched this.
I do understand that you work and you might feel underappreciated. Just realize that even if you did this work for free, those that you were helping, if they were destitute, would greatly appreciate it, and isn't a smile and a "thanks" enough from them?