To want to earn good money in the charity sector? Success stories and tips, please!

[MyNavyDreamer]

I’m in the charity sector in a relatively senior role, earning just under £44k. I enjoy my work and want to keep progressing, including financially.

Whenever charity sector careers come up, there seems to be a lot of “you’ll never earn good money” or “you don’t go into it to get rich”. I like money and I like my work, I’d like to think those things can coexist!

I’d love to hear from people who’ve built well-paid careers in the sector. What do you do, how did you get there and what helped you increase your earnings? Happy for people to share salary ranges if comfortable.

AIBU to want meaningful work and a good income? Positive stories and practical tips very welcome.

There are comparatively few jobs that are very well paid in the charity sector.

I saw a LinkedIn post recently that was encouraging people who would otherwise be looking for the well-paid charity positions to consider private sector work, with the corresponding level of remuneration, but then serving as a trustee to hit the charity spot. Worth considering?

I have had various charity jobs, and now am at the point that I am unlikely to get a further meaningful payrise unless I move into either a very large charity or into the private sector. Like anywhere else, it is about gaining experience and a network, upskilling and moving jobs with reasonable regularity.

Start your own and salary yourself

I don't think it's that there are no well paid jobs exactly but that they tend to be comparatively paid less than other sectors. I only have any detailed knowledge of my sector (law) but I've applied for a couple of interesting looking GC roles at charities. Each time I've withdrawn once salary is disclosed - tends to be about half what I'm on as a GC in the media sector. And media itself isn't hugely well paid compared to fintech or SAAS or pharma. These were all major national charities with takings well exceeding my companies turnover.

You make that sound as if it would be incredibly easy.

44k is potentially already a good salary pending your role and location.

I don't think there are any generic short cuts.

So if you want a bigger salary, take on more responsibility in a bigger role, you get said role by upskilling, networking, experience. Same as any other industry.

Move organisations frequently.

But as has already been said like for like Charity sector pays less than Corporate as you would expect.

Small exception might be Fundraising Director roles can be lucrative if your are truly outstanding

Director level salaries in big, national charities are around 90-120k. But having similar responsibility in private sector would be 200k plus. With a lot less hassle. You don't go to the charity sector for the money and 44k even in London is a decent 'head of ' salary. Unless you're prepared and have the skills to be on the SMT of a salary and work with Trustees you won't earn much more.

If you love the sector you need to work for it not in it, but that I mean become a consultant in your area of expertise and charge the charities a day rate to do or advice on your aspect of their work. @MandemChickenShop fundraising directors are paid in line with other HODs. That pay structure is very set in charities where all aspects of finance are scrutinised.

A friend of mine who is about 30 earns 6 figs as a bid/growth director for a non profit that delivers services for the government. I think though the business has a for profit side though with potentially somehow helps with salaries, not sure how the P&Ls work!

What sort of role do you have?

I’m earning more than that in a legal job in charity sector, but not six figures, which is what I assume you mean by good money.

You would need to be the Big Cheese to earn decent money in charity sector, with all the stress that goes with it.

I used to work for a national charity i was relatively junior at the time in a professional role, but paid above market. I had, in the course of my role, access to info on the majority of salaries and some were very healthy. But this was a big national charity. Could you look at one of those. You lose some of the heart, they can be quite corporate. But may be worth it to you for ££££?

I'm in a technical role (scientific) in charitable sector, over 20 years experience and I'm considered an expert in my field. Im on high salary but it's still not 6 figures. That's just not for profit. People are not prepared to accept that donations they give should be used for high salaries. I consider myself lucky to be earning what I get to do something in passionate about.

I was earning £50k 10 years ago in a medium sized national charity as a head of.

To earn more you probably need to go one of 2 routes. Either head of or lead in one of the big ones - cancer research, Macmillan, Shelter, Oxfam etc etc or you need to go down the CEO of a smaller charity route. I had no interest in this and pivoted more into public sector and earn a lot more with less responsibility but more complexity

I left a charity and doubled my salary as I needed the money. I’d go back if I didn’t need the money because the job satisfaction added into the salary made the charity ‘job’ pay much more. You are BU not to recognise this OP.

As others have said, the high salaries are only really in the massive charities and at senior levels.

in small charities, even the CEO level is in the £60-90K range

Only possible if you become senior in a large charity like CFO. If earning is your primary motivation you need to move into another sector. What about a university? Better money and great pension but still might fulfil your want to contribute

I was on 90k in a charity in a technical/expert role. They accepted that they had to pay a certain amount to attract the people that they wanted to fulfil their specialist roles and that the reputation of the charity depended on having those people. despite that, last year I moved into the private sector in a much less stressful role, with a team of people, for much more money.

Even in massive charities they don't pay anything like commensurate with private sector. I was looking at halving my salary to become GC for one turning over £800m which was about twice what the private company I was working for was turning over. Worse pension too which surprised me I thought they might try to make it up with other benefits.

I'd really like to move to charitable sector but I can't afford to at the moment.

£44k? DD has worked in the charity sector for 10 years and would love that salary. Not to mention that where she works they can’t afford Aircon in the offices and they made the three members of her team redundant. She used to say that one of the benefits of working in that sector was that you only got to work with nice people who cared about their jobs but even that has changed.

I don’t know your skills but perhaps move into some form of consultancy work or training?

Sorry to break it to you, but £44k is good money in the charity sector.

But to add to what others have said, you can aim for ceo. A lot of work and stress with that.

Umm, you can’t do that. Charity law quite firm on that one!

I'm in the charity sector and have been for most of my career. I have kinda reached a level where the next step up is CEO.
was head hunted a few years ago for a post in senior management Team in v large charity which had clear routes for progression and promotion. I hated it, totally toxic.
Moved back to my old charity and was offered interim ceo for about 2k more than current salary. Turned it down as realised I didn't want that role so feel I have plateaued for now.

As you're already in the sector and, according to your salary, have been for a while, surely you're best placed to research this yourself, @MyNavyDreamer ?

I spent 15yrs in the Charity sector working for one of the big charities and then crossed over to the corporate sector. I don't believe you can make money as such without taking more promotions and more responsibility.
When I moved to the corporate sector I realised just how much more pay there was (for doing a lot less), but I didn't have the same relationship that I had with my ex-colleagues. I also found that standards in the corporate sector were a lot lower with people who wanted to stay there forever because of the perks.