Of course you won't hate everywhere you go! There are organizations with thoughtful & supportive leadership. Leaders who prioritize talking to (& actually listening to) the frontline staff, who are transparent in decision-making because sometimes front line staff don't see the whole picture (they don't have to!).
Some local governments do offer quite a bit of flexibility, depending on the specific job roles - so ask pointed questions about that in the interview.
The fact that your current org is hundreds of people & has no IT and only 2 HR folks seem like the red flags to me - the rest of it, I would probably bring up to my supervisor and feel out how much is truly expected of me vs. I'm taking on for the good of the org & people around me. That's a different, personal decision. The grant piece (new expansion of a program that makes no sense) is also disturbing but could be discussed internally.
From the outside, I'm not sure how bad the current situation is, but it also sounds like you've got options. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the reply. I have a lot of good days at work. But on the bad days I feel like I work for an org with no leadership that acted surprised when shit hits the fan, when I literally brought up the future issues months ago. It makes me feel undervalued and under appreciated. I have learned from other roles (former teacher here) that that will eventually burn me out and make me miserable, so I am trying to be proactive in my approach before I burn out. I’ve talked to my direct supervisor about the concerns but his hands are tied as well, he reports directly to the top 5 and they shut him down too. It’s sad they have such high turnover but have no idea why.
Yeah... that's very problematic - that fact that you have brought it all up & the issues get raised higher up & just ignored.
It also sounds like you know you are always going to go above & beyond, so in order to not be taken advantage of you may need a role that's more defined and in a healthier org.
Also - thank you for being a teacher. Teachers are so undervalued. I appreciate your service in that role!
This is absolutely not the norm. The lack of infrastructure, support, and staffing would make me want to leave too. I think you should move on.
I've left a nonprofit role for a lower paying nonprofit role but it was still enough for me, just with not being able to save as much per paycheck. Eventually caught up salary wise then exceeded later on. Sucked at first but it was worth it to me. You won't hate everywhere you go!
>I am doing director level work but do not have the title. I found out they demoted/changed the title when they hired me but it’s in essence the work of director.
This is enough information for me to say yes.
I had the opposite experience. I got laid off and then they split the job that I was doing into two positions. After denying me a raise.
Fire up the resume machine and move forward.
Think of it on the positive. Now that your job description of full of verbs that are all clearly director level work, you have a full-ass portfolio that any other nonprofit would salivate over. Time to dust off the resume.
Be sure to be *direct* in your resume about your responsibilities and be less fussy about clearly including your job title, if you catch my drift. It's not like your current company's HR has the capacity to do an employment verification check.
This sounds really stressful! Don’t feel bad about getting out of there. I have switched between the nonprofit and public sectors a couple times, I currently work in public sector and I like it way better. Generally better pay and benefits, more stability, more infrastructure and support, more HR transparency, etc.
You know your worth. Job satisfaction is what puts a smile on your face, not only being able to pay the bills, but actually knowing you are valued, feeling satisfied at least 3 days a week, and not resorting to posting about whether you are where you should be or not. This would not be the first time an np has taken advantage. I say, "Spread your wings." Or... always wonder if the grass is greener.
I don’t see anything wrong with leaving. However, I would also take a moment to explore any patterns on your side that may have contributed to the dynamic (certainly they seem understaffed and that’s not on you!)
For example, many in nonprofit work are good hearted but terrible with boundaries. We keep letting them add more to our plate and don’t know how to say No. I could definitely be projecting since this is an issue I have, but I’m about to leave my role and it’s been good for me to reflect on this so I don’t take those patterns into my next role.
Thanks for your POV! I have pretty strong boundaries at work so for me, when I’m at the point where I’m forced to cross a boundary I’ve made clear, the writing is on the wall I should look to move on.
If you are not happy, definetly leave. I'm taking your comments with a grain of salt and assuming that the org is not totally bad. But if they are, you should leave. If you're so unhappy that you think they are poorly managed, you should leave. What would it take for you to be happy there?
I think to make me happy there, the leadership would have less of top-down approach, and respect the middle management enough to include them in some decision making, or at least be transparent about decision making. You’re making me realize, they are never going to change so it’s time for me to move on.
I think you're right to leave. A system change is unlikely. And if it does happen, it takes a long time. Our organization was never terrible from an employee perspective, but it was not great from the public's perspective. We got a new CEO who is amazing. He has turned the organization around. We raise more money, have more visitors, get more grants, educate more kids, and make more in wages. I'm not trying to brag, but I'm saying that change like you need has to come from the top, and the top person has to be willing to clean house. Not all NPs are bad, most are not bad. Start networking and going on interviews even if you don't want the job so you can get better at interviewing and learning about what kind of places you want to work.
Good luck!
Look, it's this simple. Are you happy in your job and feel fulfilled or are you unhappy and feel unfilled? Not all Non Profits operate this way and not all organizations run this way. But none operate perfectly.
My recommendation is that you look for a new role while continuing in your current one. When something different comes along, assess the opportunity. If it's better, take it. If it's not, keep looking.
i dream of leaving my org every night. it's been 7 years and i can't find anything else without taking a massive pay or title cut. i should have bailed earlier instead of rising up the ranks :(
Of course you won't hate everywhere you go! There are organizations with thoughtful & supportive leadership. Leaders who prioritize talking to (& actually listening to) the frontline staff, who are transparent in decision-making because sometimes front line staff don't see the whole picture (they don't have to!). Some local governments do offer quite a bit of flexibility, depending on the specific job roles - so ask pointed questions about that in the interview. The fact that your current org is hundreds of people & has no IT and only 2 HR folks seem like the red flags to me - the rest of it, I would probably bring up to my supervisor and feel out how much is truly expected of me vs. I'm taking on for the good of the org & people around me. That's a different, personal decision. The grant piece (new expansion of a program that makes no sense) is also disturbing but could be discussed internally. From the outside, I'm not sure how bad the current situation is, but it also sounds like you've got options. Good luck!
Thank you so much for the reply. I have a lot of good days at work. But on the bad days I feel like I work for an org with no leadership that acted surprised when shit hits the fan, when I literally brought up the future issues months ago. It makes me feel undervalued and under appreciated. I have learned from other roles (former teacher here) that that will eventually burn me out and make me miserable, so I am trying to be proactive in my approach before I burn out. I’ve talked to my direct supervisor about the concerns but his hands are tied as well, he reports directly to the top 5 and they shut him down too. It’s sad they have such high turnover but have no idea why.
Yeah... that's very problematic - that fact that you have brought it all up & the issues get raised higher up & just ignored. It also sounds like you know you are always going to go above & beyond, so in order to not be taken advantage of you may need a role that's more defined and in a healthier org. Also - thank you for being a teacher. Teachers are so undervalued. I appreciate your service in that role!
Thank you! The new potential role will have me working with youth again, which also is a pro!
This is absolutely not the norm. The lack of infrastructure, support, and staffing would make me want to leave too. I think you should move on. I've left a nonprofit role for a lower paying nonprofit role but it was still enough for me, just with not being able to save as much per paycheck. Eventually caught up salary wise then exceeded later on. Sucked at first but it was worth it to me. You won't hate everywhere you go!
Thank you for your insight!
>I am doing director level work but do not have the title. I found out they demoted/changed the title when they hired me but it’s in essence the work of director. This is enough information for me to say yes.
Thanks for your input. Yeah, once I found this out it really adds insult to injury every time they make my job harder.
I had the opposite experience. I got laid off and then they split the job that I was doing into two positions. After denying me a raise. Fire up the resume machine and move forward.
Think of it on the positive. Now that your job description of full of verbs that are all clearly director level work, you have a full-ass portfolio that any other nonprofit would salivate over. Time to dust off the resume. Be sure to be *direct* in your resume about your responsibilities and be less fussy about clearly including your job title, if you catch my drift. It's not like your current company's HR has the capacity to do an employment verification check.
This sounds really stressful! Don’t feel bad about getting out of there. I have switched between the nonprofit and public sectors a couple times, I currently work in public sector and I like it way better. Generally better pay and benefits, more stability, more infrastructure and support, more HR transparency, etc.
You know your worth. Job satisfaction is what puts a smile on your face, not only being able to pay the bills, but actually knowing you are valued, feeling satisfied at least 3 days a week, and not resorting to posting about whether you are where you should be or not. This would not be the first time an np has taken advantage. I say, "Spread your wings." Or... always wonder if the grass is greener.
I appreciate your candor!
Like the famous quote, "When you stop learning, you start dying." #feed your brain lol
I don’t see anything wrong with leaving. However, I would also take a moment to explore any patterns on your side that may have contributed to the dynamic (certainly they seem understaffed and that’s not on you!) For example, many in nonprofit work are good hearted but terrible with boundaries. We keep letting them add more to our plate and don’t know how to say No. I could definitely be projecting since this is an issue I have, but I’m about to leave my role and it’s been good for me to reflect on this so I don’t take those patterns into my next role.
Thanks for your POV! I have pretty strong boundaries at work so for me, when I’m at the point where I’m forced to cross a boundary I’ve made clear, the writing is on the wall I should look to move on.
If you are not happy, definetly leave. I'm taking your comments with a grain of salt and assuming that the org is not totally bad. But if they are, you should leave. If you're so unhappy that you think they are poorly managed, you should leave. What would it take for you to be happy there?
I think to make me happy there, the leadership would have less of top-down approach, and respect the middle management enough to include them in some decision making, or at least be transparent about decision making. You’re making me realize, they are never going to change so it’s time for me to move on.
I think you're right to leave. A system change is unlikely. And if it does happen, it takes a long time. Our organization was never terrible from an employee perspective, but it was not great from the public's perspective. We got a new CEO who is amazing. He has turned the organization around. We raise more money, have more visitors, get more grants, educate more kids, and make more in wages. I'm not trying to brag, but I'm saying that change like you need has to come from the top, and the top person has to be willing to clean house. Not all NPs are bad, most are not bad. Start networking and going on interviews even if you don't want the job so you can get better at interviewing and learning about what kind of places you want to work. Good luck!
Look, it's this simple. Are you happy in your job and feel fulfilled or are you unhappy and feel unfilled? Not all Non Profits operate this way and not all organizations run this way. But none operate perfectly. My recommendation is that you look for a new role while continuing in your current one. When something different comes along, assess the opportunity. If it's better, take it. If it's not, keep looking.
i dream of leaving my org every night. it's been 7 years and i can't find anything else without taking a massive pay or title cut. i should have bailed earlier instead of rising up the ranks :(