As those eminent British philosophers Pink Floyd remind us, money rules, and we're all to some extent driven by it. Certainly, as fund raisers, we are in the money business. We might talk about building relationships, advancing causes, supporting missions, and bridging interests, but at the fundamental core of what we do lies a stark reality: We are hired to bring in money and judged primarily by that criterion.
And we don't mind this. For most fund raisers, dealing with money issues comes naturally. We may not discuss politics among polite company, but we'll sure talk about who has how much and when we might get our hands on it. We analyze our donors and prospects down to the nickel, attempting to determine their annual and deferred income, bonuses, stock holdings, property and other identifiable assets. We toss around financial figures and delve into personal business as if we're chatting about last night's NBA results. Nope, we're never nervous when it comes to cash.
Unless it's our own. For some reason, fund raisers -- at least most of the many I've known -- become squeamish when the topic turns to their personal compensation. We guard our salary information like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences protects its Oscar results. We don't want colleagues to know how much we make and we don't want to know what salaries they command. Or maybe we do, but we're certainly too civil, too uncomfortable -- too something -- to ask.
The salary squeamishness becomes most evident during a job search, especially in the interview process. Obfuscation begins early. For starters, staff members on the search committees charged with filling an opening don't always know what salary a position carries. We become familiar with every detail in the job description and understand fully the desired experience, but we often have little idea how much the position will pay. The hiring manager and the human-resources office will, but that information doesn't always trickle down to the staff level. Without such knowledge, committee members won't know if an offer would make sense to each candidate given his or her salary history or requirements.
Job ads normally aren't much help in this respect. Most do not list a salary or even a range. Positions at public institutions sometimes will, usually by policy. On occasion, though, you can find salary information at online human-resources sites. If you don't see a specific salary or range, then perhaps you'll find a level or grade; some sites will include some form of table indicating what salary that level equates to. But many times they don't, leaving you to guess what a salary of "E7" really means.
Other sites will provide ranges so wide that the information is essentially useless. Does it help much to know that a job pays between $40,000 and $85,000? Where might you fall in that range?
During the interview stage, most candidates are reluctant to mention salary. I've witnessed interviews progressing through two or three rounds without a single mention of money. Candidates trundle along from one meeting to the next, only to return to campus to jump though more hoops. They learn more about the institution than most alums, yet they don't know diddly about how much they'd make were they to join the ranks.
Why are candidates so afraid to bring up salary concerns during the interview process? Why do they simply accept this dance ritual as a necessary element of the job hunt? Are they afraid they would offend our sensibilities by insinuating they're interested in the bottom line? Isn't that, after all, what they'll later be paid to mind?
I say don't be so bashful. And do your homework. If the salary or range isn't listed in the ad or online, try to estimate it based on several factors. The most obvious is job responsibility. If you're a major-gifts director applying for a development vice presidency, chances are the new position will pay more than you now earn. But salaries are also dictated by the size and location of an organization. That vice presidency at a small college may actually pay less than your major-gifts position at a Research I institution. And wages in Boston tend to be higher than in Boise, but your money won't carry you as far. Other hints to look for include the years of service required and the position to which you'll be reporting.
Online research will reveal market wages for corresponding positions. The Chronicle lists median administrative salaries here. Even when you're not actively seeking another job, pay attention to employment listings. If you see an ad for a job that seems a likely next step, note if any salary or range is mentioned. Otherwise, visit the institution's human-resources page. An institution might list a minimum, midpoint, and maximum salary for a position. Don't necessarily assume you'll hit the midpoint. In many cases the salary offered falls in the range between the minimum and the midpoint.
If you discover a range that's exceedingly wide, call the human-resources office to narrow it. But don't always expect a straight answer. On occasion, I've called these offices to ask the salary that is budgeted for a position, only to encounter a sidestep with some standard fare about pay equating to experience. Then the person will mention the range, telling me the job pays somewhere in between -- exactly what I knew before I called.
Once you're on campus, find an opportune time with your potential boss to inquire about salary. Wait for a private moment, such as the one-on-one wrap-up session that normally concludes the day. Ask if there's an established range (there is) and if she has a sense of where in that range this position might fall (she does). If you meet at any point during the day with a human-resources representative, broach the topic then.
Let's assume you're offered the position. Should you decline a job or jeopardize an offer over a few thousand dollars? I never quibble, figuring that, after taxes, the difference wouldn't amount to much anyway. On the other hand, most employers will not risk losing a top candidate because of that difference. The right fund raiser, after all, will pay dividends a hundred times over.
But be careful about nitpicking; even though I recommend being forthright about salary issues, I likewise suggest that haggling over relatively piddling amounts will make you appear petty. I remember offering a candidate -- my second choice, as it turned out -- a job following a protracted search. We had discussed the salary, as determined by the human-resources office. She accepted, only to call me back a while later to tell me she had set a personal goal of making a specific salary in her next job. She asked if we could meet that goal. It was exactly $1,000 higher than what we'd offered. I groaned, and stood firm with my original offer. She grudgingly accepted, creating tension that began our working relationship on the wrong foot.
If you're still wavering, ask about other perks -- vacation time, tuition benefits for yourself and dependents, special summer hours, free use of health-club facilities on or near campus, professional-development opportunities, and so forth. Think of remuneration as a compensation package, of which salary is the most important -- but not the only -- component.
So just as you're not shy about discussing others' wealth and assets, don't be afraid to discuss money, in a judicious way, during the interview process, preferably as early as possible. Don't potentially waste your -- and the institution's -- time. That, as they say, is money.
