Job Postings and Equity in the Profession

Today I want to share an update on AFP’s work in the diversity, inclusion and equity space. We’ve taken another step forward—a small step perhaps, but an important one—related to the posting of salary ranges with job postings.

In 2018, AFP Global began requiring salary ranges for our internal jobs at the association. We have decided to expand this policy to ALL positions posted by other organizations on our AFP Global Career Center, effective Nov. 1, 2020. Previously, we have been encouraging this but not requiring it.

Here are the reasons why we are enacting this change. 

First, not including the salary range in a job posting reinforces the salary gaps we see in the fundraising profession and in all of society based on gender, race and other factors. Studies show that women and people of color often have huge disadvantages during salary negotiations. Requiring salary ranges promotes equity in the fundraising profession.

Second, this change is all about encouraging transparency. We demand transparency in the relationship between our donors and our organizations. We should expect no less from our organizations when hiring a fundraiser (or any other position).

Third, salary ranges set expectations from the beginning and ensure there is no surprise about salaries, and that neither party is wasting their time on a candidate or a position that doesn’t meet their salary needs. In addition, there is research which shows that jobs with salary ranges get 30% more attention.

Finally, the salary compensation of any position should be based on the work and value of the position to the organization and its roles and responsibilities. Of course, not everyone will be paid the same for the same job because of differing levels of skills and experiences. But those salaries should be similar and set in a range because the work is similar.

We understand this might be a significant change for some organizations, but all of us at AFP Global strongly believe this is an important shift in increasing equity, inclusion and fairness in the fundraising profession. We are also encouraging all AFP chapters that have a job board to review their job posting policies to ensure they are equitable and require job postings to have salary ranges.

Organizations that have questions about setting ranges for various jobs can consult the annual AFP Compensation and Benefits Report to see the general range of salaries for a variety of fundraising positions.

AFP, our sector, and many other sectors are focusing on equity, and this change is the next logical and much-needed step. We need to take this step in our role as a community leader in the inclusion, diversity, equity and access space.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at Mike.Geiger@afpglobal.org.

Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA