Does 'martyr mentality' of nonprofit lawyers keep salaries low?
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Lauren Burke graduated from New York University law school, was named a Skadden fellow and made Forbes’ list of “30 Under 30” in 2013. But her salary at the nonprofit group she co-founded qualified her for public housing in New York City (available to those who make less than $47,000 a year).
Burke, 31, tells Forbes a “martyr mentality” may be partly to blame.
It’s true, she says, that nonprofit work is a zero sum game. A higher salary for workers means less money is available for the people served by the nonprofit. Sometimes donors object to high salaries, and sometimes government reporting eats up funds.
“But if I’m being honest,” Burke tells Forbes, “I am also a part of the problem. If all nonprofits banded together and had a unified message to donors that higher staff salaries are a key component to a nonprofit’s success, I have to believe donors would respond in turn. They’d be forced to. I’m not saying it’s an easy ask. The system is set up in such a way that the income gap between for- and nonprofit worlds seems just an inevitability, even if we recognize the pitfalls in such a society. But nonprofit workers have somehow been made to believe that our low-paying salaries are a source of pride and show we truly care. And that internalization is a big part of the problem.”
Burke co-founded Atlas: DIY, Developing Immigrant Youth, which aims to educate and empower youths who are in the United States illegally. Her salary surpassed the cutoff for New York City public housing six months ago.
