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This fight has more impact than the employees themselves. It harms our organizations and threatens the success of our missions. When employees are underpaid, turnover is common and understaffing affects our ability to provide services. It is difficult to recruit and retain the best talent, even in the service of an incredible mission, when the hours are long and the wages insufficient. When the services we provide are deficient because we lack qualified staff, clients and clients become frustrated, which is reflected negatively in social media. Negative reviews on social media can affect contributions, hampering our ability to pay fairly and stay on mission.
As a community, we must face this crisis or risk losing some of the hard-hitting work provided by the organizations we love. We must recognize that employees and employee salaries are worth supporting. If we are to attract and retain the right people, we need to pay them fairly. We must reject the misconception that contributions should not go to general operating costs like salaries – the professionals in an organization are the ones who do the work and provide the necessary services.
If you are a donor, philanthropic leader, or for-profit business, take a minute to imagine the financial hardship created by the housing crisis in Missoula. Consider joining the Living Wage Campaign of the Humane Society of Western Montana. We hope to inspire you to give not only to us, but also to other nonprofits of your choice. We are in the same boat, and together we are going to solve this problem, which we must, or we risk losing our best and our brightest.
Marta R. Pierpoint is Executive Director of the Humane Society of Western Montana.
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