The amount I earn as a charity worker is not sufficient for a decent lifestyle for my kids. My children and I wear second-hand clothing, and one month when I had extra dental costs we ended up at a food bank. Can I take a second job?

First, it is sad that our charities do not pay what our friends to the south call a “living wage”. Some avoid translating salaries into hourly rates as they would come out below legal minimums if they did – even for some executive directors! And most private sector workers are covered by benefit plans that might have paid those dental costs. See my July 2004 column for comments about benefit plans for nonprofits.

Please, those of you who donate or are involved in grant decisions, remember that our good works should not be done at the expense of charity employees. While low end of market may be acceptable because of the personal satisfaction, wage rates below market are exploitation. Many charities know they are not paying anywhere near what their staff are worth, but simply have no more money. Because charities normally provide human services, salaries can legitimately be a major expense or even the major expense. Expecting that “all donations will be spent on programs” is unreasonable; even volunteer-based programs require volunteer management, accounting services, board support, telephones, and other reasonable overhead.

That said, as an employee you cannot change your own wage rates. And many charity jobs are part-time, making survival on low pay even tougher. You can ask your manager to review your compensation in light of your skills and responsibilities – compensation decisions are not normally based on personal needs. You can find out if the executive director is planning to seek an increase for payroll costs in the next budget; your situation might help get bring Board attention to currently inadequate resources. You can get involved in raising new monies for a project that could open up a higher paying role for you.

Pending a better solution, yes, you can take part-time work that does not interfere with your current responsibilities. You need to talk to your manager about what might be considered interference, as your first obligation is to your current employer. They are entitled to set reasonable restrictions, and may have an existing policy. They should not forbid you to take other work, but since they can legally (not ethically) terminate you without giving a reason, keep the discussion amicable.

Some general considerations:

• Would your connection to the new employer harm the image of your current one? For example, an employee of a cancer care service seen working in a tobacconist shop might bring discredit to the cancer organization.
• Are you currently expected to attend occasional weekend and evening events even though your normal work schedule is weekday daytimes? You may have to arrange your hours at your second job to accommodate the charity’s annual general meetings, conferences, booths and overtime expectations during peak workloads.
• Will you be too tired to do your first job well? Losing it due to poor performance will not help your situation, so do not commit to more hours than you can handle.
• What extra costs will you incur for child care, transportation, or uniforms in the second job?
• Will the extra hours keep you from maintaining your professional development? Most of us have to read trade publications and Internet articles, as well as attend occasional educational events, to keep up with our chosen careers.
• Are you a fundraiser? Please read my October 2004 column, and also the Ethics Code of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, as you may be restricted in what kind of work you can take.
• Can you make your current job part-time if you get offered a part-time job with a high enough hourly rate and benefits that it would solve your problem without taking so much time away from your children? From what I hear, even some donut shops give better rates and benefits than some of our charities.
• Would you be better off to take a new full-time job that pays well, and become a volunteer for your current employer?

In summary, you must put your current employer first until and unless you are willing to give notice. Ask your organization to outline their moonlighting requirements and policy if any. I suggest you also give them a chance to help you find a solution before accepting an offer for a second job.

When you become better off and have more influence as a donor, help nonprofits treat their employees with respect. They should not get rich, but they should be able to make the mortgage payments and live without help from food banks.

Since 1992, Jane Garthson has dedicated her consulting and training business to creating better futures for our communities and organizations through values-based leadership. She is a respected international voice on governance, strategic thinking and ethics. Jane can be reached at jane@garthsonleadership.ca.

To submit a dilemma for a future column, or to comment on a previous one, please contact editor@charityvillage.com. For paid professional advice about an urgent or complex situation, contact Jane directly.