Julie Cohen was shocked that a post for a job opening included the salary for the position — a rare upfront disclosure in the nonprofit sector.
Usually, she'd go through the application and interview process before, at the very end, the salary was revealed.
"There's nothing more frustrating," she said, than realizing the pay was too low to make ends meet.
Now, Minnesota nonprofit leaders are flipping that process, including salaries in all job postings. On Tuesday, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, Pollen and Springboard for the Arts — all three of which have the most popular nonprofit job boards in the state — announced they'll start requiring pay on postings.
"It forces organizations to be more transparent," said Cohen, who landed a job five years ago at Pollen, a media arts organization in Minneapolis where she manages its jobs board.
The change is part of a broader push nationally in the sector to be more transparent and ensure that compensation is equitable, helping to narrow pay gaps for women and people of color.
"This is one step we can take," Cohen added.
Nonprofit pay has been rising in Minnesota, which has more than 9,000 nonprofits. In 2019, a record 391,000 nonprofit workers made up 14% of the state's workforce, surpassing the government sector for the first time in the number of employees and share of Minnesota's workforce.